Why Sports Teams with Native American Names are Controversial w/Shannon O'Loughlin | Joe Rogan

So we need, if we can't clear away the myths that Euro-America or white America, whatever you want to call it, if we can't clear away those myths that we continually face every day, every time I go into Washington, D.C., damn it, every time I go into the Wegmans, there's a big Washington football team, Tostitos potato chips with the Washington football team name on there. And the Redskins. Is that an offensive word? Me even saying that, like right there, is that offensive? Yes. Yes. Not to everybody. But the majority of Native American groups, tribes, they've all let the team know that that name is offensive. And they still won't change it. They say it's honoring Native Americans. That term is used, and you see it in historic records, to count Indian skins or scalps that have been taken from Indian people. It's an offensive. It's not just derogatory or demeaning, but it's... We should be really clear what you're saying. What you're saying, skins and scalps. We mean dead people. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. No, no worries. Listen, this is the number one reason why I wanted to have you here. I want it from your perspective. Because for us, we get, oh, yeah, that's an offensive word. That's offensive. I heard that's offensive. The majority of people are not talking to someone who's deeply ingrained in Native American issues and culture like you are. So you could explain to us that it makes sense. Think about some derogatory term for someone somewhere. I mean, even if it was kind of derogatory, like if they were called the Washington Krauts, and it was all based on Germans. A lot of German people would probably be really pissed off at that. Like, hey, that's kind of shitty. Why are you calling us that? But it's the Chiefs, Kansas City Chiefs. What other Native American names? There's been a ton of them, right? Yeah, the Braves. There's a lot of Indians. Are the Braves still around? Yeah. Yes. They still have that name. So has anybody given in and changed their name? Yes, there has. And there's been really a movement with high school, colleges, and I don't know the status of any, you know, as far as NFL or national teams. Syracuse. Syracuse University had a derogatory mascot that they changed some years back because of the tribes there. They're now in the state of New York, fought for that. What was that mascot? I can't remember, but now there's some kind of like orange. It's an orange? All right. It's a super orange. Yeah, but... That's not hurting anybody's feelings. It's orange. Exactly. But if we're ever going to fix these issues, I think we really need to start with our public education system. We need to teach people that Indians are still here. We're still alive. It's amazing how many people don't even realize that Indian people exist outside of casinos. It is kind of crazy if you think about it. There's not another culture that gets teams named after them. We have Indians all around us all the time. Just go to the grocery store and buy some butter or some baking soda. Look at different... Beef jerky. Yeah. Pop culture. Tomahawk missile. The Indian motorcycle and the Pontiac had a... I think an Indian head on its car back in the day. I think, yeah, it was an old Pontiac. One of the Pontiacs? Yeah. It's all over our culture. It's all around us. But it's crazy. But yet we don't even realize what that means. Yeah. And so it really...to many of us, you would think it would open up a dialogue about Indian people and whether we're going to choose to do something different with this history. Because it is our history. It's our collective history. And we have throughout time changed the narrative and stories of our history. When we've all realized that Columbus wasn't such a great guy... That took a long time. Yeah. Well, what do you think about that? You're Italian. It's crazy. It's crazy that it took so long to figure out that he was a sociopath and a murderer. I mean, would you read the accounts of the different religious people that were traveling with Columbus that wrote... I forget what they were, what their designation was, but there was one journal that detailed what they did to Native American babies, shattered their heads on rocks and cut people's arms off if they didn't bring their weight and gold to them. I mean, horrific, horrific tales of torture and murder. And it's like, how is this the guy that we have a day off for? How is this Columbus thing? You realize, well, Columbus was a conqueror. I mean, he was just a symbol of the times. 1492 was a brutal time in human history. And when they arrived in what...I mean, they really didn't even arrive here, but when they arrived wherever they did arrive, it was the worst thing that could have ever possibly happened to the people that were already living there. And that this guy is somehow or another a part of our folklore. You know, 1492, Columbus sale, the ocean blue, and all that nonsense. And meanwhile, he's a fucking murderer. And it's kind of crazy that they knew this, but it took until now... I mean, didn't they change it to Indigenous Peoples Day? Well, there are still cities, counties, states that are still in the process of changing that. I'm not sure. I think there are some cities in California that have already done that and celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day. Columbus Ohio is not named after Columbus, though, right? Is it named after another dude? No? What's it named after? Columbus? It is? Giant statue in front of City Hall. Change that shit. Talk to your people. It's a little late. You got a Columbus hat on, bro. It's the Cleveland Indians, which makes it worse. Oh, I'm sorry. Jamie, you piece of shit. I'm sorry. I was trying to ignore that over there. I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Thanks a lot. Thanks a lot. I feel really welcome. Jesus Christ. That's right. The Cleveland Indians. Another one. I forgot about the Atlanta Braves, the Washington Redskins. It is nuts when you stop and think about how many American teams are named after Indians. Animals and Indians. Columbus, man. Fuck you, Columbus. Change your name. What would they change it to? It's named after a lake or something. What's those? How about a name after a cool Native American? Did that be okay? Yeah. Yeah, that would be great. Who would you choose? I would consult with Native Americans before. Right. They would have to be someone from Ohio? Like, what nation is in Ohio? Well, there's not any now. None? There are indigenous peoples there, but there are no federally recognized tribes in Ohio. Wow. So who are the indigenous people that are not federally recognized? I'm not sure. But I know that there was Indiana, Ohio. That was Miami tribe. They're in Oklahoma. But there are... When you say Miami, you mean Miami the city? No. They're a tribe of people. Okay. Because you were saying that earlier, and I was going to correct you, or was going to ask you rather, if you meant the city. No, no. I mean the people. So Miami is... Did Miami get named after Native Americans? I don't know. I don't know, but I would think so. There's a lot of place names that are named after indigenous peoples. Right.