KANSAS CITY (KMOX) - Following last week's news of Cleveland's professional baseball team changing its name from the Indians to the Guardians, the Kansas Chiefs are now also making a change to a tradition that some consider offensive.
The Chiefs plan to do away with its horse mascot "Warpaint." It was reintroduced in 2009 and took the field before every game. But that tradition will not continue this season, says Chiefs president Mark Donovan.
“We have a really good American Indian working group that provides us real guidance and feedback — perspective on this issue,” Donovan told media on Monday. “Obviously, we knew about the Cleveland decision a year plus ago, so we knew this was going to happen. It doesn’t really change our approach. We’re going to continue to create opportunities to educate, create awareness and work exactly as we have over the past eight years now with the working group. We’ve expanded our working group, to get more voices. As I’ve said before, one of the things you find within the American Indian community, which is not unlike any community, is there are divergent views. You’re going to find someone who believes one thing and someone who believes just as strongly in the other. That’s true within the American Indian community. It’s also true when it comes to these issues.”
Last year, the team banned fans from wearing American Indian-style face paint and headdresses at its home games. There's also an ongoing discussion about the Arrowhead Chop that's performed by fans. Last year fans were instructed to only use a closed fist instead of an open hand.
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Activists groups, a local newspaper and others have put pressure on the team in recent years to change its name.
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