Odds Say the Kansas City Chiefs Will Not Change Their Team Name
- Odds have emerged if the NFL’s Kansas City franchise should change their nickname from the “Chiefs”
- Kansas City has been known as the “Chiefs” since founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960
- There are still a number of teams in North America that have what Native American groups consider racist nicknames
First the Washington Redskins, then the Cleveland Indians.
Could the Kansas City Chiefs be next?
Once news hit on Monday officially that the Cleveland baseball franchise would no longer be known as the “Indians” following the 2021 season, the next logical question was – would other teams with what could be considered controversial nicknames follow?
The Indians move to changing their name was no real surprise, as the push to go in another direction has been in the mix for months.
The next team on the list to be pressured to change their name are the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, a team that has a rich history and has been around for 60 seasons after being founded by Lamar Hunt.
Many people have been calling, waiting for the Chiefs to move forward with a name change – but will it happen? If so – when?
Odds Kansas City Chiefs Change Team Name
| Result | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | +500 |
| No | -750 |
Odds as of Dec 16
Who is Left?
Now that the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians are no more, there are just four professional sports teams in North America with Native American nicknames.
Those teams include the Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks.
All of the teams above have received pressure from Native American groups, as well as from fans and business partners who consider the nicknames to be considered a racial slur.
If Washington Redskins is a racist team name then what about the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Blackhawks, SDSU Aztecs, Florida State Seminoles? Not even supporting a name change but how do you forget about 6 other teams
— Coop (@CooperARay) July 3, 2020
The Chiefs have seen the fight coming, and wisely over the years have gone ahead and partnered with members of various Native American tribes in Kansas City around the region.
The move was done to try and diffuse the pressure, and to make sure that when push came to shove, which it now has done, the Chiefs would be seen in a good light.
It does not mean that everything is right about keeping the nickname “Chiefs,” but it does mean that the team’s front office has been being proactive in making sure that they look good in this fight.
Taking Measures
The Chiefs made a move back in August of 2020 that signaled they were going to be on the offensive when it came to their controversial nickname.
The club announced that they would no longer be allowing fans in Arrowhead Stadium to wear ceremonial headdresses and Native American-style face paint.
The Chiefs and their organization looked at it as an offensive move and a win that shows they are taking the fight against being considered racist seriously.
No longer did they want fans who took to wearing headdresses and other ceremonial Native American wear to show their support of their team to think it was okay.
While 2020 has been a different year in terms of the number of fans allowed in Arrowhead Stadium (22 percent, or roughly 17,000), the team has been active in asking supporters to remove face paint that is “styled in a way that references or appropriates American Indian cultures and traditions” to enter the stadium, the team said in August.
It’s Taken Some Time
While the “Redskins” and “Indians” finally pulled the plug on making the move to scrapping their Native American nicknames, other teams over the years were quicker to go away from a name or logo that could be considered racist.
Here are a couple of examples of teams that got rid of nicknames or mascots to go with something less controversial.
North Dakota’s Dickinson State University in 1972 was once known as the “Savages,” as the school’s mascot. They scrapped it in 1974 to be the Blue Hawks.
Kansas City Chiefs propose new name change… pic.twitter.com/PEgZkdFU4G
— Not Robert Griffin (@Pseudo_RGIII) July 1, 2014
Dartmouth’s college football team had an Indian as their mascot going back to the 1920s, but finally in 1974 got rid of it to go by the nickname “The Big Green.”
Another team that went in another direction was St. John’s University in New York City. In 1994 they changed its team name from the Redmen to The Red Storm, sporting a new horse logo replacing the cartoon logo of a Native American.
One last example was Arkansas State University, which changed its mascot from the Indians to the Red Wolves in January of 2008.
Cleveland Indians reportedly will drop their name; what will this mean for the Kansas City Chiefs? https://t.co/gLPXK4oyBN
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 14, 2020
Will it Happen?
The subject of a name change of teams like the Chiefs and Braves won’t be going away anytime soon.
There will continue to be groups, both Native American and otherwise that will push to try and get the organizations to change to other names, but teams so far seem to be steadfast in keeping with their current names.
The Chiefs odds of a name change are heavy on the “no” and it doesn’t appear that it’s going to change anytime soon.
The franchise has been aware that this fight was coming, and has prepared as stated above by speaking to groups and keeping them involved in team affairs.
Pressure will continue for teams to continue to move in another direction, but franchises will stay pat as long as they can to keep their nicknames intact, including the Chiefs.
Matt Loede has been a part of the Cleveland Sports landscape working in the media since 1994 when he graduated from broadcasting school. He has extensive experience in covering MLB, NBA, NFL, and college events. He's written three books, and won the "2020 AP Sports Stringer Lifetime Service Award."
