Though mascots and names may seem trivial today, they are rooted in a legacy of assimilationist policies that reduced Indigenous cultures to simplified, non-threatening images for consumption. The practice of deriving sports team names, imagery, and mascots from Indigenous peoples of North America is a significant phenomenon in the United States and Canada. From early European colonization onward, Indigenous peoples faced systematic displacement, violence, and cultural suppression, all intended to erode sovereignty and claim their lands for settlers. The popularity of stereotypical representations of American Indians in global culture has led to a number of teams in Europe also adopting team names derived from Native Americans. While there are team names in North America derived from other ethnic groups, such as the Boston Celtics, the New York Yankees, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, these are names selected by groups to represent themselves.
Globally, there are teams in Africa and Europe that use Native American images and logos, while in South America there are a number of teams that reference the Guaraní people. In Brazil, these teams may be referred to using the derogatory term "bugre". The "Indian Wars" of the 17th to 19th centuries, in which the U.S. government authorized forced removals, land confiscations, and military campaigns against Indigenous nations, reinforced the view of Native Americans as an "enemy" to be conquered. However, the adoption of Indigenous names in Asia, Africa, Australia and South America may indicate that the team members are themselves Indigenous.
The rise of Indigenous rights movements has led to controversy regarding the continuation of practices rooted in colonialism. Using Indigenous names and mascots, like the former Washington Football Team name, extends beyond racial insensitivity; it reinforces colonialism and erases Indigenous identity and land. Such practices maintain the power relationship between the dominant culture and the Indigenous culture, and can be seen as a form of cultural imperialism. Policymakers formalized Indigenous erasure in the U.S. through measures like the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcibly relocated thousands of Indigenous people, and the Dawes Act of 1887, which divided Indigenous communal lands. Such practices are seen as particularly harmful in schools and universities, which have the stated purpose of promoting ethnic diversity and inclusion.
In recognition of the responsibility of higher education to eliminate behaviors that creates a hostile environment for education, in 2005 the NCAA initiated a policy against "hostile and abusive" names and mascots that led to the change of many derived from Native American culture, with the exception of those that established an agreement with particular tribes for the use of their specific names. Other schools retain their names because they were founded for the education of Native Americans, and continue to have a significant number of Indigenous students. Though often framed as a racial issue, Kevin Bruyneel suggests that the debate over sports team names more accurately reflects a larger colonial agenda. He argues that these symbols remind us of Indigenous dispossession while marginalizing authentic Indigenous voices and histories.
The trend towards the elimination of Indigenous names and mascots in local schools has been steady, with two thirds having been eliminated over the past 50 years according to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Founded in 1879, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School was part of a broader assimilation policy aimed at "killing the Indian, saving the man" by erasing Indigenous cultures and replacing them with Euro-American norms. In a few states with significant Native American populations, change has been mandated by law, such in Maine, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington.
These policies dispossessed Indigenous people of their land and aimed to erase their cultural identities. Little League International has updated its 2019 rulebook to include a statement prohibiting "the use of team names, mascots, nicknames or logos that are racially insensitive, derogatory or discriminatory in nature." This decision has been applauded by the National Congress of American Indians. These representations reinforce a colonial mindset by portraying Indigenous people as static historical figures rather than as contemporary, diverse communities.
The Red Power Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, supported by groups like the American Indian Movement (AIM), challenged stereotypes, advocated for Indigenous sovereignty, and fought to end offensive Indigenous mascots. This period was critical in challenging colonial representations in mainstream culture, asserting Indigenous voices against centuries of imposed imagery. Only by acknowledging these colonial dynamics can society move toward respectful, non-exploitative representations of Indigenous peoples.
