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

[Raggs]

Good.

No good reason for them to have ever adopted. No good reason to actually keep it. Plenty of people from that background find the take off of their heritage highly offensive.

[Wiltshire Wasp]

Good.

No good reason for them to have ever adopted. No good reason to actually keep it. Plenty of people from that background find the take off of their heritage highly offensive.

Hear hear!

[welsh wasp]

The other US football teams with “inappropriate” names - e.g. Chiefs & Braves - are planning new names. Trump doesn’t like it might be a good reason to support the change here & in the US.

[St Bruno]

That's nearly WFT.

By the way, taking into account their often-illegal lineouts and scrums, Exe should be called Exeter Cheits. economical too, just change one letter.

[RogerE]

Just announced - keeping name and logo, losing the mascot

[Raggs]

That's nearly WFT.

By the way, taking into account their often-illegal lineouts and scrums, Exe should be called Exeter Cheits. economical too, just change one letter.

No need to change the name Chiefs, just all the branding.

[Rossm]

Just announced - keeping name and logo, losing the mascot

I wish they'd drop the dead chickens.

[Raggs]

So basically they've changed very little, the tomahawk chop, and all the fake headresses etc, will still be in place.

[Heathen]

That fecking chant should be banned. That is a Red Indian chant. Certainly not PC in my view.

[WonkyWasp]

 + 1 with Heathen. Hate the head-dresses and chant.

[Neils]

They should have just ditched the lot. This will not go away if they allow elderly gents to dress up as native indians and warble their chant.

[RogerE]

Not exactly a native American chant - it was invented by the Florida State University marching band sometime between 1972 1nd 1980 (FSU adopted a Seminole Indian image as the emblem for its sports teams in 1947).

So it's actually even worse than appropriating native American culture - it's adopting a parody of  native American culture.

[welsh wasp]

The club, or its owner, seems to have decided on the worst of all possibilities. Keeping the name & chant  without losing anything. The worst of all decisions.
Dressing as "red Indians" has no historical links with Exeter or Devon. The American football clubs  have realised that and all taken action.

[coddy]

So the most financially sound club in the country has stuck two fingers up to Racism just to save some money on rebranding!

Shame on them.

[13thWarrior]

Exeter statement:
"The board took the view that the use of the Chiefs logo was in fact highly respectful."

Exeter Chiefs 4 Change:
"This decision will not age well for the club."
Indeed. The Washington Football Team's rhetoric was much stronger only a few years and now even they have responded. Just wait for sponsors to start expressing concern and then they'll turn. Shame they have not taken the opportunity to be proactive.
Dropping the mascot is a start I guess. Curious that they don't consider him "highly respectful"...