Chiefs Woman behind the Redskins name change says the Chiefs should be on guard - Page 6

**BigRedChief** · 06-25-2014, 11:01 PM

The fight took a monumental shift at a protest nine years at Arrowhead Stadium and it’s about to come full circle. No matter what you think of the issue, it will soon be ubiquitous in and around Kansas City’s greatest obsession other than barbecue.

The Chiefs are aware of it, and are preparing accordingly.

Back in 2005, a group calling itself Not In Our Honor protested before the Chiefs played Washington. The protesters were predominately American Indians, united in their anger over what they perceived as offensive stereotypes passed off as nicknames for sports teams. An older woman, Suzan Harjo, one of the leaders of the protest, met a younger woman named Amanda Blackhorse, then a student at Kansas.
They bonded over their passion for the issue, and that’s how the case known as Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc. came to be. Last week the plaintiffs prevailed when the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled the trademarks of the Washington Redskins.

The case is under appeal, but you should know that the woman who took on and (at least for the moment) defeated the corporate entity that owns Washington’s NFL team would like to see the same type of case brought against the Chiefs.
As she says, the spark that started back in 2005 at Arrowhead has created a fire that will probably soon return.

“What happens there, it’s just insane the things they allow to go on,” Blackhorse says of the Chiefs and Arrowhead. “They are definitely in the group (of offensive teams), for sure.”

For now, the Chiefs are publicly silent on this. But they know the fight is likely coming, and they hope a few things work in their favor — most notably that it’s tough to compare their nickname with the one in Washington that is a dictionary-defined racial slur. Blackhorse’s group has also protested baseball’s Cleveland Indians, and that team has greatly scaled back its use of the cartoonish Chief Wahoo logo.

The Chiefs have similarly scaled back some of their more obvious plays on Indian stereotypes, and they hope they have some other advantages when the fight comes. The team is named after H. Roe Bartle, the mayor who was key in Kansas City landing the team from Dallas in 1962. Bartle’s nickname was “The Chief.”

The team stopped using a man dressed in traditional headgear as a mascot during pregame festivities many years ago. In the early 1990s, many of the Chiefs’ defensive players posed for a poster that today both looks absolutely ridiculous and would never be recreated.
The team does, however, play the tomahawk chop during games and welcomes fans in headgear and other stereotypes of Native American dress.

Those are some of the parts of the game day experience that Blackhorse calls “insane,” and why she expects a fight that’s gaining momentum and support nationally to come to Kansas City.

She knows that the vast majority of Chiefs fans will oppose her, but she also knows that the vast majority of fans in Washington opposed her, as well.

She says there is “no middle ground with this issue,” that once an ethnic group is used as a nickname for a sports team, the people in that ethic group lose control of their identity and humanity.

“I don’t want people to think I’m going around pointing fingers, like, ‘You’re a racist, you’re a racist, you’re a racist,’ ” she says. “That’s not the point. The point is we’re offended. You can love Native Americans to death. You can have admiration, love what we do, how we are, whatever, and still (hijack) our culture without understanding it that way.”

Wherever you stand on this issue, there is no denying that Blackhorse’s side is making progress. Teams are sensitive to and aware of perpetuating stereotypes so much more than in the past, in response to public sentiment.

The issue is further complicated by context, that this is a fight centered around Indians, who make up about 1 percent of the nation’s population and who, in Blackhorse’s words, “are invisible sometimes to people.”
That makes getting the message out a bit more difficult. A group of people that feels offended by widespread stereotyping isn’t big enough to get critical mass on its own.

That’s why Blackhorse says the movement needs the help of non-Indians, and part of why she’s so encouraged by developments in Congress and with the trademark case.

There is a lot of momentum here, which can be dangerous for teams like the Chiefs that will likely soon find themselves directly in the fight.
“I’m not sure there’s anything the (Chiefs) can do at this point other than look for another name,” Blackhorse says. “They could be the team that says, ‘You know what? We understand the issue and we don’t want to be Dan Snyder and fight this in court forever. We want to do the right thing and move forward and avoid this entire battle.’ I’m sure fans will be upset, but still, that’s doing the right thing.

“If they want to be sensitive to Native American people, that’s the thing to do.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...#storylink=cpy

Early 90's

**007** · 06-26-2014, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teedubya

The Kansas City Perennial Playoff Losers!

DING DING DING

Chiefnj2 · 06-26-2014, 06:56 AM

If the Chiefs were forced to change their name to the Wolves in 2017, and win the Super Bowl that year - do you really care about the name change?

**007** · 06-26-2014, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

If the Chiefs were forced to change their name to the Wolves in 2017, and win the Super Bowl that year - do you really care about the name change?

What name change?

