"Valuable . . . Examine[s] all sides of the issue with an objective eye."--Booklist

"An exciting project that promises to impact understandings of Native American mascots in powerful ways. Mascot Nation provides fresh perspectives on the use of American Indian imagery in sport. Rather than restate existing arguments in the ongoing controversy, Billings and Black weave together established understandings and new empirical research to clarify not simply what mascots mean but also how they matter in sport and society. Of particular note, they craft a well-rounded and fully grounded account by engaging with people and perspectives from all sides of the controversy. Mascot Nation will become essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the study and struggle over Native American mascots. It will soon come to be seen as an exemplar for the study of sport communications."--C. Richard King, author of Redskins: Insult and Brand

"In Mascot Nation, Andrew Billings and Jason Black have taken on an enduring controversy in the study of sport and culture. Their savvy multi-method study illuminates how embedded representations of Native American mascots have built historical affinities that fans have for sports teams and highlights the important role that media has played in constructing and celebrating problematic understandings of Native Americans and their traditions. Through careful deconstruction of the central tendencies in case studies of media practices and the debates around them, this is a seminal study that will challenge sports fans to reconsider the harms in the legacies that have naturalized misunderstandings of Native American cultures."--Lawrence Wenner, editor-in-chief, Communication & Sport