Talk about power overreach; The White House Monday put pressure on the MLB to have one of the oldest baseball teams still in existence change its name to be more ‘woke’. Karine Jean-Pierre said that it was time for the MLB to change the Braves’ name on the grounds that it was insensitive to use an element of Indian culture as a team name.
“We believe that it’s important to have this conversation and Native American and indigenous voices should be at the center of this conversation,” she said, further adding the name change was about treating Indians “with dignity and respect.”
What Jean-Pierre isn’t acknowledging is that there are Indians that have put their voices in the conversation and that directly contradict the position that many leftists have.
Last year, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph published an article in which MLB commissioner Robert Manfred reached out to Indian tribes within Atlanta’s market to see how they felt regarding the franchise’s name and the fans use of the “Tomahawk Chop” at games (a gesture performed by fans that serves as a rallying cry). Much to leftist dismay, the answer showed a strong level of support for both.
“I’m not offended by somebody waving their arm at a sports game,” Richard Sneed, chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, said. “I’m just not. If somebody is, that’s their prerogative, it’s their right. They can be offended … I don’t know very many, maybe one or two, from my tribe who say, ‘Yeah, I don’t like that.’ But at the end of the day, we’ve got bigger issues to deal with.”
Sneed also added that he was frustrated that the public focused on changing the sports name of a franchise rather than the bigger issues like poverty and crime that Indians wrestle with.
“There’s just so much happening and the frustrating part for me as a tribal leader is when the only issue that seems to be discussed is…‘How offended are you by the chop and should the Braves change their name?’” Sneed said. “Really, it’s the least of our problems, I guess is what I’m saying.”
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Karine Jean-Pierre: "It's important to have this conversation" about changing the name of the Atlanta Braves pic.twitter.com/TCW2Gd0ZG6
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 26, 2022
Will the MLB go the way of the NFL and disappoint fans? Historically speaking the Braves have come under scrutiny by liberals several times over the years but fans have managed to stand strong, with the help on the Native American community, and maintain the team’s name. With things being what they are, I am not so sure what’s going to happen.