(source: Yahoo Sports)
What's in a name?
As the opening game of the American League Championship Series approaches (this Friday in Cleveland), media in Toronto is full of discussion about Cleveland's team name (the Indians).
This attention seems different from previous discussion. Perhaps it is related to the very harsh-toned political climate of the current US Presidential election that has made things different.
Over 20 years ago, Toronto radio sports-broadcaster Jerry Howarth stopped referring to the the Cleveland "Indians" in favor of just "Cleveland" upon receiving a letter from a fan in 1992 expressing offense at the cultural appropriation in professional sports. Over the years, discussion has continued and some networks don't mention the team name of NFL Washington franchise - although in that case, the team name was a specific pejorative term from eras of American expansion and conflicts with Indigenous peoples. Other team names such as The Atlanta Braves, KC Chiefs and sports logos like the Chicago Blackhawks (Indigenous Warrior) have been discussed and debated.
It seems the owners of the Cleveland Indians have acknowledged the issue by changing the primary logo away from a caricature of an Indigenous Chief.
It is good to see respect emerging as a trend. However we need to understand the root of the issue a little. The Mohawk Nation flag has a picture of a warrior - and as this is their flag, it is not considered appropriation, and it reflects their sense of cultural identity. When professional teams take on symbols of historically colonized people, it seen differently by many in those communites.
Any identifiable cultural group should be granted the same courtesy as we are now seeing with Native/Indigenous Americans, but we also can understand the additional sensitivity for these cases given the historical context. We probably won't view Notre Dame "Fighting Irish", or Minnesota Vikings as symbols of appropriation.
Clearly context of usage makes a difference. The Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL use an archaic term for Inuit but don't have a picture of an Inuit character in the logo (it simply is EE), I believe the Kansas City Chiefs also have something similar - and "Chiefs" can be akin to "Kings" used commonly as team names elsewhere. The Jeep Cherokee, Apache Helicopter and Tomahawk Missile, also are examples of Americas Indigenous legacy.
As history has become part of the American culture, some may argue that in fact it is not appropriation, but rather reflects an authentic influence of what America is from it's nationhood story (which includes undeniable colonization).
It will be interesting to see how attitudes shift as information and awareness continues to spread, and how the issue of individual cultural identity plays out in contrast to globalization.