The Center for the Study of Sport in Society
Northeastern University
Native American Mascots and Instances of Violence
(2-8-07) BOSTON, Mass. – Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University Director Peter Roby is advocating for the removal of Native American mascots from all youth, high school, college, and professional sports teams. He cites increased instances of violence on college campuses as the driving force.
Said Roby, "We are in the midst of completing research related to Native American mascots and the potential connection between violent crimes on college campuses. Preliminary research suggests the level of crime is higher than comparable schools without Native American mascots. Because of the findings we are trying to do more to be sure that we've looked at the issue extensively enough to make some connections and to create a dialog."
Legions of Native American tribes and protestors have pushed for the eradication of Native American mascots that often depict Native Americans as savage or cartoonish images. In 1968 the National Congress of American Indians launched the first major campaign to address issue stereotypes found in print and other media. Student groups soon joined the cause, by protesting the use of Native American mascots at their schools resulting in many schools relinquishing their offensive mascots, but there are still hundreds of schools that still use these images.
"The reason that we chose to look at the connections is we want to bring value to the discussion that is more fact based opposed to emotion based," said Roby.
According to statistics generated by the United States Department of Justice, Native Americans are four times more likely than any other race or ethnic group to be victims of violent hate crimes.
"Schools should do away with Native American mascots not just because their use is demeaning and creates an unsafe environment for people, but it sends the wrong message about values, which is inappropriate given the setting it is used in, which is education," said Roby.
About the Center for the Study of Sport in Society
The Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University is one of the world's leading social justice organizations that use sport to create social change both nationally and internationally. The flagship organization located in the heart of Boston, Mass. was founded in 1984 by Dr. Richard Lapchick. Through research, education, and advocacy the center promotes physical activity, health, violence prevention, and diversity among young people and college and professional athletes. Sport in Society's innovative programs are all staffed by former college or professional athletes and have been awarded America's most successful violence prevention program by Lou Harris, the Peter F. Drucker Award as the most innovative non-profit program in the social sector, and most recently was recognized by the Boston Red Sox for its dedication and service to the community.