Mile High Mania · 06-26-2014, 07:04 AM

Just run with the Kansas City Bubbas... have a BBQ theme, get some kick ass sponsorships and have some fun.

crazycoffey · 06-26-2014, 07:04 AM

after a forced name change this group will target a job title change for all sports scouting systems. "scout" will be found to be offensive and all scouts will soon be called talent finders....

**notorious** · 06-26-2014, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I wouldn't even give a shit if we got a name change. I think it would be kind of cool actually.

This.

**ptlyon** · 06-26-2014, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

Just run with the Kansas City Bubbas... have a BBQ theme, get some kick ass sponsorships and have some fun.

And sell moonshine in the stands

**Rausch** · 06-26-2014, 07:17 AM

There's a huge difference between using a Native American name and using a racist Native American term...

Color Red · 06-26-2014, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Peta will complain over wolves.

Especially if the Broncos keep killing us. (Of course it would just be animal versus animal in the scheme of things, and chalked up as survival of the fittest.)

soopamanluva · 06-26-2014, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I just don't understand why people do not understand that those names for sports teams were and are being used because of the respect that people had for the fierceness and the way they fought.
It is not meant to be a bad thing, yet some want to view it that way to push their agenda.

How do you call someone a name they don't want to be called out of respect? Strictly referring to "redskins".

displacedinMN · 06-26-2014, 07:23 AM

For those who said the slippery slope would not affect the Chiefs.

I think you lost that argument.

My problem with this is

We have a lot bigger issues to worry about.

Civil war in Iraq, threats of terrorism, North Korea, kidnappings in Africa, drought, oil, etc. And these people are mad about a mascot that was named after a person.

Chief_For_Life58 · 06-26-2014, 07:23 AM

Jesus **** off Indians. what do we need to kill the rest of you all off already

Eleazar · 06-26-2014, 07:27 AM

Chief isn't like Redskin in the sense that is specifically uses their 'race' for the mascot. And to some people Redskin could be pejorative, whereas Chief is not.

The Chiefs franchise does identify with various imagery of Indian things, like the arrowhead symbol itself, so you can't really say they are named after H. Roe Bartle, really... but there's no reason to attack this name. It's not demeaning. Will the standard be that you can't have any name that refers to any group of people?

Do all teams have to be animal named now? Isn't the roaring Chicago Bear offensive to bears, because it portrays them as savages?

KCUnited · 06-26-2014, 07:27 AM

I'm ok with the basement, but if I have to repaint the van I'm going to be PISSED.

|Zach| · 06-26-2014, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

For those who said the slippery slope would not affect the Chiefs.

I think you lost that argument.

My problem with this is

We have a lot bigger issues to worry about.

Civil war in Iraq, threats of terrorism, North Korea, kidnappings in Africa, drought, oil, etc. And these people are mad about a mascot that was named after a person.

That is so stupid and basic.

Because there are problems in Iraq everyone is an asshole for being concerned about other issues that are important to them for one reason or another.

