As you watch Super Bowl LIV, bear in mind that rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs and taking no issue with either their mascot or their fans' traditions means rooting for racism. In just four years, Harbaugh left the 49ers as one of their most successful head coaches. Tony Accardo, a.k.a. Why Is The Football Team Called The 49ers? A Definition and Overview. And so that's really where I've focused more fundamentally, is on these issues in public schools rather than with private companies.". Did you encounter any technical issues? These prospectors were dubbed the 49ers.. Its called a genocide, Newsom said. "And studies have shown that for youth growing up near those types of sports teams with the mascots that they have, they're suffering from that. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) acknowledges the fans as he exits the field to the locker room following the NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. And not anybody in an American Indian community can wear an eagle feather headdress. Similarly,Muhammad Ali declaringhimself a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and refusing to register for the draft became a flashpoint of both the anti-war and civil rights movements, but it was the regulatory bodies stripping him of his heavyweight title and licenses as a result that made his personal politics an issue within the sport. Given this unique cultural moment, people are taking to their social media and journalism platforms to share takes, educate, and reflect on the state of not only the NFL in 2020 but the greater issue of our nebulous-but-supposedly-lofty American values.. The actual name San Francisco 49ers is relatively simple to unpack in terms of meaning, especially if you compare it to other more obscure names like the Green Bay Packers. They would also have some of the most recognizable and acclaimed players ever to take the field during this period, like wide receiver Jerry Rice, quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young, and cornerback Ronnie Lott. However, it was a far cry from the dominance of the 80s and early 90s. The federal government, Lea added, should supply Indians there with farming tools, cloth, and livestock; assist them with housing; and secure for them intellectual, moral, and religious education. Since 1977, when her father purchased the team and became the owner of the 49ers, Marie Denise DeBartolo York and her family have been integral pieces that have helped shape the organization and the NFL into what it is today. The bigoted behavior is so off-putting that the team asked TV broadcasters not to show these fans. There are more historic parallels between the team and the historical context of its name: The 49ers were the first NFL team, and, in fact, the first major professional sports team to originate on the West Coast. Suppose their fans did the same thing to the pigs as they did to Native Americans. 2023 Cable News Network. Indigenous people are real Americans that are living and suffering in the U.S. right now and, yes, your actions towards them even relating to sports make a difference. Lets look at the NFL, for instance. Seriously, help me get it. Just where did the Rams get their name? The census of 1880 recorded just 16,277 Indians in California, a 90 percent decline from preGold Rush days. The 49ers went west with hearts full of greed for the riches of the land. But this name is part of our teams heritage! scream the bad-faith Dan Snyders of the world. Surely enough, the 49ers have become one of the most successful teams in the NFL. Naturally, it being the 1960s, the mascot the team chose was an Indian in a loincloth and face paint with feathers riding a horse named Warpaint. Remember, at the time, California was a relatively undiscovered Western territory, not the massive cosmopolitan state we know and love today. There was actually a write-in contest for local Kansas City denizens to name the team. In fact, James Marshall and John Sutter, the two men linked with the start of one of the most pivotal events in California history, never got rich. Its fans engage in a ritual called the "tomahawk chop," often wear face paint and headdresses to games and cheer to game day rituals such as a dignitary banging a drum while surrounded by cheerleaders or a cheerleader riding a horse named Warpaint around the field before the game and when the team scores. But, like the 49ers of the gold rush, team founder Tony Morabito saw opportunity where others saw uncertainty. This is a team that is named after a Native American position of authority, features an arrowhead on their helmets andplays at a facility called Arrowhead Stadium. In 1849, more than 100,000 people, mostly men, traveled to the region. The Cleveland Indians have walked back from Chief Wahoo. "Our sacred sites, our cultural places and our water clean water, clean air have been threatened all through this administration by the cutbacks in the regulatory framework for various environmental laws, whether it's the Clean Water Act that just got narrowed just this last week, to what happened with Standing Rock, to Bears Ears," she said. From 1991-1998, the 49ers averaged a staggering 13 wins per season, further cementing their legacy in the pantheon of all-time dynasties in professional sports. Just like Warriors and Indians may not be offensive," Kevin Allis, the CEO of the National Congress of American Indians and a member of the Forest County Potawatomi Community, told Salon. The 49er represents brutal manifest destiny and wealth capture at the expense of an entire population. Through the indiscriminate use of terrorism and murder, Californias 49ers carried out one of the most successfuland, until recently, largely unacknowledgedcampaigns of ethnic cleansing the world has ever seen. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. To his credit, current California Governor Gavin Newsom recently took one of the first steps to acknowledge the facts of history by issuing a formal apology to the states Native American tribes. Though thankfully, neither the horse nor cheerleader riding in the saddle is donning any Native American regalia. Let's start with the 49ers named after the Americans who came to California in 1849 during the Gold Rush specifically, and more generally after the Gold Rush pioneers since the problem with their name is not as well known as the issues with the Chiefs. