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Thursday, Jul 16, 2020

Do many Native Americans support eliminating their caricatures from sports?

Samuel Henning, Gigafact Foundry
yes

More than 50 tribal governments and Native American organizations have expressed support for the Washington Redskins decision to find a new name for the team. The National Congress of American Indians, a long-established civil rights organization, began campaigning in 1968 to address stereotypes in U.S. culture and continues to press other teams and brands to retire similar names and images.

The continued use of the tomahawk chop by fans of several professional sports teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Braves, is also generally opposed by Native American organizations.

A survey released in February of more than 1,000 Native Americans found 49% thought the Washington team's name was offensive. Those who identified more strongly with Native American tribes and culture tended to be more offended.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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