Gunther - Final Project

This project is meant to bring attention to the issue of the use of racist mascots and team
names in the sporting industry. To formulate an idea on the issue I looked at four main media
artifacts. First, I chose to look at an article that discussed how the term “Redskins” was banned
in the state of California from being used as a mascot at all sporting levels (California
Legislature Approves Ban On 'Redskins' Mascots. Huffington Post). Next, I looked at another
article that discusses how a recent poll revealed that approximately 60% of people in Washington
D.C believe that the Washington Redskins should keep their name. It continues on to discuss the
legal matters that the team is currently facing (Majority of Washingtonians Support Redskins'
Name, Washington Post Poll Finds. Huffington Post). Third, I observed a Twitter post that was
in support of banning racist mascots and moving towards more appropriate names (Glo, 2015).
Finally, I found a Twitter post that strongly supported keeping the mascots how they are and
used the hashtag “#idiots” to describe people of the opposing view (Adrian, 2013). After
viewing these artifacts, I was able to determine my stance on the issue. My final thought on the
subject is that the term “Redskin” should be banned from sports mascots and the Washington
Redskins should change their name. However, teams such as the Cleveland Indians, Florida State
Seminoles, or the Atlanta Braves should not be forced to do so. I do not think these names have a
negative meaning or representation of Native Americans. In terms of my final project, I used the
culture jamming, race/ethnicity/nationality and the activist strategies lessons that we discussed in
class. I took an issue based on race and by combining the methods we learned in the activist
strategy and culture jamming lessons, I was able to create prototype jerseys, a new name
(Washington Pigskins) and logo (football) for the redesigned football organization in
Washington D.C. to take advantage of and use.