Rob Manfred Defends Atlanta Braves’ Name And Tomahawk “Chop” Done At Games

The Atlanta Braves rode a team of destiny all the way to the World Series, which means that everything about them will be center stage this week.

One area that irks fans about the Braves is their team name and chants done at games – which some feel are disrespectful to the Native American community.

Despite the outrage, Rob Manfred revealed prior to Tuesday’s Game One that there will be no pressure from the league to have the Braves change their team name, or stop fans from doing to tomahawk chop chant during home games.

“The Braves have done a phenomenal job with the Native American community,” Manfred said to The Athletic.

“It’s important to understand that we have 30 markets around the country,” Manfred added. “They aren’t all the same. … The Native American community in that region is wholly supportive of the Braves program, including ‘The Chop.’ For me, that’s kind of the end of the story. In that market, we’re taking into account the Native American community.”

Contrary to the Braves’ decision to keep their name and ballpark antics going, the Cleveland Indians announced earlier in the year that they’ll be changing their team name to the “Guardians” in 2022.

“We don’t market our game on a nationwide basis. Ours is an everyday game,” Manfred continued. “You’ve gotta sell tickets every single day to the fans in that market. And there are all sorts of differences between the regions in terms of how the teams are marketed.”

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Some people will undoubtedly voice their displeasure for the Atlanta Braves’ fans chanting and doing their Tomahawk chop chant when this series moves from Houston to Atlanta later in the series.

But unfortunately for the people pleading for change, Rob Manfred has no plans whatsoever to do so.

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