Bob CollinsHigh schools that may have resisted dumping their offensive Native American nicknames now have an additional incentive to do so: Money.
Adidas this morning announced it will help high schools with designing new logos and mascots and equipping teams if they want to change their names.
Says the press release:
“High school social identities are central to the lives of young athletes, so it’s important to create a climate that feels open to everyone who wants to compete,” said Mark King, president of adidas Group North America. “But the issue is much bigger. These social identities affect the whole student body and, really, entire communities. In many cities across our nation, the high school and its sports teams take center stage in the community and the mascot and team names become an everyday rallying cry.”
Eric Liedtke, the company’s head of global brands, tells the Associated Press it’s an initiative “to do what’s right.”
“Today’s announcement is a great way for us to offer up our resources to schools that want to do what’s right — to administrators, teachers, students and athletes who want to make a difference in their lives and in their world. Our intention is to help break down any barriers to change — change that can lead to a more respectful and inclusive environment for all American athletes.”
Here’s the full press release:
adidas today announced it will lead a nationwide voluntary initiative for high schools who want to change mascot names and identities. adidas will offer its design resources to any high school in America that wants to change their logo or mascot from potentially harmful Native American imagery or symbolism. Additionally, the company will provide financial assistance to schools who want to change their identity to ensure the transition is not cost prohibitive.
adidas announced the voluntary initiative as executives from the company attend the White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, DC.
“Sports have the power to change lives,” said Eric Liedtke, adidas Group executive board member in attendance at the White House Tribal Nations Conference. “Sports give young people limitless potential. Young athletes have hope, they have desire and they have a will to win. Importantly, sports must be inclusive. Today we are harnessing the influence of sports in our culture to lead change for our communities. adidas is proud to provide a pathway for high schools and communities who want to create new identities.”
In addition, adidas will be a founding member of a coalition to look at the issue of Native imagery and mascots in sports and work to find ongoing solutions.
“High school social identities are central to the lives of young athletes, so it’s important to create a climate that feels open to everyone who wants to compete,” said Mark King, president of adidas Group North America. “But the issue is much bigger. These social identities affect the whole student body and, really, entire communities. In many cities across our nation, the high school and its sports teams take center stage in the community and the mascot and team names become an everyday rallying cry.”
Of the more than 27,000 high schools across the United States, approximately 2,000 of them use names that cause concern for many tribal communities. The new program will be voluntary for high schools interested in changing their identities.
“Extraordinary things happen because of sports,” said Liedtke. “There are countless stories – Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics, Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, Billie Jean King igniting a women’s movement. Today, we can add another story on how sports bring people together and provide common ground to ignite change.”
As part of its vision to change lives through sports, adidas works with creators around the world to engage in important community and global issues.
High schools interested in changing their mascot identity can email their request to mascotchange@adidas.com.
The group Change the Mascot says there are still about 2,000 high schools using names and mascots deemed offensive to Native Americans.
The announcement comes minutes before the start of the White House Tribal Nations Conference.
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