How is it possible for a star player to leave the squad after a small disagreement?

“Killers of the Flower Moon” star actress Lily Gladstone recently pointed out in an interview how the team names of the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs could be offensive to Native Americans. The Chiefs and 49ers recently met in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs won the game in overtime.

The possibility that the Chiefs’ name would offend Native Americans is known to many Americans. To many, though, the 49ers’ culturally insensitive name may come as a surprise. Gladstone stated on Variety’s Award Circut podcast that the 49ers and Chiefs are troublesome nicknames, according to Erin Keller of the New York Post:

The California Gold Rush, which was extremely cruel for California Indians, served as the inspiration for the 49ers. The Chiefs came next. The word “chief” can be interpreted in a variety of ways. I’m not bothered by the name. Hearing that d— Tomahawk chop— is the issue.

Fans of the Chiefs raise their arms in the air in a chopping motion, a gesture known as the “Tomahawk chop” in support of the team.

“The Tomahawk chop is directly linked to the sounds of vintage Westerns where we weren’t playing ourselves, or if we were, we were just background actors,” Gladstone said. “Every time, it’s a stark reminder of what Hollywood has done to us.”

“It’s this ‘claiming’ of that sound and saying it’s in ‘honor’ and the commodification of who we are as people,” she added. “It’s great to love the game and your players, but it still hurts.”

One could see the Chiefs eventually changing their name. The Washington Redskins changed their nickname to the Washington Football Team before the 2020 season. They changed the name again to the Washington Commanders before the 2022 season.

Washington’s previous name is obviously a lot worse than Kansas City’s current one. However, appetites could change in the future, and the Chiefs might be no more. The Tomahawk chop should certainly go first.