![]() Meanwhile, the name ‘Braves,’ the tomahawk adorning the team’s uniform, and the ‘tomahawk chop’ that the team exhorts its fans to perform at home games are meant to depict and caricature not just one tribal community but all Native people, and that is certainly how baseball fans and Native people everywhere interpret them,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp. ![]() ![]() Major League Baseball is a global brand, it markets its World Series nationally and internationally, and the games played in Atlanta this weekend will be viewed by tens of millions of fans across the country and around the world. He similarly asserted the league does ‘not market our game on a nationwide basis.’ Nothing could be further from the truth. “Yesterday, Commissioner Manfred stated that the question of whether the ‘Braves’ mascot and ‘tomahawk chop’ fan ritual are offensive to Native people is only a local issue. ![]() | Today, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) issues the following statement in light of the Atlanta Braves’ participation in the World Series and yesterday’s comments by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred condoning the team’s continued use of its mascot and performance of its “tomahawk chop” fan ritual: The “Tomahawk Chop” is racist and if you cannot acknowledge this, it means you are drowning in white privilege.NCAI Reiterates Longstanding Opposition to Atlanta Braves’ Mascot and “Tomahawk Chop” Fan Ritual as Team Plays in World Series Published on Oct 27, 2021 The NFL’s Washington Football Team also dropped all associations with the word Redskins and the team looks to pick a new name before the start of next season.īut the Braves seem to be sticking to their racist and insensitive tropes by keeping their name and keeping the chop, but let’s face facts baseball fans. Change is also happening in other sports. If one Native American is offended by the chop, that is all it should take for changes to be made.Ĭleveland’s Major League Baseball team recently announced the team will change their name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians after Native Americans expressed that the team’s logos and names were racist. In that market, we’re taking into account the Native American community.”įinding Native Americans to justify your beliefs about the chop in order to drown out the voices of opposition is not only counterproductive but also makes people of color believe their voices aren’t being heard. “It reduces Native Americans to a caricature and minimizes the contributions of Native peoples as equal citizens and human beings.”īut Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred defended the chop before the start of the World Series saying that Native Americans in Georgia are wholly supportive of the Braves program, including ‘The Chop.’ĭuring an interview with the Atlantic, Manfred said, “The Native American community in that region is wholly supportive of the Braves program, including ‘The Chop.’ For me, that’s kind of the end of the story. “Although the ‘Tomahawk Chop’ may be a game-day tradition, it is not an appropriate acknowledgment of tribal tradition or culture,” said Creek Nation Principal Chief James R. Helsley isn’t the only Native American who has expressed concern towards the Braves and the ‘Tomahawk Chop.’Īccording to a CNN article published in 2019, Chiefs from the Cherokee and Creek Indians believe ‘the chop’ is insensitive and inappropriate. “It depicts them us in this kind of caveman-type people way who aren’t intellectual.” “I think it’s a misrepresentation of the Cherokee people or Native Americans in general,” he said during an interview with the Atlantic. In 2019, Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley, an indigenous Cherokee American, called out the Braves organization and its fans for using ‘The Chop.’ The problem with the celebration is that it’s extremely racist and an absolute misrepresentation of Native Americans.īut the chop isn’t new to controversy. When Braves fans want to celebrate or help rally their team, they stick their arm out in front of them and simulate the chopping from an ax or a tomahawk while chanting rhythmic Native American sounds associated with their culture. It was made popular by Florida State university football fans in the 1980s. The Atlanta Braves have a unique fan celebration called the ‘Tomahawk Chop’ that has been a part of the city’s tradition for decades.
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