Richard Estrada: A Rhetorical Analysis of \"Sticks

Richard Estrada: A rhetorical analysis of "Sticks and stones and sports teams"

Richard Estrada's article "Sticks and stones and sports teams" tackles the issue of professional sports teams with potentially inflammatory names like the Washington Redskins and the Atlanta Braves. These teams have been called upon to change their names because their mascots are considered offensive to Native Americans. Estrada persuasively argues with forceful pathos, logos, and ethos that although the names may not have been originally intended to disparage Native American culture, using the culture of a native people as a 'mascot' is ultimately dehumanizing. A columnist and former associate editor of the Dallas Morning News, Estrada was also a researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies and brings his experience in diversity studies to bear upon his analysis.

Estrada notes with pathos that the emotional toll upon Native American children can be devastating when these names of popular teams are stereotypes of their own culture. How does it feel to go to school when children dress in 'fake' Indian clothing and are encouraged to give tomahawk chops in celebration of the Atlanta Braves? The child will inevitably have a negative and cartoonish sense of his own culture which inevitably affects his sense of self. Why should a Native American's culture serve as a white person's mascot without his consent? "That father should be forgiven for not wanting his family to serve as somebody's mascot" Estrada notes in the poignant anecdote he chronicles (Estrada 1).

From an ethical standpoint, Estrada argues that it would be unacceptable to nickname a team after the ethnicity of most other protected categories in the United States. Calling a sports team an offensive name given to African-Americans, Latinos, Irish, or Italian-Americans would be regarded as deplorable, yet Native Americans are seen as acceptable to be rendered into such objects by white culture. This suggests that allowing such names to remain indicates that mainstream American culture does not view Native Americans as valuable and worthy of respect as citizens compared with other groups that have made a major contribution to American culture. It is not commensurate with the values embodied by the civil rights legislation passed in the 1960s. As Estrada notes: "it seems to me that what Native Americans are saying is that what would be intolerable for Jews, blacks, Latinos and others is no less offensive to them. Theirs is a request not only for dignified treatment, but for fair treatment as well" (Estrada 2).

From a logical standpoint, it also makes little sense to continue to retain the names. There are precious few Native Americans playing on professional sports teams in general and even then the teams are not given potentially offensive ethnic names. For example, note the predominance of Latino-Americans on many baseball teams, yet no team would be called the 'Banditos.' There are many examples in popular culture where referring to the culture of another in a stereotypical fashion has been deemed offensive such as the Frito Bandito in the corn chip commercial. Along with these other once-beloved, now reviled stereotypes must go the Washington Redskins and their ilk.

Opponents to Estrada might argue that he makes a hasty generalization that the team names are offensive or any use of ethic team mascots is offensive. Also, some teams do use human mascots other than Native Americans such as Notre Dame's Fighting Irish, the University of Pennsylvania's Quakers and the Greek Spartans. These examples have stimulated little controversy and in some instances are viewed as complementary. Another hasty generalization within Estrada's analysis is his assumption because one Native American father and child is offended by the portrayal than all are: it is possible to find someone offended by almost anything. He also falls into the bandwagon fallacy at times, arguing that because everyone (including Stanford University) is dropping their Indian names, then all other teams should follow their example.