Challenges to the use of potentially objectionable terms by
organizations has hit the headlines once again with the recent U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office decision to cancel certain federal
trademark registrations held by the Washington Redskins. Native
American groups have also recently threatened legal action to
address the Cleveland Indians team name and mascot, "Chief
Wahoo." Names, logos, and terms perceived as objectionable,
however, are not limited to professional sports teams and their
mascots. Other organizations have confronted similar challenges,
and the challenges presented are often more complicated than they
first seem.
Many schools have addressed progressive perceptions in the
context of school mascots by retiring more controversial mascots;
one need look no further than the litany of southern schools that
have over the years retired mascots associated with the
Confederacy. However, the complexity associated with addressing
controversial terms or
