WASHINGTON — (CNN) Adidas said it will help high schools switch from mascots and logos that are offensive to Native Americans.
Adidas said on Thursday that it will “offer its design resources” and financial assistance to any high school that wants to make the change.
The company said that 2,000 of the 27,000 high schools in America “use names that cause concern for many tribal communities.”
This is clearly a reference to high schools that use names like Indians, chiefs, braves and redskins in their mascots and logos. Some schools also use names of specific tribes, like Apaches and Mohawks.
The company made the announcement as executives attended the White House Tribal National Conference in Washington, D.C.
There has been a growing trend to change the names from logos that Native Americans would consider insulting.
The most famous team name has been the NFL’s Washington Redskins which has refused to change it despite claims that it is demeaning to Native Americans.
Out of respect for Native concerns, President Obama recently changed the name of Mount McKinley in Alaska, the tallest mountain in the U.S., to the name Denali from the Athabascan language
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