As One Controversy Over American Indian Sports Mascots Fades Others Continue

The Cleveland Indians have agreed to remove the Chief Wahoo logo, which for decades has been publicly protested as racist and offensive. “[T]he logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball,” said Commissioner Rob Manfred.
The Cleveland Indians have agreed to remove the Chief Wahoo logo, which for decades has been publicly protested as racist and offensive. "[T]he logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball," said Commissioner Rob Manfred.
The Cleveland Indians have agreed to remove the Chief Wahoo logo, which for decades has been publicly protested as racist and offensive. “[T]he logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball,” said Commissioner Rob Manfred.
The Cleveland Indians have agreed to remove the Chief Wahoo logo, which for decades has been publicly protested as racist and offensive. "[T]he logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball," said Commissioner Rob Manfred.

As One Controversy Over American Indian Sports Mascots Fades Others Continue

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The Cleveland Indians have announced that they’ll be doing away with their “Chief Wahoo” logo on their uniforms and in their stadium beginning with the 2019 season. The cartoon-like depiction of a Native American has long been a center of controversy, and Major League Baseball has been pressing the team to do away with it for years.

Down in Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois’ “Chief Illiniwek” character played a part in a recent arrest of a professor. We take a deep-dive into the use of Native names, faces, and symbols in sports.

GUEST:

Lester Munson, sports journalist and legal expert