Adidas on Thursday announced a new initiative to help high schools change “potentially harmful” Native American mascots. The sports apparel company, which has North American headquarters in Portland, Oregon, will allow schools to volunteer for the program and will provide financial assistance for mascot and nickname changes “to ensure the transition is not cost prohibitive,” it said in a release. Schools that want help changing mascots can email Adidas to enroll in the program. The initiative’s launch is timed to coincide with the White House Tribal Nations Conference, which starts Thursday in Washington, D.C., and will include representatives from as many as 567 federally recognized tribes…. “High school social identities are central to the lives of young athletes, so it’s important to create a climate that feels open to everyone who wants to compete,” Mark King, the president of Adidas North America, said in a statement….
In a day and age when so much of capitalism seems thoroughly inimical to humanity, it’s easy to cynically believe that Big Business is related to the Honey Badger- “It don’t give a #@$%!” When something comes along that reinforces that companies are run by people, and that businessmen actually can commit to doing good simply because it’s a good thing to do, that deserves to be recognized and applauded. It’s sad that the gulf separaing business from humanity can be so vast, but when a bridge is built we should travel over it.
Adidas’ North American headquarters is three miles from my home in North Portland. I’ve shopped at the employee store, where everything is half-price (and you can get some pretty damned fine deals, IMHO), but I don’t know much about the company as a whole. Based in the small German town of Herzogenaurach, Adidas is, at least in the world of sports, bigger than Jesus. It’s dominated the world soccer market since long before I was born, and when I played soccer in college, wearing the 3 Stripes meant you were wearing top of the line boots. Adidas was Nike even before Phil Knight ran a step at the University of Oregon.
The company’s offer to help high schools find new nicknames and design new logos for their sports teams is huge- particularly if you happen to be Native American, some of whom staged a small thank-you demonstration at Adidas’ North American headquarters yesterday. They understand what sort of impact Adidas’ offer could potentially have on deeplay-embedded racism in high school sports. Calling it a game-changer may seem trite, but when you consider the number of high schools nationwide whose sports teams have racist nicknames, this initiative could make a huge difference.
As many as 2,000 high schools use Native American mascots and imagery, which tribes and activists have long argued are harmful to communities and students because they perpetuate negative stereotypes. The American Psychological Association and American Sociological Association have both recommended changing such mascots because of the effects they can have on native and non-native students.
Universities and high schools have spent decades weighing the appropriateness of Native American mascots, with many deciding to change them.
That movement has reignited in recent years as activists renewed their fight for Washington’s NFL team to change its name and mascot.
For too long, the fight against racism has been focused on the plight of African-Americans. Not that it’s not a battle worth fighting, of course, and much remains to be done. Native Americans, however, have seen little if any real progress in curtailing the usage of racist imagery. All one need do is to look at Washington’s NFL team (whose nickname I will refrain from using as a matter of policy) to understand that racist imagery- and the justification of its employment- is still far too prevalent.
Imagine this: how about a league with teams like the Houston Spics, the Dallas Wetbacks, the New York Kikes, and the New Orleans Spearchuckers. Those nicknames are deeply offensive and have no place in the public sphere. Yet, the NFL refuses to acknowledge the undeniable racist, offensive nature of Washington’s nickname and logo. Daniel Snyder, the team’s owner, refuses to consider changing the team’s nickname or logo, contending that they’re intended to honor Native Americans. Given the number of Native Americans who pickets his team’s games, whether in Washington or around the country, it’s difficult to see how anyone possessing even the barest shred of decency could see the nickname or logo as honoring anyone. It would be like arguing that “nigger” is actually an honorific Whites use to show respect for African-Americans.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Education released the findings of a year-long tribal listening tour, during which Native American students told federal officials that states and school districts should consider changing the mascots because of the harm they can cause.
Ray Halbritter, the representative of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York who helped launch the Change The Mascot campaign to target Washington’s NFL team, praised Adidas’ announcement in an email to The Huffington Post.
“This is a tremendous display of corporate leadership,” Halbritter said, adding that he hopes companies that sponsor Washington’s team will take notice and follow suit.
“Adidas clearly understands that this issue is about picking which side you are on,” he said. “They are choosing to be on the side of inclusivity and mutual respect and have set the bar for other businesses to now follow.”
Perhaps Adidas’ initiative will be the first step in starting a conversation we’ve needed to have for a very long time. It’s time we recognized that racism is racism, that the struggle of African-Americans, while important, is really no different from that of Native Americans. Racism and racism, and should be fought whenever and wherever it’s encountered.
We need to begin demanding that teams with racist nicknames and logos- whether in high school, college, or professional- do the right thing and come down on the side of respect and dignity.
Sometimes doing a good thing can also be the right thing to do. It’s time we did it. Full credit to Adidas for setting an example all of us would do well to follow.
