Another Mascot Flap, This Time in El Paso
The debate over what to name the local sports team isn’t limited this week to a certain football team in our nation’s capital. Now, there’s a controversy in El Paso, Texas, over a minor league baseball team.
The El Paso Times reports the city’s new Triple-A team will be named the Chihuahuas. Yes, the mascot is a cute little dog, and apparently kids love it. It’s also a nod to the Mexican state with the same name just across the Rio Grande.
But it didn’t take long for people to start complaining that the team’s choice was off putting. The newspaper quoted Alexandria Marlin, who said, “It’s racist. It’s not even scary.”
The team is relocating from Tucson, Ariz., and was formerly known as the Tucson Padres after its major league affiliate.
This debate is timely. Activists and newspaper editorials have increasingly put pressure on the owners of Washington’s National Football League team. They want the owners to change the name because it’s offensive to Native Americans. Even President Obama suggested the team’s name was in poor taste.
Our own Tristan Ahtone wrote a thought-provoking editorial on the topic.
In El Paso, the financial stakes are a bit lower and the leader of the free world hasn't yet weighed in. But there is already a movement afoot to force a change.
A petition started on the website change.org had more than 6,000 signatures Wednesday morning.
“’The Chihuahuas’ strongly misrepresents our great city of El Paso,” wrote Alex Morales, whose name appears as the petitions’ author. “El Pasoans have shown numerous reasons as to why we oppose this name, ranging from "non-intimidating" and "stereotypically offensive" to downright "ugly.’
