Blackhawks ban headdresses from United Center

Fans wave to Chicago Blackhawks players at the end of the game against the San Jose Sharks at the United Center. Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Blackhawks ban headdresses from arena after discussing issues with Native American groups

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 7/29/20

Although they won't be changing their team name, the Chicago Blackhawks announced plans to better support the Native American community.

The Blackhawks revealed that they will ban headdresses from the United Center and all team events after further discussions with Native American groups.

Chicago also said it plans to “further integrate Native American culture and storytelling” throughout the organization, “from broader community engagement and front office staff education to an increased presence within our game presentation, around our arena and across all of the team’s digital channels.”

A note to our #Blackhawks Community pic.twitter.com/aKOFUKSBHd
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 29, 2020

The club also unveiled that it's working to establish a new wing at Trickster Cultural Center that will include Native American artifacts from the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History to allow students to educate themselves on Native American history.

The team will announce more community engagement activities in the coming months.

While Chicago isn't rebranding, the Washington Football Team is trying to come up with a new nickname after the previous one was offensive to those of Native American descent. Similarly, the Atlanta Braves banned the "Tomahawk Chop" from being used at their stadium, and the Cleveland Indians are considering a name change and have banned the "Chief Wahoo" logo from their uniforms and merchandise.

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