Exeter Chiefs’ ‘Tomahawk Chop’ chant set to be axed from BT Sport’s fake fan noise at Premiership games due to branding controversy
- The Exeter Chiefs’ Native American branding has come under criticism
- The ‘Tomahawk Chop’ chant will be axed from BT Sport’s fake fan noise
- The Premiership club retired their ‘Big Chief’ mascot after a review
BT Sport will axe the Exeter Chiefs ‘Tomahawk Chop’ chant from their fake fan noise at Premiership rugby matches amid controversy around the club’s branding.
The table-topping Chiefs have come under fire in recent weeks from pressure groups who have labelled their Native American branding ‘harmful’ because they view it as cultural appropriation.
Exeter decided to retire their ‘Big Chief’ mascot after a review last month but retained their logo and name, saying it was ‘highly respectful’.
The ‘Tomahawk Chop’ chant is set to be axed from BT Sport’s fake fan noise for matches
The ‘Big Chief’ mascot was retired last week after a review last month following controversy
However the league’s broadcaster is worried their ‘Tomahawk Chop’ chant will offend viewers, so will not feed it into their manufactured crowd reactions.
‘It’s not something I want us to do,’ said chief operating officer of BT Sport Jamie Hindhaugh. ‘We’ll have other aspects of what that crowd sounds like when they’re at the game.
‘As a broadcaster we have a responsibility.’
When rugby returns to TV screens next Friday, BT Sport will employ a sound engineer to play in crowd noise based on audio clips of previous matches.
Chants, reactions to tries and even booing will be fed in, but for Sandy Park fixtures live on TV — starting with their opener at home to Leicester next Saturday — the ‘Tomahawk Chop’ will not be heard. The chant — also used by the Kansas City Chiefs in American Football — has become a staple of the febrile atmosphere down in Devon.
The Exeter Chiefs’ Native American branding has been branded as cultural appropriation
Protestors launched a petition calling for Exeter to depart from its links to Native American imagery which gained more than 3,500 signatures. But many fans said they did not find the club’s branding offensive.
Exeter have consistently said their century-old name is borne of the fact the first XV at Devon clubs are called the ‘Chiefs’ and deny that their image is racist.
Meanwhile, BT have said every single behind-closed-doors Premiership fixture will be shown live on their channels.
Season-ticket holders at Premiership clubs will be able to watch games for free even if they do not subscribe to BT.
l Saracens are set to loan out some of their star names in the southern hemisphere to help them prepare for the Lions tour. Director of rugby Mark McCall says he will give his Test players the option of a brief move abroad during the club’s year in England’s second division.