US President Donald Trump has said he may block a stadium deal for the Washington Commanders unless the NFL team returns to its previous name, the Redskins a term many Native Americans have long said is offensive. In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump said there was a “big clamouring” for the team to go back to its old name. “If they don’t change the name back to the original Washington Redskins and get rid of the ridiculous moniker Washington Commanders, I won’t make a deal for them to build a stadium in Washington,” he wrote, according to the BBC. He added that the team “would be much more valuable” if it reverted to the name it used until 2020. The Commanders dropped the Redskins name following years of pressure from Native American groups and a broader conversation around racism in sport. For the 2020 season, they were called the Washington Football Team before rebranding as the Commanders in 2022. In April, a £3 billion plan was announced to build a new 65,000-seat stadium on the site of RFK Stadium, the team’s former home. The BBC reported that local politicians were being urged to fast-track the approval process. Trump has made similar demands of other sports teams. He said Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians should return to their former name, the Cleveland Indians. “Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen,” he claimed. “Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them.” But Native American leaders and researchers strongly disagree. Mark Macarro, president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), told the Associated Press (AP) that Trump’s comments ignore research showing the harm caused by Native-themed mascots. “We have our studies, we have our receipts, and we can demonstrate that this causes real harm,” he said. Macarro said the current administration’s stance was “a big reminder that we’re going to take some backward steps.” According to experts cited by AP, Native mascots have been linked to higher rates of depression, self-harm and substance abuse among Native American children. The American Psychological Association has called for the removal of Native mascots since 2001. Dr Steph Cross, a psychology professor at the University of Oklahoma and a citizen of the Comanche Nation, said the issue is not just about people being offended. “That’s a symptom,” she said. “The bigger problem is how these mascots shape bias even among those who work with Native children.” Stephanie Fryberg, a psychologist at Northwestern University and a member of the Tulalip Tribes, added: “Honouring Native peoples means ending dehumanisation in both imagery and policy.” While some teams have changed their names, others have resisted. The NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks continue to use Native references, though the Chiefs have banned fans from wearing headdresses and face paint at games. They have not stopped the “tomahawk chop,” a chant critics say is disrespectful. However, BBC also reported that more than 1,500 schools across the US still use Native-themed mascots. Some states such as New York, Oregon, and Washington have passed laws banning them, but efforts to do so in other places, including Illinois, have stalled. The US Department of Education recently opened an investigation into a school district in New York that is retiring its Native-themed mascot. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said, “It is neither legal nor right to prohibit Native American mascots while celebrating European and other cultural imagery in schools.” Experts also point to how Native Americans are taught in schools. Sarah Shear, a professor at the University of Washington, said that most US students only learn about Native people in a historical context, before 1900. “I’m not surprised that Trump and others keep saying these mascots are tributes, when the curriculum never challenges those ideas,” she told AP. The Washington Commanders have not yet commented, BBC Sport reported.
