Chief Wahoo may be on his way out
Back on Monday, October 17, 2016, a judge in Ontario, Canada denied an injunction to have the Cleveland Indians barred from using their name and logo in Toronto. Of course this legal battle was started by a Toronto Blue Jays fan hours prior to the Cleveland Indians taking on the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series. The application argued the Indians’ name and mascot – Chief Wahoo, a cartoon drawing of a man with red skin and a feather tucked in his headband – are offensive and discriminatory. The legal challenge was filed by Douglas Cardinal, a prominent architect and indigenous activist based in Ottawa. At the time, Major League Baseball (MLB) joined the Indians in opposing the injunction, but in its statement shortly thereafter said it also welcomed dialogue about the logo.
This case is reminiscent of a similar controversy in the National Football League (NFL), where campaigners have been pushing Washington’s NFL team to drop their Redskins nickname. One major difference, however, is that since this injunction was denied, it appears as though MLB has helped facilitate Chief Wahoo’s removal. If MLB decides to steer the Indians away from Chief Wahoo, a blueprint for the NFL’s removal of the Redskin could be born. Keep an eye on the Indians uniforms this year, as it may hold the key to one of sports longest tenured legal battles.
Find a link to the NY Times article here.