ACE Debate 10R 2016

In addition, Frank Cloutier, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian tribe of Michigan says that “If we take a zero tolerance [policy] on mascots, we walk away from the opportunity to teach and the opportunity to learn,” Cloutier says. “If we do it appropriately, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the knowledge that can be shared.” - From the article Are Native American Mascots Racist.

In addition, According to Mind Your Own Mascot, San Diego State University had a vote to keep the Aztec mascot, and "95% of the student body backed the Aztec. The school’s alumni association, meanwhile, fielded hundreds of phone calls from SDSU graduates, some of whom implied that future donations would be jeopardized by a mascot change." This proves that most school alumni and fans will stop giving money to the school.

Schools should have freedom of their mascots because having these mascots honors the ethnic group. According to Indian Mascots: Should They Stay or Go? “A team selects an American Indian mascot because it identifies positive qualities, such as bravery, honor, and pride, with Indians.” This means that teams choose mascots because of positive qualities, like honor, bravery, and pride. "Many people see Indians as a sign of respect for Native Americans," says the article Honor or Insult? This is how it should be, not as a sign of disrespect.

This is definitely something to consider, especially if they keep the mascot. If these mascots stay, people will be able to learn about them, and learn that these cultures are unique and should be valued. They will understand what their mascot means and why they chose it originally.

According to Dan Snyder, owner of the Redskins team, the name was chosen in 1933 to honor Native Americans in general and the coach and four players at that time who were Native American. Back in 1933 they actually felt honored, so they should still now.

You may say that it is disrespectful, but actually, it should be considered as a sign of respect for the ethnic group. Plenty of other ethnic teams exist such as Vikings, Spartans, and Fighting Irish. Nobody seems to view those names as racist or insulting. Ethnic team names are just a reflection of America’s richly mixed culture - from Indian Mascots: Should They Stay or Go? I think that saying that it is disrespectful is like saying that animal mascots are disrespectful to animals and that a trojan mascot is offending Ancient Greece, and it isn't.

Schools should be able to keep their mascots because of the learning they provide. Students and teachers can learn about how their mascot came to be, and what it means. Students are pretty connected with sports. For example, if a team’s mascot is a Chief, they will want to learn where that came from, and so they will learn about the Indians and Native Americans.

Schools should have freedom of their mascot because if it changes, teams could lose money and fans. According to Indian Mascots: Should They Stay or Go? "In some cases, schools or professional teams might even suffer financial losses after changing their mascots, since alumni and old fans might lose interest in the school or team and stop paying for tickets or making donations." In other words, people will become uninterested in the team and stop giving money to them.