Every time a major-league sports team is in the news whose name brings Native Americans to mind, representatives of that group protest that they’ve been slandered by the fact that teams have been named after them in a manner they consider derogatory.
This is a complex issue, and I’m only going to raise a question about one part of it:
Two of the teams in question, the Redskins and Braves, were originally the Boston Redskins and Boston Braves. A singular event in American history occured in Boston, not involving Native Americans, but rather involving American colonists dressed up in their garb. I’ve been wondering – were the Redskins and Braves named after Native Americans, or were they named after the hotheads who dumped the tea in the harbor?
Anybody (Cecil, the Teeming Millions, or whoever) know anything concrete about the origins of these teams’ names?
While I can’t speak for the Redskins, I’m pretty sure the Braves were…but in a roundabout way.
My understanding is that the Braves took their name from the emblem of the Tammany political club. That, in turn, had been inspired by the Boston Tea Party.
“Sherlock Holmes once said that once you have eliminated the
impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be
the answer. I, however, do not like to eliminate the impossible.
The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it that the merely improbable lacks.”
– Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently, Holistic Detective
Sorry I can’t answer your question, RT, but I couldn’t help but share something related to this topic.
A few weeks ago, I was driving on US160 across the Navajo reservation on my way to Colorado. At one point, I passed a high school whose mascot was … get ready … the Redskins. I found this ironic, to say the least.
This topic usually irritates me. My high school used to have the mascot of the Redskins, but they (the Home and School Assn) made us change it to the Redhawks (whatever those are). The thing that was funny in this instance is that the people behind the change were all white, middle-class, suburban moms with nothing to do. The very few Native Americans who live in our area didn’t really care.
Every couple of years someone makes the same effort to change the name of the Florida State Seminoles’ mascot. And every time the entire Seminole tribe comes out and defends the mascot, saying it’s a sign of respect and honor. Really, do you think you’re going to name your team after something you hate.
Incidentally, there was a high school in Illinois named Pekin High School that had an especially offensive mascot. They were the Pekin Chinks. They made em change that one.
I can certainly understand why American Indians find the name “Redskins” offensive, and I wish the DC football team would change their name immediately. I’m not quite as outraged about other sport teams with Indian names. I think “Braves” is a perfectly fine name, though I wish they’d lose the Tomahawk Chop. As for the Cleveland Indians, I think the name is fine, but that stupid “Chief Wahoo” symbol has GOT to go.
[[Two of the teams in question, the Redskins and Braves, were originally the Boston Redskins and Boston Braves. A singular event in American history occured in Boston, not involving Native Americans, but rather involving American colonists dressed up in their garb. I’ve been wondering – were the Redskins and Braves named after Native Americans, or were they named after the hotheads who dumped the tea in the harbor?]] RTFirefly
Interesting angle, although I certainly see why Native Americans would be offended by “Redskins.” Like Astorian (hey, this is gettin’ spooky), I think that moniker should be changed pronto.
Actually, the Redskins were originally called the “Boston Braves”. In 1933, The name was changed by the owner, George Preston Marshall, to the “Boston Redskins” to avoid confusion with the local professional baseball team.
I think several people would disagree with the word singular, there were a handful of other events in Boston. Remember Billy Buckner?
Also there are obviously several other mascots that are in question, I know having been to all of the Illinois games in the last 4 years. I don’t see what these people protesting have to gain by doing so. Very few if any are Native Americans, and there is no apparent disrespect given in my opinion. Fact is without these mascots, the Indian population will be quickly forgotten, and short of a few casinos a big part of this nations history wil be ignored because of a negative opinion of it.
In one sense, I’m the wrong person to answer the question of whether a given team name is offensive. I am, after all, a white guy! SInce I’m Irish and Catholic, I have every right to offere an opinion as to whether “Fighting Irish” or “Padres” are offensive nicknames (they’re not!), but I’m inclined to let Native Americans decide whether Indian-related names are offensive. If THEY say “Braves” is an offensive name, I’m inclined to abide by their wishes, even if the name doesn’t bother ME.
However, there are SOME cases where there is nothing at work but silly political correctness. Good example: my father went to St. John’s University in New York, so I’ve been a fan of the Redmen since I was a little kid, when Louie Carnesecca (Italian for “dried meat”) was the coach.
I watched St. John’s games, I wore St. John’s sweatshirts, and I never saw any Indian logos on anything! Nobody at St. John’s games did the tomahawk chop, and I never saw any headdresses, and I never heard any war whoops. As far as I know (and as far as anybody I’ve talked to knows), St. John’s athletes were called the Redmen because red is the school color and the players wore red uniforms!
And yet, the school administration felt compelled to change the name to “Red Storm.” Sigh… well, it’s not the end of the world, I suppose. And in some ways, “Red Storm” is a cooler sounding nickname. But was there REALLY any reason to change a name that had nothing to do with Indians in the first place???
Thanks, Bermuda, for the info about the Redskins’ originally being the Braves – and thanks, Chaim, for your recollection about the Braves name possibly coming from the Tea Party by way of Tammany. I ought to be able to find something substantive about that somewhere.
My hope is to separate at least the names of two of my favorite teams, the Redskins and Braves, from the discussion of whether naming sports teams after Native Americans somehow disses that group. If the teams weren’t actually named after them, then that argument doesn’t apply.
As far as the larger argument of whether naming teams after Native Americans somehow is insulting to them, I think the N.A.'s have missed the point in their public protests. As Dude said, “Really, do you think you’re going to name your team after something you hate?” Their more legitimate gripe is that we’re appropriating them and their symbols for our own purposes. And given the history of their experience with us European-descended folks, I can understand why they might be a bit touchy about that.
RT, I don’t think it makes any difference if the Redskins were named in memory of the Tea Party patriots, since the word still refers to Amerinds (and the team plainly features an Amerind as its logo) and it is still basically a racial slur.
Moving on …
[[Actually, the Redskins were originally called the “Boston Braves”. In 1933, The name was changed by the owner, George Preston Marshall, to the “Boston Redskins” to avoid confusion with the local professional baseball team.]] Bermuda
Another Boston blunder, perhaps – there is no cooler name in sports to say aloud than “The New York (football) Giants.”