“The Chiefs will remain the Chiefs. Stop arguing that point. It’s a straw man.”
Sam Mellinger Kansas City Star
The above quote is the final paragraph of a recent column in the Kansas City Star.
Which is around the 4th or 5th story by the sinking newspaper that was just sold at a bargain basement price to bring them out of bankruptcy.
Seems to me the main one suggesting to change the name or branding elements of the Super Bowl Champ Chiefs is the Star.
The suggestion of course, is part of the popular movement to change the names and acts of anything that can be interpreted as having the slightest hint of so-called racism.
First off, as most serious Chiefs fans know, the Chiefs name was selected to honor former KC mayor H Roe Bartle, who helped convince the Dallas Texans to choose Kansas City as their new home.
And branding elements like the chop, Warpaint, the war drum and arrowhead seemed fitting to help solidify the Chiefs in the hearts and minds of Kansas City sports fans.
Speaking of Kansas City and the surrounding area, there are any number of other examples of honoring Native Americans in the area.
Let’s review a few.
Shawnee Mission: named after an Indian mission just west of the Plaza (FYI, there are some horrendous stories about the man who started the mission).
The Kaw River: Named after a local Indian tribe:
Kansas City: Named after the Kansa Indians (another name for the Kaw Indian tribe).
What about grade schools like Cherokee, Apache, Indian Creek and Indian Valley?
Should we tear down the landmark Indian Scout statue that overlooks Penn Valley Park?
We have Tomahawk and Indian creeks and Indian Hills Country Club.
Had.enough?
The point being that much of Kansas City’s heritage is tied to Native American Indians.