Saturday, February 5th, 2022
Special Edition: Mascots, Stereotypes & Rebranding in Sports
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The Washington Football Team is now the Washington Commanders. The change came two years after the team faced pressure from sponsors to drop the old mascot, logo, and name, which was seen as a racial slur. But this is just the latest change in a long-running national debate about the use of Native American imagery in sports.
Today we’ll hear from social and cultural psychologist, Dr Stephanie Fryberg. She’s a professor at the University of Michigan and a member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington State. She grew up on the reservation. Dr. Fryberg is a respected leader on this topic and has testified before Congress about her research.
Then later, we’ll speak with the so-called “Mascot Guru,” professional entertainer Jerome Bartlett. He’s talking about what he feels a mascot means to the team and its fans, and what it’s really like to be the one wearing the costume.
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Resources:
The Research for Indigenous Social Action and Equity Center at the University of Michigan
UC Berkeley article about Dr. Fryberg’s 2020 study
The 2016 Washington Post poll
The Kansas City Chiefs on American Indian Heritage
Guest: Stephanie A. Fryberg, PhD
Dr. Stephanie A. Fryberg, a member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington State, is the Diversity and Social Transformation Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan.
As a social and cultural psychologist, her research focuses on how social representations of race, culture, and social class influence the development of self, psychological well-being, physical health, and educational attainment.
In addition to publishing articles in leading academic journals, Dr. Fryberg provided testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, received the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Early Career Award, and was inducted into Stanford University’s Multicultural Alumni Hall of Fame.
Guest: Jerome Bartlett
Jerome Bartlett has been working as a professional mascot and sports entertainer for 16+ years. He is the owner and CEO of Higher Impact Entertainment and was dubbed the “Mascot Guru” by National Geographic.
Jerome specializes in running educational programs for kids and in training mascots. He has trained hundreds of mascot performers over the years and hosts an annual Mascot Training Camp in San Antonio, Texas.
He won the 2006 USA National Collegiate Mascot Championship in 2006 while he was a student at Texas State University. He has performed as a mascot and entertainer for teams in the NBA, MLB, NFL, MiLB, AHL, and AFL.
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