The Kansas City Chiefs issued a bombshell announcement this afternoon, banning Native American headdresses and face paint at Arrowhead Stadium.
“Effective immediately, fans will be prohibited from wearing headdresses into the stadium,” a team statement read. “Face painting is still allowed for all fans, but any face paint that is styled in a way that references or appropriates American Indian cultures and traditions will be prohibited.”
The team also said it is reviewing the “Arrowhead Chop,” a chant known to most as the Tomahawk Chop. The team is hoping that the use of drums in the stadium can be altered so it “better represents the spiritual significance of the drum in American Indian cultures.”
These debates have been going on for years, as Kansas City magazine documented in a November 2019 piece about the Chop. The issue became national news during the team’s historic Super Bowl run last season, with columnists across the country calling for an end to the use of stereotypical Native American imagery.
The move is likely to be divisive among fans, some of whom have already spoken up online to complain about “PC culture.”
