The sun beat down on the pale skin of the crowd as a constant murmur echoed across the field. Hands simultaneously raised and then lowered, repeatedly, while all eyes looked intently at the figure standing alone on the grass in the center of the field. He had a bright red face, an oversized nose, and a red and white feather that pointed toward the sky. As the song continued to echo, the figure began to dance to the soft harmony of an organ. His nose bounced up and down playfully while the stupid smile on his face never seemed to go away. Those who saw the dancing figure smiled at him and wondered where the hot dog vendor had gone. It was the seventh inning of a Cleveland Indians baseball game and the crowd, in an inebriated state, cheered wildly for the team's mascot. This mascot was not a bull or a bronco, or a giant or a jet, but rather, in my opinion, it was a mean-spirited stereotype of a proud and noble people. In the age of political correctness, what minority in this country would allow itself to be represented in such a demeaning manner? African Americans, as well as other minorities who have a strong political voice in this country, would not tolerate such behavior and would take immediate action to address such a serious offense. The question that must then be asked is why, as a society, do we quietly allow such disrespectful and hurtful conduct toward Native Americans to continue without taking any positive steps to reduce it? The answer to this question raises underlying issues that we must confront. as a society. If the United States continues to dishonor Native Americans, such actions will not only harm the equality Native Americans deserve, but they... middle of paper ...... Native Americans are a delicate area, and it often devolves into angry name-calling. But I don't think it has to be that way. If you're okay with using Native American imagery, it doesn't automatically make you a racist. And if you're opposed to it, that doesn't make you a militant activist. In short, I think reasonable people can disagree on this issue. However, I think the question is worth exploring and thinking about. And after giving it a lot of thought myself, I've concluded that I'm generally opposed to the use of Indigenous iconography in uniforms, logos, and team names, but not for the reasons you might think . Most people opposed to Native American imagery in sports believe the imagery is inherently offensive. In some cases, they're right: the term "Redskins" is an ethnic slur, and it's hard to see Chief Wahoo (the character in the Cleveland Indians logo) as