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks, anyone? Since 2014, theyve been playing at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, around 45 miles from San Francisco proper. At a time when President Donald Trump has brought vilification of Mexico to a fevered pitch in the United States, it is important to recall that the future American state was originally owned by the Mexican government. Yet the reality of the men behind the legend is not quite so lovable and comic. On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered at Sutters Mill on the American River in Northern California. It barely makes a blip on the national consciousness. Hes often portrayed as a grizzled prospector sporting a bushy beard, a floppy felt hat, a carefree smile, and a pickax on his shoulder. The 60s and 70s marked varying degrees of success for the 49ers, but they would really begin to break out in the 1980s and early 1990s. Any able-bodied Indian who shall be found loitering and strolling about, the law decreed, shall be liable to be arrested on the complaint of any resident citizen of the county. Once arrested, the Indian would be brought before a mayor, magistrate, or county clerk and put up for auction. So for me, this can only boil down to education, or a lack thereof. President James Polk started the Mexican-American War, which conquered most of the west,in order to turn America into a Western Hemispheric empire and provide more land for southern slaveowners, with the latter motive prompting such concern among opponents of slavery that it eventually led to the formation of the Republican Party. Is she dating Chiefs Travis Kelce? If they win it all, they will tie with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl victories in NFL history. This is only a fraction of racist history of the team, and . Not because of some left/right or politically correct/progressive agenda. Technically, the San Francisco 49ers are registered as the San Francisco Forty Niners, but that definitely wouldnt fit on a football helmet. After the game . There are more historic parallels between the team and the historical context of its name: The 49ers were the first NFL team, and, in fact, the first major professional sports team to originate on the West Coast. Why the San Francisco 49ers are called the 49ers, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements. To a 49er miner, an Indigenous woman or child was nothing more than a pick-ax when it broke, you simply had to buy a new one. (Salon reached out to both the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers organizations and did not receive a response.) (The Kansas City Chiefs may have changed their mascot from an Indian to a Wolf decades ago, but the name, chants, and symbolism are still offensive to many Native Americans.). Will it be believed that he was almost immediately released from custody, because our laws will not allow an Indian to testify against a white man? Southerners used the term for Black people who didn't "know their place" and coupled it with a racial slur. This is the history you need to know to understand exactly who you are. (Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images/NFL/Salon), ------------------------------------------, exploited, enslaved and even murdered the indigenous people in what's now the state of California, 80 percent of California's Native Americans were wiped out, April Moore from the Nisenan Maidu told PBS. The team, which started out as part of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), a rival to the National Football League (NFL), played its first regular-season game in September 1946. between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City . The area consisted of several hundred Americans; about 6,500 Californios (people of Spanish or Mexican descent); and roughly 150,000 Native Americans. In the end, Calfornias Indigenous population fell by 80 percent over 25 years. We already know that their name is problematic because of the controversy over the name of another football team, the Washington Redskins. The miners who arrived in 1849 encountered a number of fortunate coincidences. What Is the Story Behind This Little Piggy? That cheer still hasnt died to this day. Stephen A. Douglas, the Illinois senator whose seat would later be challenged by Abraham Lincoln, proposed extinguishing Indian land ownership in the far West by establishing expansive plots of land where Indians may be permanently located and protected. (This proposal was the beginning of todays reservation system.) With the Chiefs specifically, the damage caused is that it disrespects Native American images and customs in front of millions of people. With Super Bowl Sunday fast approaching, the rumbles have been growing on Native Twitter. A franchise rich in tradition and success spanning several decades, the San Francisco 49ers are one of the pillars of the NFL. It will be hard to hide. The indigenous population of California went from more than 200,000 . Its one thing for a population or group of sports fans to claim ignorance to all of this pre-2000. The original 49ers carried out one of the most horrific campaigns of genocide in the history of North America. However, in those days, it could take as long as a year for people to get from the major population hubs on the East Coast to California. But, more importantly, this is about recognizing whats happening right now. When the California Gold Rush began in 1848, American football didnt exist. The NFL Has Always Been Racist. Published January 31, 2013 When the California Gold Rush began in 1848, American football didn't exist. The renamed arrowhead chop. Whopping and chanting. San Francisco's professional football team, the 49ers, was named in honor of the men who came to California during the Gold Rush. This explains the name, but theres a lot more to delve into when it comes to the overall history of the San Francisco 49ers team. The negative news is that the teams name is still causing controversey over its negative connotations. It took until 1970 for the 49ers to win their first divisional championship. But shortly afterward, the tomahawk chop started making its way out of Florida and catching on with teams from Cleveland to Atlanta to Kansas City. Kansas City bridges two worlds the Mississippi Valley cultures and the Great Plains. The 49ers is the nickname for those who flocked to northern California in 1849 hoping to take advantage of the gold rush. Is that still who we are? spokesman said that players would be allowed to choose a decal with one of six messages to place on the back of their . Read: The future of Native American imagery in sports, Sutter and others tried to keep the discovery a secret, but word spread quickly, and soon the population of California swelled. After a newly constituted legislature created the governors office, a judicial system, and penalties for cattle rustling, the 49er legislators turned to the business of installing the state-fortified foundations of white supremacy. I felt like the 49ers hierarchy left me.. 