Premiership rugby club Exeter Chiefs today confirmed a major shake-up in their branding following the announcement of a new logo and theme to be launched in July 2022.
Exeter will part ways with any native American branding after encountering criticism in recent years for promoting negative stereotypes related to that culture.
The top-flight outfit will instead take its inspiration from the Celtic Dumnonii Tribe, which inhabited the area now covering Devon and Cornwall (as well as parts of Somerset and Dorset) during the Iron Age.
Exeter—who won the Champions Cup in 2020—made the decision to retire the 'Big Chief' mascot in July 2020 amid mounting pressure from fans and campaign groups, but the Chiefs logo and imagery remained.
Many supporters have continued to wear native American headdresses at Sandy Park and other stadia, though the shift to a different kind of 'chief' heritage will be seen as progress.
“We are excited to welcome in the next era of rugby within Exeter,” said Tony Rowe, Exeter's chairman and chief executive.
“Exeter has and always will be the most important term in our overall identity. The term Chiefs, however, is equally entrenched in our make-up, going back to over a century ago when teams in this region would regularly call their first teams that of the Chiefs."
The pressure on Exeter to enact change was increased in November 2021 when the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) called the club's iconography "offensive and harmful."
The group's chief executive, Dante Desiderio, called for a change to the club's branding in a letter addressed to Rowe: "The will of Indian Country is clear – Native “themed” mascot imagery and the dehumanizing stereotypes it perpetuates must go."
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The new club logo—which will be used on club branding from the start of next season—depicts a warrior wearing the type of helmet that would have been used around 300 BC.
Exeter are not alone in their cause, with numerous American sports franchises also facing pressure to change their branding, including the former Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves.
The NFL's Washington franchise is poised to announce its new name after leaving behind the 'Redskins' brand, while Cleveland's baseball team have been renamed the 'Guardians'.
“As a Rugby Club we have been willing to listen, we have consulted far and wide, and now we are ready to invoke change," added Rowe.
"This is a new direction for our great club, but equally it’s an exciting vision that I’ve no doubt will propel us onwards and upwards over time.
“Our new imagery will bring to life the pride our supporters have to support their club, unifying us all under one brand that underlines all of our core traditions.”
Exeter Chiefs 4 Change, one of the major supporter groups involved in the campaign to bring about change, said their "faith in the club has been restored" as a result of the decision to remodel.
"We are overwhelmed with excitement at the new identity for the club - one that celebrates Devon’s own rich history and gives us even more reason to be proud of our club and our region.
“Exeter Chiefs can now put the controversy behind them as we focus on moving onwards and upwards to the next great era in the club’s history. The club has always been so much more than its branding: there was a long history before the Native branding and there will be a long future after it."
