In an email to season ticket holders, the Atlanta Braves announced that the team would not be changing its name, but would discuss the future of the tomahawk chop. This decision comes after weeks of civil unrest throughout the country. Currently, the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians are the most prominent teams that are considering a name change.
Letter sent to Braves season ticketholders says team name will not be changing, chop is “one of the many issues that we are working through.” (Full letter: Atlanta Braves Name Change. Braves Name. Braves Name. However, Braves. Also, Atlanta. As well as braves. Atlanta Braves Name Change. https://t.co/nDojeh00Rm) (h/t Marty Buccafusco) pic.twitter.com/dpmUCFDtSB
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) July 12, 2020
Atlanta Braves Make Decision Regarding the Future of Team’s Name
The Braves’ name has existed since 1912 when the Boston Rustlers changed their nickname to the “Braves.” In 1936, the Braves’ name was changed to the “Bees,” but this only lasted for five seasons. The franchise decided to move from Boston to Milwaukee in 1953, but due to a lack of attendance, the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. The name has stayed intact for over 100 years, and the team is the oldest continuous professional baseball franchise.
This historic name is something that Atlanta’s ownership wants to maintain. In an exclusive interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Braves chairman Terry Mcguirk said, “We are so proud of our team’s name, and our expectation is that we will always be the Atlanta Braves.”
The Chop
The tomahawk chop was popularized in Atlanta when Deion Sanders joined the team in the 1990s after he played for the Florida State Seminoles. However, the chop has been criticized as being “insensitive.” This came to light last postseason when St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley (who is a member of the Cherokee tribe) said that the chop “depicts [Native Americans] in this kind of caveman-type people way who aren’t intellectual.” As a result, the Braves promised to not distribute foam tomahawks and play the “Chop” music and graphics when Helsley was in the game.
According to Mcguirk, the signature tomahawk on Atlanta’s jerseys will remain.
“The brand goes along with the name,” McGuirk said. “The tomahawk logo on the jersey as a big piece of our iconography is here to stay. We are proud of it. We think our constituencies hold it in an equally high level of esteem.”
Regarding the future of the tomahawk chop at games, CEO Derek Schiller said, “At this point in time, those discussions are still ongoing… It’s a topic that deserves a lot of debate and a lot of discussion and a lot of thoughtfulness, and that’s exactly what we are doing.”
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
