The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, consistently drawing in more than 100 million viewers for the past several years. Some viewers have the game on in the background at Super Bowl parties, while others only tune in for the halftime show—but many more will watch the Super Bowl, if only to see the commercials. Innumerable big-name brands including Budweiser, Audi, Axe, and many more have shelled out millions of dollars to capitalize on the larger audience for a few precious seconds on-screen. But arguably the most impactful and surely the most controversial advertisement this year did not premiere during the Super Bowl.
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has released a two-minute advertisement called “Proud to Be,” which can be found on YouTube. “Proud to Be” consists of a series of images depicting many different Native Americans and a narration of a list of words, including “forgotten,” “survivor,” “struggling,” and “Sioux,” among others. A number of historically important Native Americans are also included in the list, such as Sitting Bull, Hiawatha, Geronimo, and Jim Thorpe. The ad ends with the statement, “Native Americans call themselves many things. The one thing they don’t…” As the thought trails off, the camera zooms in on a Washington Redskins helmet.
The NCAI decided to release the persuasive advertisement just in time for the Super Bowl, no doubt hoping to reach a large audience.
“This week’s celebration of football is exactly why we need to keep talking about the D.C. mascot,” the NCAI said to the Indian Country Today Media Network. “Cheering for a football team should never include the casual use of a racial slur. It is important for all teams and all of their fans that the name of the D.C. team is changed.”
The battle to change the offensive team name has been ongoing. According to the website changethemascot.org, “Change the Mascot is a national campaign to end the use of the racial slur ‘redskins’ as the mascot and name of the NFL team in Washington, D.C. Launched by the Oneida Indian Nation, the campaign calls upon the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell to do the right thing and bring an end to the use of the racial epithet.” The website urges visitors to show their support in any way possible, ranging from simply displaying the “Change the Mascot” sign at their home to writing a beseeching letter to Goodell.
President Obama has said he would consider changing the mascot if the choice was up to him, but the team has launched a “Redskins Pride” campaign imploring fans to contact city council members and voice their support of the name and mascot.
In the news conference following his State of the NFL Address on Friday, Goodell defended the team’s name and mascot, saying it has been “presented in a way that honors Native Americans.” Oneida Nation Representative Ray Halbritter has issued a statement in response to Goodell’s remarks.
“It is deeply troubling that with the Super Bowl happening on lands that were once home to Native Americans, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would use the event as a platform to insist that the dictionary-defined racial slur against Native Americans is somehow a sign of honor.”
Regardless of their position on the matter, no one can disagree that the NCAI’s timely ad launch right before the Super Bowl was successful in attracting attention. Readers who sympathize with the plight of the NCAI can take action by visiting http://www.changethemascot.org/take-action/.
Clare Haggerty is a third-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at CH757342@wcupa.edu.