Blackhawks Team Name

[TOGuy14]

Something I was wondering about today:

There seems to be a lot of furor around the the Washington Redskins team name, and Cleveland Indians but I haven't heard much about the Chicago Blackhwaks

Is there a reason they haven't taken as much heat? Is it just because hockey isn't as popular of a sport compared to NFL / MLB?

 

[JaegerDice]

It's not a racial slur. Their mascot is a bird, not a caricature of a person. They don't have any hand gestures, chants or anything that could be considered mockery or cultural appropriation.

How much outcry has their been over the U.S. Military Blackhawk chopper name? Lol

The logo is touchier. I think if enough native Americans voiced an issue with it, they would have to change it. But thus far, they haven't received much in the way of outrage over it.

 

[TOGuy14]

It's not a racial slur. Their mascot is a bird, not a caricature of a person. They don't have any hand gestures, chants or anything that could be considered mockery or cultural appropriation.

How much outcry has their been over the U.S. Military Blackhawk chopper name? Lol

The logo is touchier. I think if enough native Americans voiced an issue with it, they would have to change it. But thus far, they haven't received much in the way of outrage over it.

I find it fascinating because the Hawks logo is often voted as the best or most cherished in the league, and they sell a lot of swag, even out of market.

It is interesting to me that the logo hasn't drawn any criticism that I have seen to date.

Will they be the next target when (or if) the Redskins or Indians ever give in?

 

[McNurse]

I'm a Native Canadian myself, and I have no issue with the Blackhawks name or Logo. It's actually probably one of my favorite logos. Those black jerseys they had a few years ago were absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Esq]

Team was named after a WWI machine gun division

 

[MAHJ71]

I'm a Native Canadian myself, and I have no issue with the Blackhawks name or Logo. It's actually probably one of my favorite logos. Those black jerseys they had a few years ago were absolutely gorgeous!

Forgot about those.. had to look'em up.

 

[uncleben]

Team was named after a WWI machine gun division

Which in turn was named after a specific person, Black Hawk

naming yourself (directly or indirectly) after an individual is much different than using racial slurs/inaccuracies (Redskins, Indians), simplifying a whole culture with a negative adjective (Fighting Sioux, Fighting Irish) or inaccurate tradition (Indians/Braves' tomahawk chop) - although I personally feel these are less problematic than using a term like "redskin" which has a lot of history and connotations attached to it.

 

[tarheelhockey]

It's not a racial slur. Their mascot is a bird, not a caricature of a person. They don't have any hand gestures, chants or anything that could be considered mockery or cultural appropriation.

The mascot seems like a bit of a dodge by the organization. A bird has absolutely nothing to do with the team name, logo, or identity. Nobody has ever understood "Blackhawks" to be a reference to a bird. So the mascot being a bird seems a bit disingenuous, almost like it's just there as an alibi in case they ever have to argue about this topic in court.

Cultural appropriation is a hard concept to pin down. A simple Google Images search of "Blackhawks fans" produces these images:

So there's that.

What I think makes the Blackhawks a bit different is that the organization itself doesn't seem to play it up the way the others do. The Braves make a big show of tomahawk chops and the like... the Indians basically have a redface logo... the Redskins have a slur for a nickname. The Blackhawks "officially" have a tiny bit of distance from that stuff, in that they have the name and logo based on a specific military unit/historic figure, and don't play off Native themes in the way they present the team. And they can't control their fans' decisions, other than perhaps banning Native dress from the arena (which it wouldn't surprise me if they did sometime fairly soon). That being said, they are definitely pretty close to the same territory in the sense that their logo is virtually identical to Washington's and their secondary logo has the tomahawks.

 

[Edmonton East]

[MOD]

There is nothing wrong with the Blackhawks name or logo.

 

[MurrayBannerman]

It's worth noting that the Hawks have tribal representation in the concourse almost every game spreading awareness on Native American causes. They also do a fair amount of charity for Native Americans.

But, yea, I want them to ban head dresses.

 

[Yobbles]

"Redskins" is an obvious slur.

"Indians" is an obvious slur (and the Chief Wahoo logo is disrespectful... plus "They aren't even Indians!!").

[MOD]

The Hawks logo itself seems to me to be a profile of a proud, wise Native American. He even has a slight friendly smile, it's not like he looks like he's a bloodthirsty savage. (The tomahawks on the shoulders maybe a bit insensitive, I'm not sure about that one.)

To me, the Hawks brand could be a grey area, whereas the Indians and Redskins are obviously in bad taste.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Yeah, every situation is a bit different.

Washington Redskins - logo is actually kind of similar to the Blackhawks, but the name itself is widely considered to be a slur.

Atlanta Braves - name and logo are probably okay, the fans Tomahawk Chop widely considered to be disparaging. Old mascott Chief Noc-A-Homa found to be offensive and now abandoned.

Cleveland Indians - name probably okay. Chief Wahoo logo highly offensive, as are some of the fan behaviours.

