Since
the Washington Redskins mascot debate was hatched in 2013 after many years of argument as to whether an American Indian slur was deemed fit for a NFL team, the
argument surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs’ mascot arose. Should the mascot
"Chief" be dropped? How has it caused offense to American Indians? Is
it really necessary to break tradition? Although there are a variety of opinion
on the subject, mine lies with those who believe the Kansas City NFL team
should drop the name "Chief."
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| Early Chiefs Mascot and Logo |
The
Kansas City Chiefs first came to Kansas City in 1963 after having a brief three
year stint as the Dallas Texans. After much debate over the name for such a
team, Lamar Hunt settled on Chiefs, taking into account the many tribes native
to the Kansas City area and also the mayor at the time, H. Roe Bartle,
nicknamed "Chief."
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| H. Roe Bartle, dressed as American Indian |
Addressing
the fact that the Chiefs were named partially after H. Roe Bartle, it is clear that
he was a great leader of Kansas City. According to the Kansas City Public
Library, Bartle, "perhaps devoted more energy to speech making and other
ceremonies than to his other duties, but he nonetheless successfully promoted
economic expansion and a reworked tax code."
Upon being a mayor of
expansion he did bring the Dallas Texans to Kansas City. "In honor of
Mayor Bartle,Texans owner Lamar Hunt renamed the team the Chiefs in
1963."
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| Bartle in1938 http://www.kclibrary.org/blog/ week-kansas-city-history/hail-chief |
Some
of those who disagree that the mascot of Kansas City’s football team make
arguments that center on history, tradition, and progressiveness. Many of those
who think keeping the name is significant because of history and who also think
the term "Chief” is not offensive should take into account that having a
team mascot, a person who was once made a fool at sporting events (and can be
made a fool to this day) insults American Indians in a way that pokes fun at
their leader, the person who led their tribe not just into war, but in everyday
life in tasks involving food, shelter, and spirituality. It is a position that
is held sacred in some concerns and it is a position that is not easily
achieved.
Joel Thorman, a writer for Arrowhead Pride, an
online publication centered on Kansas City Chiefs’ news said, “I haven't seen a
strong argument that the name itself is wrong…there's really no argument that
the name Chiefs by itself is offensive. The same goes for [Atlanta] Braves and
even [Cleveland] Indians.” To poke fun at something like this is similar to
poking fun at a leader of a town, a leader of a church, and a leader of a
nation all wrapped up into one.
In
terms of tradition, KC Chief fans take pride in the painted war horse, the
tomahawk chop, and most of all the drumming that occurs before the beginning of
the game, signifying a type of football war is about to ensue. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star states,"There’s a chance
you haven’t given that drum a second thought. The Chiefs brought [the drum]
back when “opening” the renovated stadium four years ago…to reconnect with some
old traditions. As it turned out, they found the actual drum used at Municipal
Stadium.
They’ve had celebrities like George Brett and Tom Watson bang the drum
to get fans going on game day. Well, the war drum represents something very
different than crowd hype to a lot of American Indians. The Chiefs didn’t mean
to offend anyone with this, of course. They just didn’t know. They could have
used some guidance.”
.jpg) |
| Kansas City Chiefs War Drum Ceremony |
Many of the traditions that Chief fans claim to be
tradition actually have tradition farther back into history than they could
ever imagine, and that history is distant and blurred to Americans. But after
reviewing such history by those who truly know it, we can move past these
traditions that simply open a ball game to seeing them as something special and
traditional to American Indians.
Addressing
the future of the Chiefs mascot and of all American Indian related mascots, it
is not a question of to what degree something is offensive or if something is
offensive at all, but a question of what is progressive and what is right. Why
do we want to keep this name? Would it hurt the team to adopt a new mascot? The
truth to the latter question is that nothing can hurt the play of the Chiefs,
and perhaps a new name will help with sales, game attendance, and even winning.
Hampton Stevens of the Kansas City Star thinks “the team should change names
because it will make the ownership and city look progressive.” Stevens goes on
to say, “The franchise should do it because, incidentally, it’ll make money for
the team. But mostly the Chiefs should change its name because it's the right
thing to do.” If the Washington Redskins must change their name by 2017, the
Kansas City Chiefs must follow suit.
 |
| A proposed change for the Washington NFL football team |
There
are many reasons the Kansas City Chiefs should change their mascot. Some of
those reasons include the fact that it is disrespectful to American Indian
traditions, it falsely represents American Indian history, and it does nothing
to progress the team, the economy, or stereotypes in the least. Hampton Stevens
said, “Mascots simply aren't why we care about our teams. What matters is how
the players represent the city.”
As time goes on, tolerance for American Indian mascots, names, and references will dissapear. Time and time again events have taken place that only prove such progress, including changing the Washinton Redskins mascot along with many different sports teams an schools around the nation. Justin P. Grose, author of "Time to Bury the Tomahawk Chop: An attempt to reconcile the differing viewpoints of Native Americans and sports fans" agrees that as a human race, we are improving in our ways saying, "The acceptance and widespread use of racial slurs has been progressively phrased out over the course of the twentieth century, as society becomes less tolerant of racial stereotypes." In this quote, Grose is correct. But there is still a long way to go. One way to assist progress is to change the Kansas City mascot to stay with modern times.
Grose, J. (2010).
TIME TO BURY THE TOMAHAWK CHOP: AN ATTEMPT TO RECONCILE
THE DIFFERING
VIEWPOINTS OF NATIVE AMERICANS AND SPORTS FANS. American Indian Law Review,
35(2), 695-728. (2010, January 1). Retrieved September 4, 2014, from J-Stor.
Mellinger, S. (2014, August 6). To avoid a cultural
free-for-all, Chiefs form alliance with American Indian groups. Retrieved
September 4, 2014.
Roe, J. (2013, January 1). Hail to the Chief. Retrieved
September 4, 2014.
Smith, M. (2014, June 26). Plaintiff in Redskins case urges
Chiefs to change their name. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
Stevens, H. (2014, August 8). Hampton Stevens: Kansas City
Chiefs should lead the way and take a new name. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
Thorman, J. (2014, June 26). The name Chiefs should not be
offensive ... but is there more to it? Retrieved September 4, 2014.
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