Back in 2012, Oregon’s board of education told schools with offensive Native American mascots they had until 2017 to change them or risk losing funding from the state. In 2005, the NCAA threatened certain schools with sanctions, though the Florida State Seminoles were able to get a pass after receiving permission from the tribe itself. (And for the fact that their name is that of an actual tribe, and not some racial epithet.)
In fact, back in 1996 my alma mater changed its team names from the Newtown Indians to the Newtown Nighthawks, which is a bird that sounds way more badass than it actually is. But even if it is basically a wimpy little nocturnal bird, it’s still 100 percent better than having some crazy racist “indian chief” mascot they’d trot out at halftime.
But nostalgia is a powerful thing. In my graduating class of 2009, kids on the school’s baseball team made throwback “Newtown Indians” hoodies, which everyone thought were dope at the time. Point is, change is hard. Tradition is really the only thing keeping schools from renaming their sports teams. But with any luck, publicly-funded schools will slowly make the switch over, thanks in part to the brand with the three stripes.
Article Appeared @http://www.gq.com/story/adidas-will-help-high-schools-get-rid-of-their-native-american-mascots