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The California Gold Rush began in 1848 but it took a year for the word to get out, and soby the time 1849 rolled around, thousands of fortune hunters had arrived in Northern California to mine for gold. There were no taxes or land rights arguments. Because roughly 80% of the U.S. population was white in the 1960s, it's safe. But those aggressive gold miners would give their nickname to a football team one hundred years later. Meanwhile, Warpaint the horse is back. All rights reserved. Denises father, Edward DeBartolo Sr., purchased the organization for $13 million in 1977. Its also understandable. All Rights Reserved. Redface. 2. So does the tomahawk chop. The symbolism of the modern Olympics celebrates nations working together peacefully in athletic competition. Whats the Difference Between Formula 1 and NASCAR? Political symbolism in sports doesn't stop with the Olympics and the Jackie Robinson story. The San Francisco 49ers publicly condemned the person who sent racist messages to Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker and announced that they have begun an investigation into identifying the fan . As the owner and co-chair of the 49ers, Marie Denise DeBartolo York presides at the head of the table. So why are we still fair game? He later added, "There is a certain honor and respect within American Indian communities that attaches to that. Colin Kaepernick was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1987. To a 49er miner, an Indigenous woman or child was nothing more than a pick-ax when it broke, you simply had to buy a new one. The 49ers are not the only professional franchise the York family has shaped In 1978, DeBartolo Sr. purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and established Denise as the owner and president of the team. The precedent was set by a Swiss immigrant named John Sutterwho ventured to California in 1841, and was followed by others who attempted to make their fortune in the so-called Wild West. In the 1940s, when the team was founded, the idea of expanding the league that far across the country was considered a very risky move. That's a huge boost for the Dubs, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. A real ale brewed by the Ringwood Brewery with a strength, appropriately, of 4.9%. After a 2-14 season in 1978, he made two moves that helped reshape the team and the NFL. There were alsono taxes or land rights disputesat the time as California had yet to become a state. As American history textbook author David Henry Montgomery wrote ratherromantically in 1899, they are remembered as people who "with pan and shovel" managed to "give us firm possession of the Pacific coast, since it rapidly settled the wilderness of California with a population of energetic and determined men." Matthew Campbell, staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund and enrolled member of the Native Village of Gambell on the Saint Lawrence Island in Alaska, made a similar point. With Montana, they became the standard against which every QB/WR duo would be judged. Perhaps because of the name, the team has never left San Francisco. Maybe not all the way back to 1849, but the story begins in 1946, when the 49ers were first founded as a football club. Houston Colt .45s? Its also deepening stereotypes that are taking funds out of Indigenous peoples pockets while making it harder for them to get loans. A classic case of Americas pastime (being racist) merging with its favorite game. Are you an NFL fan? Another double bonus is the Minnesota Vikings and the regions large Scandinavian population. Bezos, Fertitta. Defenders of the teams and the status quo in general might be tempted to fall back on an oft-repeated line:Why can't they just leave politics out of football? When New Jersey prospector James Marshall "discovered" gold at Sutter's Mill, it was because Native Americans brought the nuggets to his attention without recognizing their commercial value. Under Edward, the franchise became a juggernaut. Companies are refusing to broker Redskins merchandise. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 1:30 PM EST, Sat February 1, 2020, A look inside the stadium hosting Super Bowl LIV. 8 of the Worst (or Weirdest) Video Game Adaptations, Sporcle Events Newsletter Bonus Questions Week of 2/27. These include attacks on the Indian Child Welfare Actandthe urgent problem of overlookedmissing and murdered indigenous people. It was a single-generation system. In early February, the Washington football team announced their new name, the Washington Commanders. Sports have political meaning because we, as consumers of entertainment, have chosen for decades to idolize athletes, identify with teams and invest greater social significance in the games themselves. The Super Bowl is coming up, and in these days of anticipation we often get so caught up worrying about little things like What teams are playing? and Whos going to win? that we lose sight of the bigger question: Why on earth are the San Francisco 49ers called the San Francisco 49ers? The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Los Angeles Rams in a 24-9 win over their divisional rival on Monday. Sign up for writing inspiration in your email. Race is an issue that defines our nation. The origin of the Kansas City Chiefs' team name may not be what you think: The team was named after former Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle. I have seen it, and seeing all this, I cannot help them. Perhaps the clearest throwback to the inspiration, though, is the team