As controversy surrounding the Washington Redskins’ name shines a light on Kansas City’s professional football team, many Kansas Citians are sticking by the Chiefs.
The Tomahawk Chop, a popular fan ritual at games, is another matter, however.
When the Redskins lost their trademark because of American Indian claims that the name disparages them, the debate tied to the appropriateness of the Chiefs came back to life.
We took to the airwaves and social media and asked: Should The Kansas City Chiefs Change Their Name? Why or why not?
Some Kansas Citians said the Chiefs name is offensive.
“It’s unconscionable to use racial/ethnic identities as mascots. I say this as a lifelong fan of the #kcchiefs,” Chad Herring (@chadah), a pastor in Prairie Village, Kan., tells us on Twitter.
The majority of feedback we received in our poll came from people defending the name, however.
“Of course not! Being called a chief isn't an ethnic slur in any language,” Clara Keller tells us on Facebook.
Many of the fans went onto say how they were offended by the Redskins name. And while they wanted to keep the Chiefs, they wanted to get rid of American Indian references at games.
“I do wish they would stop showing fans wearing headdresses etc. on the scoreboard and stop the tomahawk chop,” Marcy Nelson tells us on Facebook.
See other highlights from the Twitter conversation below. For the full Twitter stream, follow the #TellKCUR hashtag or see other responses on our Facebook page.
Tell KCUR is part of an initiative to engage the community and shine a light on your experiences and opinions. We’ll ask a new question every week and then share your feedback on the air and online. See our arsenal of questions — and your answers.
