Opinion | Sports

DaShanne Stokes: 'Indian' mascots carry harmful impacts

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

DaShanne Stokes cites five studies that show how "Indian" mascots harm Indian people:

1. A study by Chaney, Burke, and Burkley (2011) found that many people, in fact, do not distinguish between their feelings between stereotypical Native mascots and actual, living, breathing, Native American people.
2. In their study on the effects of people who were not themselves the object of stereotypical depictions, Kim-Prieto, Okazaki, Goldstein, and Kirschner (2009) found that even people who had been exposed to Native American sports mascots were more likely to stereotype a different ethnic minority group.
3. Steinfeldt et al. (2010) examined racial attitudes about Native Americans expressed in online newspaper forums, focusing on the nickname and logo used by the University of North Dakota’s “Fighting Sioux.” The study found support for the positions of anti-mascot activists and organizations that Native American mascots, nicknames, and logos perpetuate stereotypes. It also found that “Because sports fans have the power to play Indian without the consent of American Indians, relations between both groups are negatively affected" (King et al., 2006; Staurowsky, 2007; Williams, 2006; Williams, 2007).
4. A 2011 study by LaRocque et al. of the emotional impact of the University of North Dakota’s “Fighting Sioux” nickname and logo on 33 Native American and 36 majority culture (MC) students found that Native Americans “may experience significantly higher levels of psychological distress when viewing even neutral images of AI (American Indian) nicknames/logos.”
5. Freng and Willis-Esqueda, in their 2011 investigation to determine if exposure to a Native American mascot activated Native American stereotypes, found that the “Chief Wahoo” image of the Cleveland Indians activated negative, not positive, Native American stereotypes when compared to other images.
Cumulatively, these studies show in horrific clarity what supporters of the Red*kins--Native and non-Native alike--seem not to realize: that ethnic mascots are integrally intertwined with their offensive team names, and together they have the effect of perpetuating institutionalized racism. Institutionalized racism contributes to high rates of unemployment, poverty, health problems, and inadequate education for many Native Americans. In short, Native team names and mascots contribute to the very problems we should be focused on solving.

Get the Story:
DaShanne Stokes: 5 Studies That Prove Dan Snyder is Wrong About 'Redskins' (Indian Country Today 4/21)