As One Controversy Over American Indian Sports Mascots Fades Others Continue

By Jason Marck
Members of the Cleveland Indians wear uniforms featuring mascot Chief Wahoo as they stand on the field for the national anthem before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore on June 19, 2017.
Members of the Cleveland Indians wear uniforms featuring mascot Chief Wahoo as they stand on the field for the national anthem before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore on June 19, 2017. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Members of the Cleveland Indians wear uniforms featuring mascot Chief Wahoo as they stand on the field for the national anthem before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore on June 19, 2017.
Members of the Cleveland Indians wear uniforms featuring mascot Chief Wahoo as they stand on the field for the national anthem before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore on June 19, 2017. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

As One Controversy Over American Indian Sports Mascots Fades Others Continue

By Jason Marck
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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.

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Lester Munson, sports journalist and legal expert