Arizona bill would prohibit logos that are disparaging to Native Americans

PHOENIX — A bill introduced in the Arizona House of Representatives this week would prohibit the use of terms and logos that are derogatory toward Native Americans.

The bill states that any multipurpose facility that has been publicly-funded must prohibit the use of logos or terms within the facility if a Native American tribe objects to its use.

The bill would mean team names and logos that tribes find offensive — like Cleveland Indians or Washington Redskins — would not be shown on screens or other areas of the stadium.

The Native American tribes that decide whether or not they are offensive must have land located in whole or part of the state in order to for their objections to be considered valid.

The bill defines multipurpose facilities as those that are used to accommodate sport franchises and sporting events and said stadiums and parking garages would be subject to the law as well.

The introduction of this piece legislation comes as news that the Cleveland Indians baseball team will be scrapping it’s Wahoo logo in the 2019 season after backlash from Native Americans and activist groups.

Similarly, the Washington Redskins football team has been under pressure to change their name for a few years, but has no changes planned.

The bill has been backed by at least 25 Democrats. It had no Republican support.

It was in the Rules Committee of the House.

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