PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 5 (UPI) — Adidas North America on Thursday announced it will offer creative and financial resources to any that drop Native American mascots — an issue that has been highly controversial in sports for more than a decade.
The sportswear company said its offer is a means to eliminate stereotypes and racial overtones in American sports.
“Sports have the power to change lives. Sports give young people limitless potential. Young athletes have hope, they have desire and they have a will to win. Importantly, sports must be inclusive,” Adidas official Eric Liedtke said at the White House Thursday. “Today we are harnessing the influence of sports in our culture to lead change for our communities. Adidas is proud to provide a pathway for high schools and communities who want to create new identities.”
Liedtke’s announcement came as he and other Adidas executives were attending the 7th annual White House Tribal Nations Conference — an initiative by the Obama administration that aims to address issues that affect tribal communities and make recommendations for various policies and programs.
Perhaps the best example of the controversy is the NFL’s Washington Redskins — a team that has long attracted criticism for its mascot, with owners who have long refused to change it.
“I don’t know if Adidas made the same offer to a certain NFL team, here in Washington,” Obama said. “But they might want to think about that as well.”
The criticism drew a quick reply from the Redskins, who accused Adidas of hypocrisy — since it currently outfits several college and professional teams with Native American imagery.
“The hypocrisy of changing names at the high school level of play and continuing to profit off of professional like-named teams is absurd,” Redskins spokesman Maury Lane said in a statement. “Adidas make hundreds of millions of dollars selling uniforms to teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and the Golden State Warriors, while profiting off sales of fan apparel for the Cleveland Indians, Florida State Seminoles,Atlanta Braves and many other like-named teams.”
Adidas’ proposal, though, applies only to U.S. high schools — and is strictly voluntary, the company emphasized.
“Of the more than 27,000 high schools across the United States, approximately 2,000 of them use names that cause concern for many tribal communities,” Adidas said in a news release. “The new program will be voluntary for high schools interested in changing their identities.”
“High school social identities are central to the lives of young athletes, so it’s important to create a climate that feels open to everyone who wants to compete,” Adidas Group North America President Mark King said.
Obama praised the German-based outfitter at Thursday’s conference, which highlighted the president’s Generation Indigenous initiative — which seeks to celebrate and support Native American youths nationwide.
“If we can’t get states to pass laws to prohibit these mascots, then how can we incentivize schools to think differently?” Obama said of Adidas’ approach to the matter.
A decade ago, the National Collegiate Athletics Association required teams with Native American mascots to obtain wavers from their respective tribes to continue using the names and imagery. That effort led many schools to change mascots — though a few, like Florida State and Utah, exempted themselves by getting waivers.
