Fair of Foul Two outs in the ninth, 42,000 strong standing, cheering on their team. The famous John Adams hits his drums from the top of the bleachers as fans dressed like Chief Wahoo clap in unison to the beat. Their faces are painted red, and their headdress features feathers pointed upwards into the night sky. In recent years, Chief Wahoo has become a topic of conversation with many people calling for a change due to its racist depiction of the Native American culture. Even with the removal of Chief Wahoo as the Indians logo in 2013, many Native American groups have been outspoken on the issue. However, largely to this point have failed as a result of the Cleveland owner and many fans backing the name and logo respectively. Being a lifetime …show more content…
Other teams in the country follow similar suit as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish features a logo that depicts a drunken rugged man of Irish Descent yet they possess the largest Irish Catholic following in the country. Writer Andrew Glass states, “These logos are to honor set in place to honor the Native American’s and Irish alike each and every time they step on the field.” (Miller) However, Catholics take pride in their name and that is not the case with the Cleveland Indians. Every year on opening day dozens of Native Americans gather around Progressive Field in protest of the name that “honors” them. Then there is the counter argument of the first amendment. An Atlanta braves fan Keith Beason states, “No Culture should have the right to exclusivity dictate the metaphorical signs associated with itself. The borrowing of specific symbols, especially where there is no malice intended is surely part of our freedom of speech.” (Miller) And while yes, there may be no “malice” involved with the logo/name the Cleveland Indians (Mcgraw)management must feel some pressure after removing their 28 foot neon wahoo sign that now stands in the Cleveland Historical Society right where it rightfully