Professional/Adult teams
Current usage American football Bristol Aztecs (British American Football League) - Bristol, England Bürstadt Redskins, an American Football club in Bürstadt, Germany Eberswalder Warriors, an American Football club in Eberswalde, Germany Garland Aztecs, Garland, Texas - Semi-Pro Mayas CDMX (Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional) - Mexico City, Mexico Mexicas CDMX (Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional) - Mexico City, Mexico Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) - While adopting Native American imagery, the team was named in honor of Kansas City mayor Harold Roe Bartle who was instrumental in bringing the AFL Dallas Texans to Kansas City in 1963 (becoming the last professional team to adopt an Indigenous-derived name). Bartle earned his nickname as founder of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, a regional Boy Scouts honor camping society in which he was "Chief" Lone Bear. In 1989, the Chiefs switched from Warpaint, a Pinto horse ridden by a man in a feathered headdress, to their current mascot K. C. Wolf. Warpaint returned in 2009, but is ridden by a cheerleader. Southern California Apaches - (Semi-Pro, United Football Alliance League) Central Michigan Chippewas (American College Football) NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Florida State Seminoles (American College Football) NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Utah Utes (American College Football) NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12)
American 7s Football League New Jersey Savage Spanktown Boyz - Uses a Native American wielding a tomahawk as its logo Union City Chiefs
Association football Belgium K.A.A. Gent (Belgian First Division A), Ghent, East Flanders - Known as the Buffaloes, the team uses an Indian head logo and a mascot in faux Native costume. Brazil
Guarani Esporte Clube (CE), Juazeiro do Norte Guarani Esporte Clube (MG), Divinópolis Guarani Futebol Clube, Campinas Guarany Futebol Clube, Bagé Guarany Futebol Clube (Camaquã) Guarany Sporting Club, Sobral Associação Atlética Guarany, Porto da Folha Esporte Clube Guarani, Venâncio Aires Sociedade Esportiva, Recreativa e Cultural Guarani, Palhoça Sport Club Guarany, Cruz Alta Tupi Football Club, Juiz de Fora Tupynambás Futebol Clube, Juiz de Fora Chile Colo-Colo, Santiago de Chile. Name relates to the Mapuche Lautaro, Buin. Also called Guerreros de Buín (Warriors Buín) Ecuador Sociedad Deportiva Aucas, Quito - Auca (Quechuan for savage) is pejorative name for the Huaorani people Paraguay Club Guaraní, Asunción South Africa Kaizer Chiefs F.C., Johannesburg Barrett doin
Australian rules football All of these teams are composed of Indigenous Australians. Flying Boomerangs (Australia), in reference to the boomerang, an Indigenous Australian hunting tool and instrument. Indigenous All Stars (Australia), formerly known as the Aboriginal All-Stars
Baseball Gauting Indians, a baseball and softball club from Gauting, a suburb of Munich, Germany. The women's team is the "Squaws". Indios del Bóer ("Indians of the Boer"), Managua, Nicaragua. They are known as , "the tribe".
Major league
Atlanta Braves (Atlanta, Georgia) - originally Boston Braves, then Milwaukee Braves. The mascot Chief Noc-A-Homa existed until the 1983 season. Princess Win-A-Lotta was introduced in the late 1970s, dropped at same time as Noc-A-Homa. In 1991, the Braves adopted the Tomahawk Chop from Florida State University when Deion Sanders joined the team. Caribes de Anzoátegui (Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela) - While Caribe is another name for the Kalina people, it is also a local term for piranhas, particularly in Venezuela. The team has no apparent use of Indigenous imagery.
Indios de Mayagüez - (Indians of Mayaguez) Puerto Rican Baseball team from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Mayos de Navojoa (Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico) - The Mayo people are Indigenous to Sonora Yaquis de Obregón (Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico) - The Yaqui are Indigenous to Sonora
Minor league
A Minor league team in Innisfail, Alberta, the "Indians", has made a decision to become the "Trappers".
Affiliates of the Atlanta Braves: Florida Complex League Braves (North Port, Florida) Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates: Indianapolis Indians (Indianapolis, Indiana) - Team announced partnership with Miami Tribe to keep mascot. Affiliate of the Colorado Rockies: Spokane Indians (Spokane, Washington)
Basketball All three existing National Basketball Association teams that previously used Indigenous imagery have stopped doing so. (See Prior usage list below). Bendigo Braves (Bendigo, Victoria) play in the South East Australian Basketball League Guaiqueríes de Margarita, (LPB) - named after an Indigenous people of Northern Venezuela also known as the Waikerí. Indios de Ciudad Juárez, Mexico (Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional) Indios de Mayagüez, (Puerto Rico Superior Basketball League) Quilmes de Mar del Plata, Argentina, (LLA) - named after the Quilmes, an Indigenous people of Northern Argentina.
Ice hockey Chelmsford Chieftains (NIHL), Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) - While retaining their name, the team retired their mascot "Chief Wannawin". The chief of a local First Nation applauded the move but was disappointed the mascot was part of the team for 20 years. Hannover Indians (German Oberliga) Malmö Redhawks (Swedish Hockey League) Memmingen Indians (German Oberliga) HC Škoda Plzeň, Czech Republic (Czech Extraliga) uses a Native American logo. Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) Spokane Chiefs (WHL) Whitley Warriors (NIHL), Whitley Bay, United Kingdom.
Indoor soccer Chihuahua Savage (MASL)
Lacrosse Alberta Lacrosse Association Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League Junior B Lacrosse Edmonton Warriors - Indian head logo Ontario Lacrosse Association Major Series Lacrosse: Six Nations Chiefs, Six Nations of the Grand River Senior B Lacrosse Six Nations Rivermen - Logo is an Indian paddling a canoe Junior A Lacrosse Burlington Chiefs, Burlington, Ontario Mississauga Tomahawks Junior B Lacrosse Elora Mohawks, Elora, Ontario Quebec Senior Lacrosse Kahnawake Mohawks - Cartoon Indian head logo Kahnawake Tomahawks - Indian head logo West Coast Senior Lacrosse Association (WSCLA), British Columbia - The Association logo features an "Indian Head" Coquitlam Adanacs - Although "adanac" is Canada spelled backward, their logo features a First Nations woman. Langley Warriors North Shore Indians
Rugby union