Eventually, we believe, the discussion about athletic team nicknames will take a much different tone. Some decades from now, Americans will ponder the National Football League team based in Washington, D.C., and say, “They had a team called the Redskins? Seriously? You’re kidding, right?”
Although the absurdity of having a team named after a skin color rather than some noble attribute — a team in the nation’s capital, no less — is self-evident, most questionable nicknames involve more nuance. So, while acknowledging the compelling arguments on both sides of the discussion, we believe that Portland Public Schools are on the right side of history.
The school board there recently determined that Franklin High School’s mascot, The Quaker, is an offensive appropriation of a religious faith and must be changed. Proponents can argue that the nickname is a meaningful nod to the school’s namesake, Benjamin Franklin, but that leads us to point out that historians say Franklin was not a Quaker, despite common belief to the contrary. (Franklin High School in Seattle also goes by “Quakers.”)
More important, it leads us to a discussion about the issue of sports nicknames and what is and is not offensive. Goodness knows, that can be a sticky conversation, diving into the rabbit hole of political correctness and tradition and how easily some people are offended these days.
At the crux of the issue is the long-established use of nicknames related to Native Americans. In 2012, the Oregon Board of Education banned nicknames such as Braves, Indians and Chieftains, and numerous schools have changed mascots and logos since then. Many colleges over the past several decades also have eschewed Native American mascots.
Redskins is an easy case. The term long has been a pejorative for Native Americans, and its use as a nickname is a patently offensive reference to a race of people who were vanquished by invading settlers and then herded onto reservations. The courts have ruled that the team has a right to use the nickname and receive trademark protection, but just because you can do something does not mean that you should.
Braves or Chieftains, on the other hand, can be viewed as a tribute to Native Americans and to desirable qualities. Should Vancouver’s Columbia River High School change its name from “Chieftains”? That is a discussion for Vancouver Public Schools officials and the Columbia River community. It is understandable that the community identifies with the nickname and has an attachment to it.
Taken to absurd lengths, the discussion leads us to the Fort Vancouver Trappers and Camas Papermakers and Union Titans. Drawing and redrawing the line for what counts as offensive can be an exhausting and endless exercise. If Quakers is considered offensive for a Portland high school, we’re guessing it is just a matter of time before somebody complains about the Jefferson High School Democrats.
While some will try to dismiss the conversation as political correctness run amok, in truth it is a question of correctness; there’s nothing political about it. As American society increasingly — and properly — recognizes the sensitivities of those who have different experiences and backgrounds, it is important for such conversations to be held. It is simply part of the United States working toward its ideal of being welcoming for all people.
Eventually, that will be the overriding sentiment regarding athletic nicknames. Societal self-awareness can be a painstaking process, but it is a process that will land us on the right side of history.
