Sports Illustrated

Adidas has announced an initiative to help high schools transition away from using Native American mascots, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

Around 2,000 schools use Native American mascots, according to the organization Change the Mascot, and Adidas has offered all of them both financial and design resources to help create new mascots in a manner that is not cost prohibitive.

“Today’s announcement is a great way for us to offer up our resources to schools that want to do what’s right — to administrators, teachers, students and athletes who want to make a difference in their lives and in their world,”

– Eric Liedtke, Adidas’ head of global brands, said in a statement.

“Our intention is to help break down any barriers to change — change that can lead to a more respectful and inclusive environment for all American athletes.” read more