FSU Seminoles - somehow they managed to get the permission from the Seminoles tribe. Otherwise the name would be highly problematic, same with the mascott and fan behaviour.

UND Fighting Sioux - unable to obtain permission from the Sioux tribes, had to change their name

Edmonton Eskimos - though once widely used, the word Eskimo no longer used. Team has been asked by a major inuit organization to change it's name. Team however used zero first nations imagery or symbols.


So Chicago is in it's own position. As pointed out the name doesn't refer to any specific tribe, but rather a specific person. The logo seems respectful. Wearing native headdresses is generally considered offensive by first nations people, so the team would be wise to try and limit such fan behaviour.

 

[MrFunnyWobbl]

I'd almost think it's more likely people will be offended if it is associated with the disaster in Mogadishu

 

[DANOZ28]

i personally think it honors native americans. just my one cent. "blackhawks"

 

[ManofSteel55]

The head dresses are a problem. Its like wearing a top hat to a movie, think of the people sitting behind you.

Honestly though, head dresses aside, the Blackhawks organization treats the situation better. Their logo is a native man, but it isn't a caricature or stereotype of one, unlike the Cleveland Indians with theirs. And "Blackhawk" isn't a racial slur for natives, unlike "Indian" and "Redskin".

Some may not like the culture being used at all, but those two are definitely bad because of the names combined with the Cleveland mascot.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Yeah, every situation is a bit different.

Washington Redskins - logo is actually kind of similar to the Blackhawks, but the name itself is widely considered to be a slur.

Atlanta Braves - name and logo are probably okay, the fans Tomahawk Chop widely considered to be disparaging. Old mascott Chief Noc-A-Homa found to be offensive and now abandoned.

Cleveland Indians - name probably okay. Chief Wahoo logo highly offensive, as are some of the fan behaviours.

FSU Seminoles - somehow they managed to get the permission from the Seminoles tribe. Otherwise the name would be highly problematic, same with the mascott and fan behaviour.

UND Fighting Sioux - unable to obtain permission from the Sioux tribes, had to change their name

Edmonton Eskimos - though once widely used, the word Eskimo no longer used. Team has been asked by a major inuit organization to change it's name. Team however used zero first nations imagery or symbols.


So Chicago is in it's own position. As pointed out the name doesn't refer to any specific tribe, but rather a specific person. The logo seems respectful. Wearing native headdresses is generally considered offensive by first nations people, so the team would be wise to try and limit such fan behaviour.

The Indians name is problematic as well. Call most native people indians and you won't like the reaction you get. It would be similar to naming a team the n word.

 

[daver]

They'll be OK as long as they don't introduce Chief Scor A Gola as their new mascot.

 

[tarheelhockey]

[MOD]

There is nothing wrong with the Blackhawks name or logo.

[MOD]

It's completely valid to ask where the lines are drawn with regard to racial caricatures in the 21st Century. What passed cultural muster in 1930 often doesn't work in 2016.

 

[Butch 19]

Washington Redskins - logo is actually kind of similar to the Blackhawks, but the name itself is widely considered to be a slur.

.

9/10 Indians surveyed either have no problem with the name Redskins or they like the name.

Does that matter?

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

I think a more appropriate team name would be the Chicago Salarycaps

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

I get the beef with the Indians and their logo. But in general I see it as a compliment, even if the phrase is a)innaccurate b)derogatory. You want to name a sports team after something honorable, intimidating, excellent, historical.

The tales of some of the Native American tribes, especially in the Dakota region are fascinating, with limited resources and outnumbered they evaded capture in harsh climate, tough terrain and launched sneak attacks, gather intelligence, etc.

What is sad is that it is a form of a culture vulture. Guys who don't even play hockey have made millions off the Blackhawks brand and to think the descendants of the character on the jersey suffer in poverty doesn't exactly make for a feelgood story.

Now if the teams choosing to appropriate Native American culture gave back, Then it's another story.

 

[El Travo]

Only people offended by things like this aren't people you should consider changing it for. These are the same people who screamed racism when Subban didn't make team Canada/was traded..

 

[Burke the Legend]

9/10 Indians surveyed either have no problem with the name Redskins or they like the name.

Does that matter?

No, because these days small groups of vocal malcontents get to set the rules for everyone else if they scream and whine enough.

 

[Edmonton East]

9/10 Indians surveyed either have no problem with the name Redskins or they like the name.

Does that matter?

No, because people would rather be offended.

It's unfortunate the .01%, consisting mostly of non-Native Americans, scream the loudest and feel entitled to declare that things are offensive to another race/ethnicity all the time.

Meanwhile, to support your statement: https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...a11cfa-161a-11e6-924d-838753295f9a_story.html

I personally can understand the argument against the Skins (don't agree with it, but at least understand it). I don't see any logical reason at all against Blackhawks.

 

[Edmonton East]

No, because these days small groups of vocal malcontents get to set the rules for everyone else if they scream and whine enough.

The shortened version of my post.