With Manfred's support, Braves bring chop to World Series

ATLANTA (AP) — As the World Series shifts to Atlanta, some TV viewers may be offended to see Braves fans still chopping and chanting in force.

After teams in the NFL and Major League Baseball have dropped names considered racist and offensive to Native Americans the last two years, the Braves chop on — with the support of baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.

What matters most to Manfred is the Braves have the support of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, based in North Carolina about three hours from Atlanta.

“The Native American community in that region is wholly supportive of the Braves program, including the chop,” Manfred said Tuesday. “For me, that’s kind of the end of the story. In that market, we’re taking into account the Native American community.”

Richard Sneed, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, would like to see more outrage about what he says are far bigger issues facing Native Americans, including poverty, unemployment, child abuse, sexual assaults and suicide.

“I’m not offended by somebody waving their arm at a sports game,” Sneed told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “I’m just not. If somebody is, that’s their prerogative, it’s their right. They can be offended. ... I don’t know very many, maybe one or two, from my tribe who say, ‘Yeah, I don’t like that.’ But at the end of the day we’ve got bigger issues to deal with.”

Sneed said the problems with crime and poverty remain largely ignored when the national attention has been on team names and the tomahawk chop.

“There’s just so much happening and the frustrating part for me as a tribal leader is when the only issue that seems to be discussed is ... ‘How offended are you by the chop and should the Braves change their name?’ ......

source https://www.chron.com/news/article/With-Manfred-s-support-Braves-bring-chop-to-16570472.php