June 23: The Cleveland Indians
I cheer for the Cleveland Indians because my dad cheers for the
Cleveland Indians. I say this as someone who does not really care for
baseball. Now and then, I'll check out the MLB website to see how the
Tribe is doing. They are usually not doing well. My dad could tell you
why. I couldn't.
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I watched two world series with my dad. Once when the Indians lost to the Florida Marlins in seven games, another time when they lost to the Atlanta Braves. I dubbed that series "The Amnesty Bowl."
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To my knowledge, there are four American professional sports teams that, according to certain First Nations groups, are destroying the dignity of the American Indian. Those teams are the Kansas City Chiefs, the Washington Redskins, the Atlanta Braves and, yes folks, the Cleveland Indians.
The Cleveland Indians logo looks like this:
That logo used to appear on the players helmets. It was replaced recently in favour of a red stylized C. The grinning Indian head still appears on the Cleveland Indians official website.
Some First Nations groups say this sort of imagery, as well as the name, is offensive.
On a somewhat related note, here is the logo for Notre Dame University's sports teams, which are nicknamed the Fighting Irish:
And here is the mascot for the San Diego Padres, a baseball team:
No one seems to be offended over the San Diego Padres even though, one could argue, that their name marginalizes a religious group. Imagine a team called the Moncton Mullahs or the Roanoke Rabbis. Unthinkable.
And no one gets offended about the Fighting Irish because the Irish enjoy Irish stereotypes and they like making fun of themselves too.
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My pops doesn't want the Cleveland Indians to change their name. He is not racist, he is a traditionalist. When he coached Little League, he lobbied to have his team's name changed to the Indians. The league agreed.
When I lived in Saskatchewan, I saw tonnes of natives wearing Cleveland Indians gear. I asked one once why.
"Aren't you offended?" I asked.
"Why should I be?" he said. "When you give your team a name, you pick a name that connotates might or dignity. I consider it an honour."
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The Cleveland Indians went through plenty of name changes in the early 1900s. They were known as the Naps, the Heroes, the Bluebirds, even the Infants. Sometime around 1915, the team asked some local newspapers to suggest a name and they came up with the Indians. It was a nod to the Boston Braves, which had earned the nickname "Miracle Braves" for starting the season in last place and making it to the top of the standings by season's end.
Holy cow, that's more baseball research than I've ever done in my life.
The point is that the Indians didn't get their name because some fat white rich dude was pigging out on roast beef and cognac and saying: "Man do I ever hate Indians. I want to give my team a nickname that will piss them off."
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My news feed tells me that a new Native group called People Not Mascots is suing the Cleveland Indians for $9 billion.
You know, I can't say I'm entirely without sympathy for these folks. I can see why some people would find the name offensive but I also respect people of Native status who are not upset by it.
I will say that I hope People Not Mascots is unsuccessful in procuring any sort of fvourable judgment. God help us if we can start suing each other for hurting our feelings.
-
Asked my pops once if he would still be a Tribe fan if the Indians changed their name.
"Probably not," he said.
"What if they just changed their name to the Tribe?"
"Maybe," he said.
-
I watched two world series with my dad. Once when the Indians lost to the Florida Marlins in seven games, another time when they lost to the Atlanta Braves. I dubbed that series "The Amnesty Bowl."
-
To my knowledge, there are four American professional sports teams that, according to certain First Nations groups, are destroying the dignity of the American Indian. Those teams are the Kansas City Chiefs, the Washington Redskins, the Atlanta Braves and, yes folks, the Cleveland Indians.
The Cleveland Indians logo looks like this:
That logo used to appear on the players helmets. It was replaced recently in favour of a red stylized C. The grinning Indian head still appears on the Cleveland Indians official website.
Some First Nations groups say this sort of imagery, as well as the name, is offensive.
On a somewhat related note, here is the logo for Notre Dame University's sports teams, which are nicknamed the Fighting Irish:
And here is the mascot for the San Diego Padres, a baseball team:
No one seems to be offended over the San Diego Padres even though, one could argue, that their name marginalizes a religious group. Imagine a team called the Moncton Mullahs or the Roanoke Rabbis. Unthinkable.
And no one gets offended about the Fighting Irish because the Irish enjoy Irish stereotypes and they like making fun of themselves too.
-
My pops doesn't want the Cleveland Indians to change their name. He is not racist, he is a traditionalist. When he coached Little League, he lobbied to have his team's name changed to the Indians. The league agreed.
When I lived in Saskatchewan, I saw tonnes of natives wearing Cleveland Indians gear. I asked one once why.
"Aren't you offended?" I asked.
"Why should I be?" he said. "When you give your team a name, you pick a name that connotates might or dignity. I consider it an honour."
-
The Cleveland Indians went through plenty of name changes in the early 1900s. They were known as the Naps, the Heroes, the Bluebirds, even the Infants. Sometime around 1915, the team asked some local newspapers to suggest a name and they came up with the Indians. It was a nod to the Boston Braves, which had earned the nickname "Miracle Braves" for starting the season in last place and making it to the top of the standings by season's end.
Holy cow, that's more baseball research than I've ever done in my life.
The point is that the Indians didn't get their name because some fat white rich dude was pigging out on roast beef and cognac and saying: "Man do I ever hate Indians. I want to give my team a nickname that will piss them off."
-
My news feed tells me that a new Native group called People Not Mascots is suing the Cleveland Indians for $9 billion.
You know, I can't say I'm entirely without sympathy for these folks. I can see why some people would find the name offensive but I also respect people of Native status who are not upset by it.
I will say that I hope People Not Mascots is unsuccessful in procuring any sort of fvourable judgment. God help us if we can start suing each other for hurting our feelings.
-
Asked my pops once if he would still be a Tribe fan if the Indians changed their name.
"Probably not," he said.
"What if they just changed their name to the Tribe?"
"Maybe," he said.
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