06-25-2014, 11:01 PM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3009627 VARSITY	Woman behind the Redskins name change says the Chiefs should be on guard The fight took a monumental shift at a protest nine years at Arrowhead Stadium and it’s about to come full circle. No matter what you think of the issue, it will soon be ubiquitous in and around Kansas City’s greatest obsession other than barbecue. The Chiefs are aware of it, and are preparing accordingly. Back in 2005, a group calling itself Not In Our Honor protested before the Chiefs played Washington. The protesters were predominately American Indians, united in their anger over what they perceived as offensive stereotypes passed off as nicknames for sports teams. An older woman, Suzan Harjo, one of the leaders of the protest, met a younger woman named Amanda Blackhorse, then a student at Kansas. They bonded over their passion for the issue, and that’s how the case known as Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc. came to be. Last week the plaintiffs prevailed when the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled the trademarks of the Washington Redskins. The case is under appeal, but you should know that the woman who took on and (at least for the moment) defeated the corporate entity that owns Washington’s NFL team would like to see the same type of case brought against the Chiefs. As she says, the spark that started back in 2005 at Arrowhead has created a fire that will probably soon return. “What happens there, it’s just insane the things they allow to go on,” Blackhorse says of the Chiefs and Arrowhead. “They are definitely in the group (of offensive teams), for sure.” For now, the Chiefs are publicly silent on this. But they know the fight is likely coming, and they hope a few things work in their favor — most notably that it’s tough to compare their nickname with the one in Washington that is a dictionary-defined racial slur. Blackhorse’s group has also protested baseball’s Cleveland Indians, and that team has greatly scaled back its use of the cartoonish Chief Wahoo logo. The Chiefs have similarly scaled back some of their more obvious plays on Indian stereotypes, and they hope they have some other advantages when the fight comes. The team is named after H. Roe Bartle, the mayor who was key in Kansas City landing the team from Dallas in 1962. Bartle’s nickname was “The Chief.” The team stopped using a man dressed in traditional headgear as a mascot during pregame festivities many years ago. In the early 1990s, many of the Chiefs’ defensive players posed for a poster that today both looks absolutely ridiculous and would never be recreated. The team does, however, play the tomahawk chop during games and welcomes fans in headgear and other stereotypes of Native American dress. Those are some of the parts of the game day experience that Blackhorse calls “insane,” and why she expects a fight that’s gaining momentum and support nationally to come to Kansas City. She knows that the vast majority of Chiefs fans will oppose her, but she also knows that the vast majority of fans in Washington opposed her, as well. She says there is “no middle ground with this issue,” that once an ethnic group is used as a nickname for a sports team, the people in that ethic group lose control of their identity and humanity. “I don’t want people to think I’m going around pointing fingers, like, ‘You’re a racist, you’re a racist, you’re a racist,’ ” she says. “That’s not the point. The point is we’re offended. You can love Native Americans to death. You can have admiration, love what we do, how we are, whatever, and still (hijack) our culture without understanding it that way.” Wherever you stand on this issue, there is no denying that Blackhorse’s side is making progress. Teams are sensitive to and aware of perpetuating stereotypes so much more than in the past, in response to public sentiment. The issue is further complicated by context, that this is a fight centered around Indians, who make up about 1 percent of the nation’s population and who, in Blackhorse’s words, “are invisible sometimes to people.” That makes getting the message out a bit more difficult. A group of people that feels offended by widespread stereotyping isn’t big enough to get critical mass on its own. That’s why Blackhorse says the movement needs the help of non-Indians, and part of why she’s so encouraged by developments in Congress and with the trademark case. There is a lot of momentum here, which can be dangerous for teams like the Chiefs that will likely soon find themselves directly in the fight. “I’m not sure there’s anything the (Chiefs) can do at this point other than look for another name,” Blackhorse says. “They could be the team that says, ‘You know what? We understand the issue and we don’t want to be Dan Snyder and fight this in court forever. We want to do the right thing and move forward and avoid this entire battle.’ I’m sure fans will be upset, but still, that’s doing the right thing. “If they want to be sensitive to Native American people, that’s the thing to do.” Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...#storylink=cpy Early 90's
Posts: 79,134

06-26-2014, 06:56 AM	#77
Chiefnj2 In Search of a Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Casino cash: $7873688	If the Chiefs were forced to change their name to the Wolves in 2017, and win the Super Bowl that year - do you really care about the name change? __________________ Mismanaging the clock.
Posts: 22,394

06-26-2014, 07:04 AM	#79
Mile High Mania #triggering Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Tejas Casino cash: $3557229	Just run with the Kansas City Bubbas... have a BBQ theme, get some kick ass sponsorships and have some fun. __________________
Posts: 30,328

06-26-2014, 07:04 AM	#80
crazycoffey .......... Join Date: Dec 2006 Casino cash: $5147901	after a forced name change this group will target a job title change for all sports scouting systems. "scout" will be found to be offensive and all scouts will soon be called talent finders....
Posts: 28,332

06-26-2014, 07:23 AM	#86
displacedinMN It was not a fair catch Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Correcting papers Casino cash: $2812630	For those who said the slippery slope would not affect the Chiefs. I think you lost that argument. My problem with this is We have a lot bigger issues to worry about. Civil war in Iraq, threats of terrorism, North Korea, kidnappings in Africa, drought, oil, etc. And these people are mad about a mascot that was named after a person. __________________ #investigatecarlcheffers
Posts: 36,396

06-26-2014, 07:23 AM	#87
Chief_For_Life58 Veteran Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: KC Casino cash: $9925938	Jesus **** off Indians. what do we need to kill the rest of you all off already
Posts: 3,859

06-26-2014, 07:27 AM	#88
Eleazar Beyond the Rapids Join Date: May 2003 Location: Langley, VA Casino cash: $-370000	Chief isn't like Redskin in the sense that is specifically uses their 'race' for the mascot. And to some people Redskin could be pejorative, whereas Chief is not. The Chiefs franchise does identify with various imagery of Indian things, like the arrowhead symbol itself, so you can't really say they are named after H. Roe Bartle, really... but there's no reason to attack this name. It's not demeaning. Will the standard be that you can't have any name that refers to any group of people? Do all teams have to be animal named now? Isn't the roaring Chicago Bear offensive to bears, because it portrays them as savages?
Posts: 80,659

06-26-2014, 07:27 AM	#89
KCUnited Cheat Death Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Land of Drincoln Casino cash: $2158244	I'm ok with the basement, but if I have to repaint the van I'm going to be PISSED.
Posts: 33,995