The Chiefs are officially on the endangered species list – at least according to the State of New York – and their hometown isn’t taking it lying down.
Faced with a 2023 state ban on Native American mascots and team names, the Long Island town of Massapequa has launched a full-blown, star-studded resistance to save its beloved high school mascot: the Chiefs.
The town is throwing festivals, selling “Save the Chiefs” merch, and even calling in political big shots like President Donald Trump and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to help rally the troops.
“We’re talking pep rallies with a legal fund on the side,” joked local mom and activist Tara Tarasi, who created a foundation to support the lawsuit against the state. “This whole town bleeds maroon, gold, and… possibly court filings.”
There are no Chiefs, but there are Vikings and Highlanders
Tarasi, whose four sons proudly wore the Chiefs logo, says it’s not just a team name – it’s Massapequa’s identity. “Every street, every sign, every firetruck practically has some Native American connection,” she said. “You can’t just delete that with a rebrand.”
McMahon recently took the fight to the school gym, telling a fired-up crowd that banning the Chiefs while letting other mascots like “Highlanders” or “Vikings” skate by is flat-out discriminatory.
“You’re gonna ban the Chiefs but let the Huguenots live? That’s some selective cancel culture,” she said. She even suggested the Justice Department might need to step in – now that’s school spirit.
Trump’s contribution? A simple, bold rallying cry: “LONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!” That quote is now proudly printed on t-shirts sold at school events – because why fight cancel culture quietly when you can do it in merch?
An expensive rebranding
New York’s Department of Education didn’t take the legal challenge lightly, reportedly threatening to expand the ban to all potentially offensive ethnic mascots.
That could mean the Seaford Vikings may soon face exile too. “That’s their petty workaround,” said Massapequa School Board President Kerry Wachter. “We show the rule is unfair, and their response is, ‘Fine, no fun for anyone.'”
Rebranding, Wachter says, could cost Massapequa over $1 million. “And that’s if we go with ‘The Generic Gold Team,'” she added, probably joking. Maybe. As Wachter put it: “If we have to sacrifice our school board seats to keep the Chiefs, we’ll do it. And we’ll do it proudly in full mascot regalia.”
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