(via Keith Law)
here's an interesting work-around for the issue of racism and team names:
http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/18484/tribe-supports-native-american-mascots
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why some think Brett Myers should leave w/ Chief Wahoo . . .
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/07/23/zuba-i-wont-cheer-for-a-monster/
here's an interesting work-around for the issue of racism and team names:
http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/18484/tribe-supports-native-american-mascots
* * *
why some think Brett Myers should leave w/ Chief Wahoo . . .
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/07/23/zuba-i-wont-cheer-for-a-monster/
Interesting stuff. Where do you stand on the name of the team? Would you like to keep it, or do you feel it's worth changing it?
ReplyDeleteI vacillate whether Cleveland keeps its namesake or not--Braves, Redskins esp, seem like no-brainers for a change. I think "Indians" could be kept and re-imaged--drop the drunken caricature that is Chief Wahoo, though, without doubt.
ReplyDeleteMy fuzzy, liberal idealism tells me that Cle could re-cast "Indians" more nobly, more historically accurate (named to honor our first superstar, btw)--these aspects could be foregrounded in a public relations move (invite Native Americans into the announcemnt, donate money, etc).
Having laid it out thusly, I realize that I'm probably only one remove from the women in Alaska who asked the Innuit spokesperson how much would it cost to buy one of their totem poles b/c she really liked them.
There's some evidence to suggest that honoring Lou Sockalexis might be an ex post facto justification of the name change.
ReplyDelete"Indians," to me, isn't clearly offensive in the way that "Redskins" is. Redskin is a slur, while Indian was at least initially an honest mistake. ISU just hired someone in ethnic American lit who uses Native American and Indian interchangeably. Were it my call, I'd prefer the name of a particular geographically relevant tribe, or even a return to Spiders. But it's really not my call...if I found out the Red Sox were named after an organization that stomped cats to death I'd probably think "That's awful!" and "I hope they don't change the name!" almost simultaneously.
I'm with you, though, in thinking that bidding farewell to Chief Wahoo would be a big step in the right direction, and maybe enough of a step in the short term.