8 - Support efforts to stop inappropriate usage of Indigenous imagery for mascots
This series of blog posts is inspired by the list 21 Things You Can Do to Change the World created by Bob Joseph in his book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act. Focusing on actionable steps, these blog posts will take each step and provide links, contacts, and suggestion lists.
View all of our 21 Things posts here.
The next action chose to highlight is Support efforts to stop inappropriate usage of Indigenous imagery for mascots
Organized sports are a big deal. Professional teams have millions of fans and generate billions of dollars in revenue. Team sports in schools are sources of exercise, teamwork, camaraderie, and school spirit. Every team has a name and a mascot and a lot of those names and mascots are harmful and racist. These names perpetuate negative stereotypes. The mascots are often harmful caricatures. They can be a barrier to Indigenous youth who would otherwise participate in sports. There’s also the issue of these teams profiting off the names and images of a culture that isn’t theirs, racist names and mascots aside.
On June 1, 2021, the Edmonton Elks revealed their new name. Before that, since 1949, they had been known as the Edmonton Eskimos. For 72 years they used the colonizer name, a racial slur of an Indigenous group not generally found in Edmonton to begin with. Their mascot, from 1997 to 2021, was a polar bear named Nanook. Nanook, in Inuit spiritual beliefs, was the Master of Bears and could decide if a hunter would have success or not. The mascot was retired at the same time as the old name and replaced with Spike the Elk.
While it is good progress that a major team such as the Elks have changed their name, there are still so many teams that have not yet made the change; in fact they push back, claiming the names are “traditional,” as if 80 years trumps tens of thousands. In the case of both the Elks and the Washington Football Team (previously the Redskins), the decision to change was only made because their large investors raised concerns, not because it was the right thing to do in the first place. Interestingly the decision for both teams dropping their racist names were announced just days after the murder of George Floyd. For them there is also the cost: a rebrand is expensive. Unfortunately a lot of these things tend to come down to revenue.
The point is not to shame the players on the teams or the fans who love the teams. They did not pick the names, but they have the power to influence change. So what can a sports fan do to help?
Put pressure on the owners of the teams. Use social media to your advantage and let them know you are unhappy with the team name.
Put pressure on the companies that invest in and sponsor the teams. Teams need sponsors, and if the sponsors think that their image will suffer they will not want to support a team with a racist name.
Do not buy/stop wearing any merchandise that has a racist mascot. Don’t wear anything with a racial slur or that perpetuates a racist stereotype. Not buying merchandise also sends a message to the owners that they cannot make money on other people’s culture.
Support initiatives that aim to change racist names. Follow activists on social media and share their content with your followers. Support organizations like the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami who advocated for the Edmonton name change.
If a smaller, local team name is racist, petition them to change it. Starting at a local level is easier than taking on a major team, and you will be helping Indigenous children in your community feel valued.
As Andy Prest said on Vancouver is Awesome: “A name change won’t erase your favourite team’s history or take away its championships. It also will not bring an end to the fight for equality. But it is a good place to start.”
These blog posts are designed to be a starting point to help people toward the path of reconciliation and allyship. We encourage everyone to do their own reading and research. Want to learn more? Check out the Indigenous Relations Academy, which has books, training, and resources. You can also purchase 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act here.