NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs Ban Fan Headresses, So-Called War Paint at Team’s Games

Photo credit: Sam Greenwood, Getty Images.

The NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs announced on Thursday that it will now prohibit fans from wearing Native-American themed garb and face paint at the team’s games.

According to the New York Post, the team’s ban will center on fans donning ceremonial headdresses or so-called war paint, the use of which American Indian tribes have condemned as crudely appropriating sacred elements of their culture.

In a team statement, the Chiefs said that it has been in discussions with American Indian groups since 2014, and has concluded that it will now make these changes.

• While we have discouraged fans from wearing headdresses for several years, effective immediately, fans will be prohibited from wearing headdresses into the stadium.
• Face painting is still allowed for all fans, but any face paint that is styled in a way that references or appropriate American Indian cultures and traditions will be prohibited.
• Fans will be asked to remove any American Indian-themed face paint prior to passing security screening outside the stadium.

In addition, the team said it will further review its signature “Arrowhead Chop” chant used by fans to cheer on the team.

This move by the Chiefs comes amid a nationwide upheaval over racial injustice, precipitated by the police killing of George Floyd in May.

Last month, the NFL’s Washington franchise finally retired its “Redskins” nickname after years of pushback and outrage over the racist trope it furthered. Similarly, in early 2018, the Cleveland Indians dropped use of its longtime mascot, Chief Wahoo, a red-faced, big-toothed caricature of Native Americans, and, in early July, announced it would be reviewing the future use of its team nickname as well.