Exeter supporters petition for club to drop 'racist' Native American branding.

[Rossm]

A petition calling for Exeter Chiefs to change their branding has gained over 600 signatures this week

From today's Telegraph.
I guess it was only a matter of time............

A group set up by Exeter Chiefs supporters have called for the club's "racist use of Native American imagery and branding" to be dropped, comparing the use of the headdresses and chanting the Tomahawk Chop to blackface.

A petition (https://www.change.org/p/exeter-chiefs-asking-exeter-chiefs-rugby-club-to-drop-its-racist-use-of-native-american-imagery-and-branding) started earlier this week by Exeter supporter Ashley Green has gained more than 550 signatures, with Exeter's Labour MP, Ben Bradshaw, also publicly backing the move.

Members of the group, speaking to Telegraph Sport, described Exeter's use of a Native American mascot, the tomahawk chant and adoption of headdresses by supporters as "demeaning". The group added there was no issue with keeping the 'Chiefs' name, pointing to Exeter's history of Celtic tribes in the region during the pre-Roman era and calling for the club's image to be built around that period of time as opposed to appropriating Native American culture.

Exeter Rugby adopted the 'Chiefs' brand in 1999. The club were then promoted to the Premiership in 2010 and have since established themselves as a major force in both English and European rugby, winning the Premiership title in 2017.

"I do believe that Exeter Chiefs are a great club who do so many great things both on the pitch and off it. How they have risen to become the best team in England and one of the best teams in Europe has been nothing short of remarkable," explained Ben, a season ticket holder for seven years.

"During the last few years, I have also learnt about the offence that [the branding] causes, having your culture, your identity appropriated by sports teams. The headdress or warbonnet is revered in many cultures, and we use it as a way to play fancy dress. We just use the term Native American as a catch-all, not realising that there many distinct tribes throughout North America. But we use a stereotype."
Referencing the momentum for change created recently by the Black Lives Matter movement, another petitioner, Mary, compared the use of Native American branding to blackface.

"If Exeter Chiefs had a Golliwog as their icon now, we would all have an issue with that. Essentially, what they are doing with the branding, is the First Nation equivalent of blackface. Native American people do not consent to you using their image. Why are you still doing this? It is just so demeaning."

The use of Exeter's mascot, named 'Big Chief', has also come under fire. "People might ask, how is it racist? Firstly, it’s a cultural appropriation. Second, the feathers are sacred, so there is a desacralisation," explains Abdenour, a PHD candidate at Exeter University.
Others criticised Exeter's lack of communication over the issue. "They have been consistently and shamefully silent on the issue," added Elena. "The conversation isn’t a new one. The club’s response has been the same every single time."

Laura, another long-term Exeter supporter, added that the use of the branding had prevented her from purchasing replica jerseys. "I live away from Exeter and would love to be able to wear the kit with pride and show my roots with my home town, to get the kit for my daughter, and introduce her to our family team."

Exeter Chiefs had no comment regarding the petition when contacted on Wednesday.

[Neils]

That should get a few more votes on board.

[13thWarrior]

Honestly I back this, I lived in Canada for nearly 4 years and there is no chance any sports team could use that kind of iconography without explicit permission from a local First Nation. The USA is a bit further behind but there is still a lot of tension about the names of teams like "red skins". Exeter should get with the times and find a brand more appropriate.

[Shugs]

I imagine there's no way they will keep it. Surely they need to go with Exeter Shoveovers or similar.

[BG]

Honestly I back this, I lived in Canada for nearly 4 years and there is no chance any sports team could use that kind of iconography without explicit permission from a local First Nation. The USA is a bit further behind but there is still a lot of tension about the names of teams like "red skins". Exeter should get with the times and find a brand more appropriate.

I think Exeter stole their chant from the Atlanta Braves.. I have no idea why either club or supporters sing or dress up that way.. maybe the owners are fans of old westerns.. I don't have a problem with it.. native indians may have some reservations though (tcha boom tscch)

[backdoc]

The World Wildlife Fund will be having words with our friends on the A46 soon.

What utter rubbish.

Have you not been listening to the BLM nonsense? The footballers have seen it for the shallow marxist tripe that it is, and have taken off their armbands.

[Heathen]

I'll support anything that causes Chiefs to give up that dirge of a chant!

[westwaleswasp]

I dislike the chant intensely. A few of their fans complained about our drums a while back, but anything beats that bloody chant..

[Hymenoptera]

Apart from being crap, it didn't offend anyone before, suddenly its an issue..meh.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

Apart from being crap, it didn't offend anyone before, suddenly its an issue..meh.

How do you know?

[13thWarrior]

Have you not been listening to the BLM nonsense? The footballers have seen it for the shallow marxist tripe that it is, and have taken off their armbands.

Nonsense? Marxist tripe? BLM is an incredibly important protest about why black and other ethnic minorities still suffer worse at the hands of the police and other institutions than whites do. Not only are the figures for incarceration rates and injury and death in police custody much worse for blacks than whites, the recent bias in infection/death rates due to COVID-19 has demonstrated that either our society systematically exposes ethnic minorities to risk of infection more, consistently fails them with medical care more, or seriously lacks an understanding of ethnicity based differences in medical care. Perhaps all of them.

I really hope you are in the minority, and that you have no ability to influence any iniatives to redress the fairness in our society. Did you read Simon McIntyre's interview about BLM? Listen to the BBC podcast with Wade talking about race and rugby (along with Monye, Itoje, Obanao, Earle, Osbourne, and Watson)? I guess not. But you should.

[coddy]

Apart from being crap, it didn't offend anyone before, suddenly its an issue..meh.

Actually it did, there has been complaints to it for for years.

[WonkyWasp]

've been moaning about the infantile dressing up  and that ****** dirge for 10  years at least.  I would have thought it  is deeply offensive to any native American. 

[Chilham]

As I understand it, the "Chief" in Exeter rugby originated from the term Navy Chief.  The adoption of American Indian paraphernalia is much more recent.

[Old Geezer]

Attacking this kind of thing only takes away attention from the real and despicable racism that still exists throughout the World.