Gathering of Nations grand entry, Friday April 27th, Albuquerque, NM copyright Sam Tsosie Navajo Post.

Native Americans have raised concerns with sports teams using their symbols as there brands for sports. The Michigan Department of Civil right is stepping in and wants three of its high schools to stop using Native American nicknames, reported the Times Herald.

They issued a press release and said, “Continued use of American Indian mascots, names, nicknames, logos, slogans, chants and/or other imagery by each of the schools named in the complaint creates a hostile environment and denies equal rights to all current and future American Indian students,”

But the school principle Ben Brock sees it differently, he told the Herald, “Being a Big Red and using the Big Red logo and mascot, I’ve never been at a school where there is more of a sense of pride in a symbol,” and he also acknowledge there needs to be culture sensitivity.

The NFL currently uses Native American mascots and symbols, like the Washington Redskins.