The image of Native Americans has always been idealized and admired for their heroism and bravery. Many see the use of their image as warriors and braves in American sports mascots as a way to pay tribute to Native Americans, but many would also argue that these mascots demean their native traditions and rituals.

This opposition to mascots that portray Native Americans in a negative light began as a campaign during the 1960s by a group called the National Congress of American Indians. They strongly believe that sports teams using mascots with names like Braves and Redskins only serve as negative stereotypes of their people. They claim that fans wearing war paint, chicken feather headdresses and waving rubber axes are offensive, demeaning and racist.

Those who disagree point out that team names like Warriors and Braves represent fighting men like those from other cultures. It’s not unlike using team names like Vikings, Minutemen, or Musketeers. Nicknames such as Fighting Irish, Flying Dutchmen, Trojans, and Spartans (just to name a few) are not considered offensive, so the use of Native American nicknames should not be construed as having racist or demeaning connotations.

There seems to be a disconnect between Indian activists who oppose Indian team names and mascots and the Native American population who don’t. More than ninety percent of American Indians and a majority of American sports fans surveyed find names and mascots acceptable.

Some college teams have decided to make changes out of respect for Native American culture. The use of these racial mascots on elementary, middle, and high school sports teams has become a concern. The claim is that young people are not taught to respect certain ethnic groups and these stereotypes will only promote racism. The lack of sports mascots based on Americans of African, Asian and Mexican descent only supports claims by opposition groups that Native Americans are being singled out.

Supporters of the use of Native American mascots insist that they are meant to be respectful and only serve to pay tribute to the Indian people. Far from being derogatory, these mascots are considered ideal for sports teams because they focus on bravery, courage, and fighting skills.

But there is also a financial impact and cost to consider. Changing team names and mascots would affect merchandise that generates millions of dollars in sales each year. Opponents don’t care about the negative financial cost to the team’s franchises. All they want is a change in the way Americans view real Indian culture and traditions. They believe this change will replace the trivialized way they are viewed and hopefully erase racial stereotypes they feel they have had to put up with for far too long.