No name change plans for Red Deer sports teams at this time

“We at Red Deer Minor Hockey recognize and appreciate that this is a sensitive topic at this time,” says General Manager Dallas Gaume. “We are also very proud of our name and what this tradition means to our local hockey community past and present. We have no plans at this time to make a name change.”

Red Deer Minor Baseball’s board of directors has discussed the issue, and while there are no immediate plans for a name change they acknowledge it may need to be addressed in the future.

“We are very proud of our Braves name and the strength that it symbolizes,” says Renae Clark, general manager. “We are however cognizant that some may feel differently and we welcome any community feedback, whether positive or negative, on this matter.”

The Saanich Braves, a Junior ‘B’ hockey team on Vancouver Island, recently announced that their name would be changing. Clark says their association is aware of that decision.

She tells rdnewsNOW that when Red Deer Minor Baseball opened its new office at the new Westpark Middle School in 2019, an Indigenous blessing was given to recognize the lands under Treaty 6 and Treaty 7, and there will also be involvement when the new baseball diamonds are finished.

The ‘Tomahawk Chop,’ a crowd gesture regularly seen at Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Braves games, has no place in Red Deer, Clark says.

“It is not a celebratory practice that’s used in Red Deer and not one our association would support from our fans.”

An additional and costly hurdle, she says, is buying new jerseys, which they did last year and typically do every six years. The price tag for jersey replacement is in the tens of thousands of dollars, a steep ask at this time given how much revenue the organization has lost due to COVID-19.

“Both ‘Chief’ and ‘Brave’ can and historically have been used as a racial slur. Growing up, we had older people who would call to us and say ‘Hey chief.’ Well that’s derogatory,” says Russel Burns, a Treaty 6 Indigenous man who played minor hockey in Edmonton and later with the Maskwacis (Hobbema) Oilers and Stony Plain Eagles.

“Go ask these minor sports organizations what ‘chief’ means to them. Ask the parents. Then ask the kids, ‘Hey, why are you using that chief head on your sweater?’”

Burns feels it’s vital that when clubs are consulting on a potential name change that a diverse array of Indigenous voices must be heard, including others his age, those currently involved in sports, and younger folks who may be just starting out in sports.

“Minor and professional sports clubs 100 per cent need to approach Indigenous people with protocol for the use of a name or term,” says Tanya Schur, community facilitator with the Urban Aboriginal Voices Society in Red Deer. “The intent of the club is not what’s in question. It’s the impact of using a term that is what needs to be measured. Otherwise, it’s cultural appropriation.”

Sadia Khan, past co-chair of Red Deer’s Welcoming and Inclusive Communities (WIC) Network, believes local organizations “absolutely” need to consider name changes. WIC has offered anti-oppression training to Hockey Alberta, but have yet to be taken up on it.

While The City of Red Deer has no control over the branding of standalone entities such as minor sports organizations, it does support a constructive conversation.

“Through Recreation, Parks and Culture’s Community and Program Facilitator for Sport, The City supports the sustainable efforts of our local organizations,” says Recreation Superintendent Barb McKee. “Should a group request input or support related to a review of sports team names, we would welcome the opportunity to be involved and assist.”

In 2016, Innisfail’s senior men’s baseball team changed its name from “Indians” to “Trappers.”

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

No name change plans for Red Deer sports teams at this time

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