The Indian Mascot Debate

Until recently, I had little experience with the Indian or Native American mascot
debate. While I have always known about Indian mascots, mainly through seeing sports fans
adorning them, I did not know there was such controversy around them. Rather, I believed
they were a great way to celebrate America’s cultural diversity.
Arguably, this controversy is more profound in sports. For a long time, besides
mascots, sports teams and their fans have used various other aspects of Native Americans’
cultural identity, including names. An example is the NFL’s Washington Redskins, a name
that makes reference to Native Americans. Those opposed to these practices, the majority of
whom are Native Americans, argue that the practices are racist, stereotypical, derogatory,
offensive, and dehumanizing (Wadley; Fryberg, Eason, and Brady 3). Those who support the
practices deny such claims.
Besides sports, schools are other battlegrounds for the debate, with the National
Congress of American Indians (NCAI) working hard to end the use of Indian mascots in
schools (National Congress of American Indians). That said, I see nothing wrong with a
school with no American Indian students using an Indian mascot as one of its symbols.
I say so because I believe there must be ways to truly use the mascots as an honor to
American Indians rather than being another stereotypical depiction of American Indians. For

Surname 2
example, a school that upholds and reflects cultural diversity as one of its values could rightly
use an Indian mascot.
My perspective on this debate remains the same: the use of Indian mascots by non-
Indian institutions can be a proper way to celebrate the country’s cultural diversity. It need
not be racist or stereotypical.

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Works Cited

Fryberg, Stephanie, et al. “Unpacking the Mascot Debate: Native American Identification
Predicts Opposition to Native Mascots.” Social Psychological and Personality
Science (2020): 3-13. Web.
National Congress of American Indians. Retiring “Indian” School Mascots: Informing,
Tracking, and Fueling a Growing National Movement. 13 November 2020. Web. 8
June 2022.
Wadley, Jared. Native American mascots, names, chants: More offensive than previously
reported. 4 February 2020. Web. 8 June 2022.