Disparaging Trademarks and Social Responsibility

Abstract

This study examines the use of disparaging and offensive trademarks and mascots by sports teams. Specifically, this study considers whether the continued use of Native American symbols and mascots in sports comports with the Christians-Nordenstreng conceptualization of social responsibility, which considers the three principles of human dignity, truth-telling, and nonmaleficence. To do this, the article considers the history and arguments both for and against the use of these symbols in sports communication. This article concludes with a discussion of how the use of these trademarks does not fulfill the three principles of social responsibility and what that means for the symbols’ continued use.

Keywords:

• Trademark
• social responsibility
• mascots
• sports
• ethics

Notes

1. The saying ‘With great power comes great responsibility’, has been pegged a modification of Luke 12:48: ‘from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked (NIV)’. See also Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), the Spider-Man story.

2. A similar argument has been used to question the validity of a 2016 poll conducted by the Washington Post that found that 9 out of 10 Native Americans did not find the Redskins team name offensive.