List of ethnic sports team and mascot names

The following is a list of sports team names and mascots derived from ethnic groups of peoples, including generically used terms, those named after specific peoples, and words or iconography derived from different languages or traditions.

There is considerable controversy over these team names and mascots because various American Indians activist groups view them as disrespectful and offensive. Most notably, the National Congress of American Indians has issued a resolution opposing continued usage of Native team names, mascots and logos. Various tribal entities have also issued resolutions opposing usage, as well. However, not all ethnic team names are derived from Native American imagery, and many names connected to other ethnic groups, such as the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, are considered inoffensive (by some), and may even be embraced by the ethnic groups they represent.

According to a 2002 Sports Illustrated article (Price, S.L. "The Indian Wars", March 4, 2002, pp 66–72), 83% of American Indian respondents to a Sports Illustrated poll said that professional teams should not stop using Indian nicknames, mascots or symbols.

Scholars have challenged the Sports Illustrated findings on multiple grounds. King, et al. (2002) argue (1) the SI poll is problematic because it serves to distract readers from the history and implications of mascots. (2) The survey features problematic sampling and identification issues produce non-representative and un-generalizable findings (for example, Snipp (1992) writes of the difficulty involved in any quantitative research on American Indians in national polling). (3) SI decontextualizes mascots and the controversy about them. (4) The article discussing the poll concludes that mascots are unproblematic merely because a majority of polled Native people say they are, thus discounting the validity of a critical minority. And (5) the consequences for public debate and social justice are ignored by the poll, which treats the issue as critically as SI treats sports injuries or debate over which teams will make the playoffs.

Team names

American football

• Bristol Aztecs (British American Football League)
• Edmonton Eskimos (CFL)
• Kansas City Chiefs (NFL)
• Minnesota Vikings (NFL)
• Washington Redskins (NFL), originally Boston Braves, then Boston Redskins
  • Named after Boston Braves (MLB); changed their name to Redskins when they moved from Braves Field to Fenway Park

Basketball

• Boston Celtics (NBA)
• Golden State Warriors (NBA), although the team has since abandoned Native American imagery. From 1997 to 2010, they utilized a more generalized depiction of a warrior; their main logo now depicts the new eastern span of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge.
• New York Knicks (NBA), the name "Knick" is a shortened version of the word "Knickerbocker," a term which comes from a pseudonym used by Washington Irving in his book, A History of New York. The term was used to refer to the descendants of the original Dutch settlers of New York. Later, by extension, the term was used to describe New Yorkers in general.

Baseball

• Atlanta Braves (MLB), originally Boston Braves, then Milwaukee Braves, plus all but one of their minor league affiliates:
  • Danville Braves
  • Gulf Coast Braves
  • Mississippi Braves
  • Gwinnett Braves
  • Rome Braves
• Cleveland Indians (MLB)
• Indianapolis Indians
• Kinston Indians
• Peoria Chiefs- now uses Firefighting imagery
• Spokane Indians
• Syracuse Chiefs — The team changed its name from "Chiefs" to "SkyChiefs" from 1996–2006, but reverted to "Chiefs" in 2007. Today's Chiefs do not use any imagery related to indigenous peoples, instead using railroad imagery, although the "Super Chief" railroad trains were also Indian-inspired.
• Yaquis de Obregón

Hockey

• Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)
• Frölunda Indians Elitserien
• Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
• Spokane Chiefs
• Vancouver Canucks (NHL)
• Vinnitski Haidamaky (PHL)

Lacrosse

• Brooklin Redmen (MSL)
• Burlington Chiefs
• Elora Mohawks
• Exeter Chiefs
• Iroquois Nationals, the men's lacrosse team representing the Iroquois Confederacy in international competition
• Six Nations Chiefs (MSL), a team representing a First Nations reserve in Ontario that is home to members of all six Iroquois nations plus a band of the Lenape (aka Delaware) nation
• St. Regis Indians (MSL), a team representing a Mohawk reservation in New York
• Tomahawks Lacrosse Club

