University of Utah Football Team Uses "Ute" Name With Permission of the Ute Tribe: Why This is Problematic
J. Dixon Modeling Game 9 Uniform 2022
Courtesy of utes_equiptment on instagram
Above is a picture of a University of Utah football player modeling their game 9 uniform from this past season. On his helmet you can see the drum and feather logo, which is sacred to the Ute tribe. You can also see this symbol on the football he is holding. In recent years, there has been a lot of controversy around sports teams named after or depicting Native Indian culture. After mounting pressures to change their name, in 2020, the "Washington Redskins" (NFL team in Washington) changes their name to the "Washington Football Team" before rebranding as the "Commanders" earlier this year. So why can the University of Utah football team be called the "Utes" and use sacred symbols on their uniforms? Let's take a look at the history of the University of Utah being called the "Utes."
The U of U first chose the name the “Runnin’ Utes". In In 1972, the name was changed to "Utes." The University of Utah has had an agreement with the Ute tribe to use the "Ute" name starting in that year. In return for allowing the school’s athletic department to use its name, the university has supported scholarships for tribal members and agreed to support those students through graduation. The mascot for the "Utes" until the mid 1980's was the "Crimson warrior" who was a Caucasian horseman who would ride into the arena before home football games and would stab a spear into a bale of hay. In 1996, Swoop ( a hawk) became the "Utes" official mascot through an agreement with the Ute tribe. In 2005, the NCAA identified the University of Utah as 1 of 18 colleges that still used American Indian names and symbols. Instead of changing their name, the University got renewed support from the tribe. The most recent update to this agreement was made in 2020 and will hold until 2025. As part of the new agreement, the school must educate all incoming students about the tribe. To do this, the University launched the Ute Proud program to showcase traditions during football games, basketball games, and gymnastics meets. The Ute Proud program also teaches fans about inappropriate behavior such as wearing headdresses and red paint. As another part of the agreement, the University of Utah provides annual financial support to the tribe for K-12 education on the reservation in northeastern Utah, and supports scholarships for Ute tribe members. Despite this, only 200 out of the 33,000 students at the University of Utah identify as American Indian, with an even smaller portion of those students being Ute tribe members.
So yes, technically the University of Utah has an agreement with the Ute tribe to use their name and a sacred symbol, but one could argue that it's not a fair trade. Historically, American Indians have been pushed out of their homes and oppressed by large corporations and the U.S. government. This has left many tribes in financially desperate situations. If the Ute tribe agreed to let the University athletics department use the name "Utes" in return for financial support, especially the opportunity for students in their community to go to college, with the Ute Proud program being implemented it probably felt like the right thing to do for the community. However, I'm not sure the University of Utah has held up their end of the bargain. As I mentioned earlier, according to recent statistics only 200 students at the U of U identify as Native Indian. The Ute tribe has a membership of 2,970 people. Based on both of those numbers it can be assumed that only a handful of Ute students attend the U of U. It seems as though the University is profiting greatly from this agreement and that the Utes are not profiting enough.
But the issue runs deeper than asking if the University is doing enough for Ute tribe members. The drum and feather logo is scared to many American Indian tribes, not just Utes, so to see it flaunted is could be unfair to many who think that the Utes have no right to give universal permission for their use. The drum symbolizes the heartbeat of Mother Earth and its people. Feathers, particularly eagle feathers, are valued as pathways for the wearers to express themselves to the creator. The white and dark parts of the eagle feather are said to represent daylight and darkness and summer and winter. Birds carry the messages between Earth and the spirits above.
In recent years, it seemed the "Utes" athletic department was moving away from using the drum and feather in favor of the block "U" symbol. Perhaps the most fair thing the University of Utah should change their sports teams names (the women's gymnastics team is called the "lady red rocks"), stop using the drum and feather symbol, and continue to support the Ute tribe because they allowed them to use their name for so many years.
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