My Fan Epiphany

With the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Western Conference and heading to the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, it occurred to me that I support teams with Native American tie-ins. Not those with a racist or controversial name like the Redskins or have a demeaning logo like Chief Wahoo.

I have been a Blackhawks fan since the Chris Chelios days. The Blackhawks got their name from a World War I Infantry Division that in turn was named after a Sauk leader, Black Hawk, a prominent figure in Illinois history. We also have named military equipment with the same moniker.

I am also Kansas City Chiefs fan and have been since the early 80s. I like the smash mouth style of defense they have a tradition of playing, now if they could only develop some consistent offense. The Chiefs were named in honor of Harold Roe Bartle who brought the team from Dallas to KC. Bartel earned his nickname as founder of a Boy Scout Honor Society in which he was "Chief" Lone Bear. The word chief is a name of respect.

The last team is my beloved Mariners, I know what you are thinking...what does "Mariners" have to do with the indigenous people of the Americas... The Mariners play out of Seattle, a city named after Chief Seattle, a respected leader in the Duwamish tribe and started the ecological movement and respect of the land. The Mariners have never used to my knowledge anything to disrespect Native Americans. (BTW, I have been a Mariners fan since the Bosox blew it in '86 and Seattle drafted Junior.)

So there are my teams and their affiliation with the natives of this land.