Outside stadiums, sports fans can be found dressed head to toe in team colours, logos, and slogans. However, while some may brush off some of the more problematic branding fans hold so dear in the name of “tradition,” these symbols’ alternative meanings persist regardless—meanings filled with racism and vulgarity that have no place on a jersey.
Despite not being as high profile of a controversy in Canada compared to our southern neighbours, many Canadian post-secondary institutions have and still use racially offensive language to brand their sports teams. There are no redeeming qualities of derogatory language that justify why schools continue to use them within their athletic departments, and it is vital that all educational institutions in Canada with racist team names be immediately changed.
Many fans may beg the question: Aren’t these mascots and names honouring the people claiming to be offended? The answer is simple, and it’s no.
Using Indigenous cultures to represent sports teams, as many Canadian franchises continue to do, not only perpetuates negative stereotypes about Indigenous cultures but also encourages offensive cultural appropriation.
A study conducted by The Conversation in September 2016 found that racially and ethnically explicit mascots subconsciously reinforce stereotypes of Indigenous peoples being warmongers specifically, shaping how non-Indigenous people view the Indigenous culture, inciting racism in young children particularly.
Until 2019, all McGill men’s sports teams were called the “Redmen”—a widely- acknowledged offensive term for Indigenous peoples. At sports events, fans would chant the term and appropriate Indigenous cultures by dressing in mockeries of traditional and sacred headdresses. The use of the racial slur as a sports name did not honour Indigenous heritage, but rather created an environment that mocked it.
In 2005, the American Psychological Association called for schools and teams to stop using Indigenous mascots, symbols, images, and personalities because they harm young Indigenous peoples’ self-esteem and identity development.
Yet fans, especially alumni and donors, continue to beg schools not to alter their beloved names because they claim it too severely ‘changes’ the institution they attended.
However, change is not bad, especially when it comes to how we acknowledge Canada’s atrocious history regarding its treatment of Indigenous people. If anything, we should be celebrating change that rids university campuses of jerseys with derogatory slurs that highlight centuries of mistreatment and abuse.
Moving forward, Canadian schools must work to create a respectful and anti-racist community. We should not be hung up on preserving these schools’ historic team names simply because it is what donors and alumni want, but rather work to leave behind more inclusive institutions.
Changing school names and mascots to abandon derogatory terms may just be one step, but it’s a necessary one.
Featured graphic from file.
