Rugby asked to ban ‘cultural appropriation’
Wasps ask game’s bodies to address issue after group of fans demand Exeter Chiefs review headdresses
WASPS have asked Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to address the wearing of Native American headdresses by Exeter Chiefs fans, describing the practice as “cultural appropriation”.
In the lead-up to hosting Exeter this Saturday, the club released a statement explaining that it had been asked to review such fancy-dress items, as well as “other cultural signifiers”, by a group of their own supporters. Although they will not bar fans wearing “faux Native American attire” for now, Wasps are keen to establish a sport-wide ban and are discouraging fans from wearing it immediately.
“Many topics and behaviours which were once tolerated, such as cultural appropriation, are no longer acceptable,” their statement reads.
“Just because something isn’t offensive to you, doesn’t mean it isn’t offensive. Even though we do not want to create a professionally offended society, we do need to recognise that times and opinions change.”
Alex Chinery, a volleyball coach and Wasps supporter, wrote an open letter to the club in August and published it on the Wasps Report fan page. He called for action on “one of rugby’s most prominent examples of cultural appropriation”. He urged Wasps to build on the work it had done to “highlight and educate around the subject of racism”, which saw two players speak candidly about their own experiences of discrimination. The Wasps press release, published yesterday, outlined examples of action taken by sporting organisations in America to avoid cultural appropriation. In the National Football League, Washington Redskins became known as the Washington Football Team in 2020. The Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League were renamed the Elks in July.
“Respect for all cultures is a crucial part of including everyone in this amazing game. We at Wasps believe that cultural appropriation, ‘the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture’ and, therefore, the wearing of faux Native American headdresses has the potential to cause offence.
“However, having taken counsel on this issue, it is clear that to drive real change we need a sport-wide position to be reached. We have, therefore, approached Premiership Rugby, the RFU and the RFU’S newly formed diversity and inclusion working group to ask that this issue is formally addressed.”
It added: “Wasps want to be part of positive equality, diversity and inclusivity change, and will continue to encourage the entire rugby community to take action against inequality and other forms of discrimination. We are committed to doing more to tackle racism and to championing diversity in sport.”
Premiership Rugby said the organisation was “committed to working with our member clubs to make the league more inclusive and welcoming for all”.
Exeter Chiefs and the Exeter Chiefs Supporters Group declined to comment but an RFU spokesperson said: “The governing body “encourages all clubs to carefully consider their role in continuing to improve diversity and inclusion.”