Rugby

• The Chiefs, a rugby union team representing the central North Island of New Zealand in the Super 14 competition
• New Zealand Māori, a New Zealand rugby union (and formerly rugby league) side whose members must be at least 1/16 Māori
• Northland Taniwha, a rugby team in the ITM Cup named after a being from Māori mythology
• The Tomahawks, the official nickname of the United States national rugby league team
• The England Saxons, the country's second mens' rugby union XV, formerly known as England A

Soccer (Football)

• Indios de Ciudad Juárez

Schools

• Alcorn State Braves
• Alfred University Saxons
• Alma College Scots
• Aloha Warriors
• Arcadia High School Apaches
• Blytheville High School Chickasaws
• Bethany Swedes
• Bradley Braves
• Brebeuf Jesuit Braves
• Carlow University Celtics
• Catawba Indians
• Central Michigan Chippewas
• Chowan Braves
• Cleveland State University Vikings
• Compton High School Tartars
• Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Fighting Scots
• Fighting Whites, an intramural team at the University of Northern Colorado
• Flint Central High School Indians
• Florida Southern Moccasins; The school DOES NOT use Native American images, but instead used the mascot of the Moccasin snake.
• Florida State Seminoles
• Four Winds Indians Fort Totten, North Dakota
• Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors (men) and Rainbow Wahine (women); "Wahine" is the Hawaiian word for "woman"
  • Since 2000, each team has been allowed to select its own mascot name; most notably, the football team has been simply known as "The Warriors". See University of Hawaii Athletics for details.
• Idaho Vandals (indigenous to Central Europe)
• Illinois Fighting Illini
• Hope College Flying Dutchmen
• Iona Gaels
• Lake View Warriors
• Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• Luther College (Iowa)|Luther College Norse a/k/a Norsemen]]
• Lycoming College Warriors
• Macalester College Fighting Scots
• Macklin Mohawks
• Manteo (NC High School) Redskins
• Maryville College Fighting Scots
• McClymonds Warriors
• Michigan State Spartans
• Mississippi College Choctaws
• Monterey YMCA Tribe
• Morris (Illinois) Community High School Redskins
• McMurry Indians
• Newberry Indians
• NJIT Highlanders
• North Dakota Fighting Sioux
• Northern Kentucky Norse
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish (indigenous to Ireland)
• PBK Rebels
• Port Neches-Groves Indians
• Ridley Raiders (Ridley High School, Ridley Township, PA)
• Portland Winterhawks
• Portland State University Vikings
• Presbyterian College Blue Hose
• Radford Highlanders
• Saint Mary's College of California Gaels
• San Diego State Aztecs
• San Jose State Spartans
• Scappoose Indians, Scappoose High School, Scappoose, Oregon. Scappoose is the Chinook word for the area, meaning gravely plain.
• Smith Center Redmen, Smith Center, Kansas High School.
• Susquehanna University Crusaders
• Syracuse Orange (previously Syracuse Orangemen)
• Union College Dutchmen
• UNC Pembroke Braves, representing a college originally created to educate American Indians
• University of Pennsylvania Quakers
• University of Southern California Trojans
• UP Fighting Maroons of the University of the Philippines
• Utah Utes
• Verona Hillbillies- (High School in Verona, NJ)
• Warroad Warriors
• West Virginia Mountaineers
• Whitman Missionaries Refers to founding of the area by white missionaries sent to minister to local native peoples
• William & Mary Tribe — While still using the nickname "Tribe", the school has abandoned its former use of Native American imagery, most notably a pair of feathers associated with W&M's athletic logo.
• College of Wooster Fighting Scots
• Sherwood High School Bowmen (English)
• Sheridan High School Samurai (Japanese)
• Mount St. Mary's University Athenians (Greek)
• Albion College Britons (British)
• Carlow University Celts (Irish)
• George Washing University Colonials (Americans)
• Robert Morris University Colonials (Americans)
• Southampton College Colonials (Americans)
• Western Connecticut State Colonials (Americans)
• Hamilton College Continentals (Americans)
• Edinboro College Fighting Scots (Scots)
• Gordon College Fighting Scots (Scots)
• Macalester College Fighting Scots (Scots)
• McHenry County College Fighting Scots (Scots)
• Monmouth College Fighting Scots (Scots)
• Ohio Valley Fighting Scots (Scots)
• Wooster Fighting Scots (Scots)
• Iona University Gaels (Irish)
• Saint Mary's College Gaels (Irish)
• Queen's University Gaels (Irish)
• MacMurry College Highlanders (Scots)
• McLennan Community College Highlanders (Scots)
• New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders (Scots)
• Radford College (Scots)
• University of California Riverside (Scots)
• Earlham Quakers (Quakers)
• Guilford Quakers (Quakers)
• Penn Quakers (Quakers)
• Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (Hawaiians)
• Alfred University Saxons (Germans/English/French)
• Alma Univesrity Scots (Scots)
• Covenant College Scots (Scots)
• Edinboro College Scots (Scots)
• Lyon College Scots (Scots)
• Macalester Scots (Scots)
• Maryville College Scots (Scots)

