|
The Chiefs should be able to keep the name, but the Tomahawk chop will be gone at some point. It will likely live on in some parts of the stadium and the fandom, but I think there will be a concerted effort by the team to phase that out. I personally think the chop is not worth fighting for as it is just a tradition stolen from Seminoles/Braves fans.
They have already made some small steps to encourage more education and connection to Native American tribals groups in the area. If I were in charge, I would take the following steps:
1) Make immediate plans to get rid of the chop
2) Start implementing policies that gets fans to not wear Native American headdresses and other symbolic apparel at the game
3) Reach out to local tribal leaders and do more to honor these groups at the games with some half time performances that are educational, respectful, and inclusive to Native Americans
4) Create strategic partnerships with local Native American institutions, such as Haskell University in Lawrence, the Mid-American Museum Center in Wichita, holding free football camps on Indian reservations (there is actually a long and storied history of Native Americans embracing football), etc.
Get out in front of the messaging and do the best you can to mitigate the fallout from the angry subset of fans who are pissed off that you are taking “their chop” away from them.
|