Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

The National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media reiterates our press statement released on October 27, 1999 when both Cleveland and Atlanta were denied a World Series championship.

Real Indians found we were again cheering when both Atlanta and Cleveland ended up losers again at the end of the 2000-baseball season.

Various cultures worldwide believe in good Karma and bad Karma, young people refer to it as good vibes or bad vibes, Indian people refer to it as good medicine and bad medicine.

So what do these two baseball teams have in common? Besides being two of the best teams to come along in recent times, both team owners and fans have turned their team names, chants & chops, and racist logos like the tomahawk, and the grinning buck-tooth chief wahoo into a curse on their teams. This is a condition of institutional racism and a cancer on America's favorite pastime, baseball.

Recently Mayor Michael R. White of the City of Cleveland declared the grinning chief wahoo mascot a racist stereotype of Native Americans, and has threatened an order banning it from all public buildings. The same could be said for the tomahawk logo in Atlanta.

In 1992 several prominent Native Americans filed a lawsuit with a three judge federal panel of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office arguing that all seven trademark protections previously issued to the Washington D.C. football franchise were offensive, pejorative, demeaning, degrading, and racist against Native Americans. Representing the petitioners, the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney argued before the court that the trademark protections for the name "redskins", and logos should not have been issued, and are now subject to cancellation.

The court's ruling issued in 1999 agreed with the plaintiffs, and the court went further and stated the name "redskins" and logos were also scandalous, and cancelled all seven trademark protections. Accordingly, we are calling on all television and radio networks, sports commentators, sports writers, newspapers, and publications to follow the example of the Minneapolis Tribune, The Portland Oregonian, and other publications having made a policy decision to no longer refer to, or publish these team names, or racist logos, and to only refer to these sport teams by the city or institution they represent. For example, referring to them as Cleveland, Washington D.C., Kansas City, Atlanta, the University of Illinois, and Florida State University. Television broadcasters have a responsibility to no longer project team names, such as "Indians, warriors, braves and chiefs" and racist logos, tomahawk choppers and racist chants.

Atlanta, in the final days of the regular season was as much as nine (9) games out front, while making it to the playoffs they lost three straight to the St. Louis Cardinals. Thank you St. Louis for silencing the chant and chopping the chop.

On the other hand, Cleveland in early September was as much as eight 8) games behind, and by the end of the regular season managed to narrow the gap considerably, and almost made it into the wild card race, but were forced to watch from their club house at Fort Jake as Seattle and Oakland eliminated them from that opportunity.

In the past ten (10) years, both Atlanta and Cleveland were in the play-offs, the pennant, or the World Series with the exception of Atlanta winning over Cleveland in what the leadership of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media declared to be the World Series of Racism. Both teams are for the most part always a contender, but never a champ.

NCRSM again states that the demeaning and degrading depiction and exploitation of Native American spiritual, cultural and intellectual property rights creates a hostile environment for Native American sports fans, and students from attending and enjoying such public or private facilities that clearly discriminates against Native Americans.

More than a dozen universities and colleges have changed their names with positive outcomes. In Minnesota, Concerned Indian Parents whose children were being victimized by the demeaning and degrading depiction of their culture called for the end of the use of Indian mascots. Thirty (30) years ago, there were more than sixty-five schools that used Indian symbols in sports. Today, due to the hard work by Indian Parents in cooperation with the Minnesota State Board of Education, faculty, and students, there are (9) remaining high schools who have retained the use of Indian mascots.

In others states, communities have finally got it. At this moment hundreds are changing. Salmon Idaho's high school team called themselves "The Salmon Savages." They have met with officials of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media, and they are providing moral leadership on this issue by agreeing to change. Moral leadership that Time Warner, the new owners of the Atlanta Baseball Franchise, Major League Baseball, National Football League, hockey, and the boards of regents of several universities and colleges, specifically, the University of Illinois and Florida State University should be providing.

The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, who manage investments and stock portfolios in excess of $100 billion dollars are meeting with many major corporate executives on this issue, including Stan Kasten, President of the Atlanta Baseball Franchise, other high level executives of Time Warner and other networks.

Religious groups are also joining our efforts, led by the United Church of Christ whose headquarters are in Cleveland, Ohio, the home of the most demeaning logo of all - the wahoo caricature. They have been challenging the name and logo of that ball team since 1991, and say they will not stop until it's gone!

It's time for both teams to change their names, drop the wahoo and tomahawk logos, the chant and the chop. In doing so, they can cleanse the last vestiges of a condition of institutionalized racism that permeates the very fabric of America's favorite past-time, baseball. In doing so, on then will they lift the curse, and both can come out of their dugouts, in Millenium 2001, with new names, logos, uniforms, sports paraphernalia, and a new winning spirit.

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Juanita Helphrey Justice for Witness Ministries Final Justice Ministry
700 Prospect Avenue Cleveland, OH 44115
Phone: 216-736-3721 ~ E-mail: helphj@ucc.org

Gary Brouse Interfaither Center on Corporate Responsibility
475 Riverside Drive New York, NY 10115
Phone: 212-870-2316 ~ E-mail: gbrouse@iccr.org