Other

• Mississauga Tomahawks
• North Shore Indians
• North Side Tribe

Defunct names

• Adams State Indians, now the "Grizzlies"
• Akron Indians, defunct National Football League team, formerly the "Pros"
• Arkansas State Indians, now the "Red Wolves"
• Atlanta Black Crackers - (Negro League Baseball team)
• Tri-Cities Blackhawks, of what is now the NBA, moved and renamed St. Louis / Atlanta "Hawks," after the bird
• Canton / Akron Indians, a minor league baseball farm team for the Cleveland Indians, moved to Akron and became the "Aeros"
• Carlisle Indians, a school for American Indians that was a college football power in the early 1900s
• Carthage Redmen, reverted to the "Red Men"
• Cincinnati Cubans - (Negro League Baseball team)
• Cleveland Indians of the National Football League, team defunct
• Chowan Braves, changed to Hawks in 2006
• Cumberland Indians, now the Cumberlands "Patriots"
  • This school was known as Cumberland College until 2005, when it became the University of the Cumberlands. The nickname change came earlier.
• Dartmouth Indians, disused since the 1970s in favor of continuing existing nickname, "Big Green"
• Dickinson State Savages, renamed the "Blue Hawks" in 1972
• Eastern Michigan Hurons, now the "Eagles"
• Eastern Washington Savages, now the "Eagles"
• Flint Indians, team defunct
• Grand Forks Central Redskins, renamed the "Knights"
• Grafton Blackhawks, renamed to "Black Hawks"
• Hartwick Warriors, became the "Hawks" in 1994
• Hermosillo Seris
• Hofstra Flying Dutchmen, now the "Pride"
• Kansas City Scouts of the NHL, moved to Colorado and became the Rockies, now the New Jersey Devils
• Louisiana-Monroe Indians, now the "Warhawks"
• Los Angeles Aztecs (North American Soccer League)
• Marquette Warriors, became the "Golden Eagles" in 1994
• Massachusetts Redmen, became the "Minutemen" in 1972 (According to the University, "Redmen" and "Redwomen" referred to the uniforms worn by the atletics teams. It was changed to "Minutemen" and "Minutewomen" out of sensitivity to American Indians.)
• MCLA Mohawks, today the "Trailblazers"
• Mexico City Aztecas
• Miami Redskins, now the "RedHawks"
• Midwestern State Indians, latterly the "Mustangs" as of the 2006 season
• Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen, today the "Prairie Wolves"
• New York Black Yankees - (Negro League Baseball team)
• New York Cubans - (Negro League Baseball team)
• Northeastern State University (founded as Cherokee National Female Seminary in 1851)|Redmen renamed to RiverHawks in 2006.
• Oklahoma City U. Chiefs, now the "Stars"
• Oorang Indians, an early NFL entry actually consisting mostly of American Indians
• Parsippany High School Redskins, Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ, now the "Redhawks"
• Pekin High School (Pekin, Illinois) Chinks, now the "Dragons"
• Quinnipiac Braves, became the "Bobcats" in 2002
• St. Bonaventure Brown Indians and Brown Squaws, renamed the "Bonnies" in 1979
• St. John's University (New York City), formerly the "Redmen," became the "Red Storm" in 1995, to be gender-neutral and to avoid any appearance of racism. The school's website indicates that the name did not refer to American Indians, but to the school color, a bright cardinal red.
• Salisbury Indians, team defunct
• San Antonio Black Indians - (Negro League Baseball team)
• Simpson Redmen and Lady Reds, renamed the "Storm" in 1992
• Sonoma State University, now the Seawolves
• Southeast Missouri State Indians and Otahkians, renamed the "Redhawks"
• Southeastern Oklahoma State Savages, renamed "Savage Storm" in 2006
• Southern Colorado Indians, now the ThunderWolves It is currently Colorado State University-Pueblo, The nickname change came earlier.
• Springfield Indians, moved to Worcester and became the IceCats, then Peoria, Illinois, where they are now the Rivermen
• Seattle U. Chieftains, now the "Redhawks"
• Southern Nazarene Redskins, now the "Crimson Storm"
• Springfield College Chiefs, now the "Pride"
• Stanford Indians, now known as the Stanford "Cardinal" (singular - for the school color, a shade of red)
• Stonehill Chieftains, today the "Skyhawks"
• Syracuse Orangemen (indigenous to the Netherlands, from William of Orange, and later Ireland, though the name referred to a school color), now just the Orange, to be gender-neutral
• Syracuse Saltine Warriors, changed to the Orangemen, now just the Orange, to be gender-neutral
• Tamalpais Indians, became the Tamalpais High School "Red Tailed Hawks" [sic] after 1990.
• Toronto Tecumseh (OALA Sr A), was the "Tecumseh" in the late 19th century and maybe early 20th; changed to "Toronto Young Torontos" by 1911
• Wayne State University, formerly "the Tartars", now the Warriors