mascot, Sourdough Sam. Who is Zuri Hall? Yet the same men and women who attempted to become wealthy off of the precious metals in the earth exploited, enslaved and even murdered the indigenous people in what's now the state of California in order to do so. Why Do Cats Knock Things Over All the Time? Activate your account. "When you look at the Kansas City Chiefs, and you look at a lot of their fans that are wearing headdresses, a lot of their fans that are putting war paint on their faces and bringing different kinds of things with them that symbolize a bow and an arrow or some kind of a tool or sacred item that is Indian in nature, the treatment of that is what the problem is, and the treatment of those things impacts and tarnishes the name of the team," Allis told Salon. Not for clicks. To be able to comment you must be registered and logged in. NFL Scouting Combine records: 40-yard dash, best vertical jump, bench press, 3-cone drill. "That's just not something we talk. A century after the Gold Rush, the 49ers were memorialized when San Franciscos first major league professional sports franchise, a football team, was named. Fittingly, it's deeply tied to the history of the San Francisco area. Jed York, the son of Denise and John, has been involved with the team after leaving his job as a financial analyst for Guggenheim Partners at their New York City offices. The 49ers, most of whom were men, came from the eastern United States as well as other parts of the globe, including Europe, China, Mexico and South America. "I think most problematic when we see them used in the school setting is that they actually cause harm to students, native students and non-native students alike, and that they have this real negative impact on the students," Campbell told Salon. The 49ers returned to the NFC Championship in Harbaughs third season, making it three in a row. Read: The schools that triedbut failedto make Native Americans obsolete. Within 20 years of the start of the Gold Rush, 80 percent of California's Native Americans were wiped out; 100,000 perished during the first two years alone. Like O'Loughlin, he cited the "growing epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women across the country, across Indian country at large, and where we see these large disproportionate number of our native women and children in particular have gone missing and turned up deceased" and "the protection of native peoples' natural resources, their lands, their waters, their cultures and who they are as a people.". As white people continued to swarm into Native American land and consume their resources, it became difficult for communities that had once thrived to find the materials necessary to sustain themselves. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012, spoke at the Commonwealth Club of California shortly after Jan. 6th and is the recipient of a 2022 science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute. We live in an age where the reality of Americas history with Indigenous people is easily accessible from the people living through the fallout of that history. The nation is coming to grips with that. This version of the legend, Sourdough Sam, will be on full display in this years Super Bowl, when the San Francisco 49ers play the Kansas City Chiefs. The team, of course, is not alone in casting the old gold miners in a friendly light. If more voices come out to protest the connotation of the franchises moniker andits relationship to the genocide that took place during this period, San Francisco might just be the next team to see a change in their name. As a result, we have a responsibility when it comes to the stories we tell through those games. The conditions in the mining camp were rough and crude. This influx of people was also a major reason why San Francisco and other Californian cities would end up becoming major population centers. appreciated. They unquestionably were not stone-age people riding horses in loincloths. Origin and meaning The San Francisco 49ers scored a stunning upset against the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, earning themselves a shot at the NFC Championship. Cold rage! An arrowhead was chosen. Think pieces are being written on liberal and conservative outlets. They would go on to win three in a row. 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The name was in place, the team was in town, and logos needed to be made. There is a reason why we play the national anthem before most sporting events; why it has been a cherished tradition for presidents to throw the ceremonial first pitch on baseball's opening day since the administration of William Howard Taft; why we've had a president, Gerald Ford, who first became famous for being a star football player at the University of Michigan; and why another president, Ronald Reagan, delayed his second-term inauguration ceremony by a day so that it wouldn't conflict with Super Bowl XIX (where he performed the coin toss). Names like the Giants, Jaguars, or Cowboys are generally pretty self-explanatory in terms of connotations. When the first Northern California football team was founded in 1946, the name came logically. Alas.). After settling a QB controversy between Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers played their way into Super Bowl XLVII. A few days later, they killed the hostages too. So much so, that the New York Times wrote a feature this week talking about how the issue divides people (making one wonder, would other racist traditions get the both sides treatment from the paper of record?). He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2016. The California Gold Rush began in 1848 but it took a year for the word to get out, and so by the time 1849 rolled around, thousands of fortune hunters had . Their New name, the 49ers of the land this pre-2000 fans did the thing! Terms of connotations Experience in the US messages to place on the back of their over their rival..., magistrate, or county clerk and put up for auction England Patriots the! And did not receive a response. the Los Angeles Rams in a light. Up for auction appropriately, of course, is not quite so lovable and comic these were! Feather headdress, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice approaching, the 49ers agreed to part ways Harbaugh! 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