The NFL’s Tennessee Oilers rebranded themselves the Tennessee Titans in 1999, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays became the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 and the New Orleans Hornets turned into the Pelicans in 2013. However, when professional sports teams do change their names, it’s usually done for marketing reasons rather than social ones. The team played as the Washington Football Team for two seasons before becoming the Commanders this year. But in 2020 he finally relented, yielding to pressure from investors and corporate sponsors. The issue with Atlantaįor many years, NFL football team owner Dan Snyder refused to change the name of his Washington Redskins – perhaps one of the more egregiously racist team names in any sport. ![]() The insistence on preserving the team name – along with fan traditions like the tomahawk chop – is even more glaring given the city’s links to the civil rights movement. In response, the Braves’ brass sent a letter to season ticket holders, insisting, “We will always be the Atlanta Braves.” In July 2020 – in the midst of the nationwide protests around racism, sparked by the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police – some Atlanta fans again urged the team to change its name. The Atlanta Braves’ owners, however, have dug in their heels, refusing to replace a name that many Americans – including Native Americans – find offensive and derogatory. For the 2022 season, they would begin using the new name, the Guardians. In 2020 the owners agreed to change the Indians name itself. It wasn’t until 2018 that the Indians officially removed their logo, a cartoonish Native American named Chief Wahoo, from their merchandise, banners and ballpark. They marched outside the ballpark, where some vendors were selling the foam tomahawks that Braves fans wave during the “ tomahawk chop” – a cheer in which they mimic a Native American war chant while making a hammering motion with their arms. Some protesters carried signs, including one that said, “Human beings as mascots is not politically incorrect. ![]() In October 1995, as the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves prepared to face off in the World Series, a group of Native Americans rallied outside Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to protest what they called both teams’ racist names and mascots.
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