News that the Braves would bring back the Noc-A-Homa logo for its batting practice caps "generated so much controversy and backlash ... that the team may end up switching to another cap logo," according to Paul Lukas of UNI-WATCH.com. If that happens, "expect MLB to issue lots of revisionist-history talking points about how the Indian design was just 'one option we were exploring' and that it was 'in development but never finalized' and that the Braves simply 'opted to go in another direction.'" As of Thursday, it still was "listed in the MLB Style Guide" (UNI-WATCH.com, 1/3). CBSSPORTS.com's C. Trent Rosecrans wrote there will "certainly be fans upset, fans who liked the hat as much as some of us disliked it." Rosecrans: "But in the end, I believe it's better for MLB and the Braves to take the high road and change the hat." They are going to be "called names either way, and in the end, I tend to err on the side of not putting what many believe is an offensive caricature on official team merchandise" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/3). YAHOO SPORTS' David Brown wrote there have been "worse, more demeaning caricatures of Native Americans used in Major League Baseball." However, that "doesn't mean the Braves should go backward and use another logo simply because it has cleaner lines." The only reason to bring back the logo is "because people would buy it," but the Braves "don't need money that badly" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/3).
MAKING MORE OUT OF IT THAN NEED BE? In Atlanta, David O'Brien wrote, "I'll go on record as saying I like the logo. Sorry if that's politically incorrect to some. I like it. Then again, I'm not Native American." O'Brien: "Is it racist? Really? That just feels a bit over-the-top reactionary to me, and usually it seems that charge is coming from people who are on the outside of this looking in. ... Rather than from actual Native Americans." If many "of them ... are offended, then I think it shouldn't be used." It is not "for us to decide if it's offensive; it's for those whom it depicts, and their ancestors, to decide." O'Brien: "Does the Indian-head logo feature a spear or bloody knife somewhere that I’m missing? Or what, is it a Mohawk haircut that’s offensive to some? What specifically about the logo is offensive?" (AJC.com, 1/2).
