Chief Wahoo hats were pulled by the MLB from Jackie Robinson Day sales, but Cleveland Indians jerseys with the controversial caricature and a special Robinson patch remained on the Major League Baseball website.
USA Today's for the Win blog reported on Sunday that the hats were selling for $40 before the MLB pulled the plug after criticism surfaced on social media. Earlier this year, the Indians announced they were dropping the long controversial logo after this season, per USA Today.
The league celebrated Jackie Robinson Day on Sunday, with all players wearing No. 42 in honor of Robinson breaking the MLB's color barrier when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, MLB.com said.
Many have complained that the Chief Wahoo emblem, long used by the Cleveland Indians, was an offensive caricature of Native Americans, National Public Radio reported.
"Yes, that is a Chief Wahoo hat with a commemorative Jackie Robinson patch on the side," said Chris Thompson, a writer for the sports website Deadspin.com. "Perfect for the baseball fan who wants to celebrate the man who broke Major League Baseball's shameful color barrier and Chief Wahoo, the racist and offensive depiction of a Native American long associated with the Cleveland Indians.
"And being sold in the same calendar year in which the Indians and Major League Baseball finally officially acknowledged the caricature's obvious unsuitability as a team logo. Everyone associated with this should be fired," Thompson continued.
A number of social media users pointed out the use of the Chief Wahoo logo on Jackie Robinson Day.
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