Mascots

• Chief Osceola, Florida State University Seminoles
• Chief Wahoo, Cleveland Indians

Defunct mascots

• Chief Illiniwek, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• the Golden State Warriors' "Indian warrior" logo was replaced in 1971
• Marquette University's "Willie Wampum," retired in 1971
• Syracuse University's "Saltine Warrior"
• Kansas City Chiefs horse mascot "Warpaint".
• Chief Brave Spirit, University of Louisiana at Monroe, retired in 2006 (mascot changed from "Indians" to "Warhawks")
• Chief Moccanooga, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (use of this mascot ended in 1996)
• Chief Noc-A-Homa, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves (Use of this mascot ended in early 1980s, existed as late as 1983 season)
• Princess Win-A-Lotta, paired with Chief Noc-A-Homa, introduced late 1970s, dropped at same time as Noc-A-Homa

Fictional teams

• Charlestown Chiefs (Federal Hockey League) (Slap Shot).
• The Mars Greenskins - Blernsball is the version of baseball in the year 3000 in the show Futurama.
• Mexico City Aztecs - Blitz: The League II
• NY Mohawks - major league team, The Seventh Game by Roger Kahn.
• Portland Tomahawks - Backbreaker
• Warriors - major league team, Today's Game by Martin Quigley.
• Warbury Warriors - Stiker comic strip.
• Zucchini Warriors, in the Gordon Korman novel of that name.

See also

• Indigenous peoples
• List of sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples
• List of company and product names derived from Indigenous peoples
• List of university and college nickname changes in the United States
• Hail to the Redskins
• Mascot

References

King, C. Richard, Ellen J. Staurowsky, Lawrence Baca, Laurel R. Davis, and Cornel Pewewardy 2002. Of Polls and Prejudice: Sports Illustrated’s Errant ‘Indian Wars’. Journal of Sport & Social Issues 26 (4), November: 381-402.

• Of Polls and Prejudice: Sports Illustrated’s Errant ‘Indian Wars’.

External links

• National Coalition on Racism in Sports & Media, from the American Indian Movement
• American Indian Sports Team Mascots information site
• 4000+ Team Names by Sport
• Randomly Generated Team Names
• Random Sports Team Names List Generator
• 4900+ Team Names by Sport