Earlier this month, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Atlanta Braves would at least consider discontinuing the tomahawk chop in response to heightened criticism aimed at the gesture and its offensiveness toward Native Americans. The Braves have since removed a "Chop On" sign from the front of Truist Park in favor of the club's current "For the A" marketing slogan, but they remain undecided on the "chop," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"At this point in time, those discussions are still ongoing," team president and CEO Derek Schiller told the AJC. "It's a topic that deserves a lot of debate and a lot of discussion and a lot of thoughtfulness, and that's exactly what we are doing."
The Braves are not expected to have fans in attendance at the onset of their home schedule, which begins on July 29 against the Tampa Bay Rays. As such, they have more time to make an official edict. Still, it should be noted that this is not a new topic.
Last October, for instance, the Braves minimized the "chop" in response to comments made by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley, himself a member of the Cherokee Nation. "It kind of devalues our Cherokee heritage and the Native-American history," Helsley said during the National League Divisional Series. "Us as Cherokee native people went through a lot in this country."
In recent weeks, Washington's NFL team has committed to changing its name. Cleveland's MLB team is expected to examine its own identity and associated imagery over the coming months. The Braves, however, do not seem likely to join the ranks. Terry McGuirk, another high-ranking member of the club's front office, recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the team is dedicated to keeping its name, and that they are inclined to having tomahawk imagery on their uniforms.
