Super Bowl LV, officially known as Super Bowl LIX, will be held on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The halftime performance will be by Kendrick Lamar, and the game will be televised by Fox.

The Kansas City Chiefs is one of the U.S. professional sports teams caught in the controversy surrounding the use of Native names, logs, and imagery. The team received less attention until 2013 compared to other teams like the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians who both finally recognized the wisdom of changing their names, logos, and mascots along with more than a dozen other teams.

Native leaders and organizations, including the American Indian Movement and Native Children’s Survival, which created a series of award-winning public service announcements that challenged derogatory stereotypes as part of MTV’s “Free Your Mind” campaign, have been involved in this effort for decades. The Kansas City Indian Center officially joined the cause after a local restaurant in December 2013 faced widespread criticism for a racist sign that read,

“KC Chiefs Will Scalp the Redskins, Feed Them Whiskey, Send 2 Reservation.”

The game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will no doubt summon a long history of dehumanization through derogatory names, misconceptions, and fan behavior that displays stereotypical headdresses, face paint, the execution of a “war chant,” and the tomahawk chop.

While the KC are a likable team for many, including some in the music industry, they would be better served by denouncing racism rather than promoting it.

For Native Children’s Survival, it’s like chipping away at a sculpture. The aperture of racially charged propaganda about Native Peoples in U.S. sports and popular culture will soon be closed.