A Town Refuses To Give Up The School's Native American Mascot - And Gets Trump's Support

As a high school hockey player, Adam Drexler wore his Massapequa Chiefs jersey with pride.

But as the Chickasaw Nation member grew up and learned about his Indigenous roots, he came to see the school's mascot - a stereotypical Native American man wearing a headdress - as problematic.

Now his Long Island hometown has become the latest flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports: The Trump administration launched an investigation Friday into whether New York officials are discriminating against Massapequa by threatening to withhold funding. The town has refused to comply with a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots.

"There was no tribe east of the Mississippi that ever wore a headdress - ever," said Drexler, 60, who was adopted and raised by a white Jewish family. "How can you argue for a symbol that has no significance or relevance here, while at the same time claiming you honor and respect the culture and history of the people this town is named after?"

It's hard to miss the Native American imagery around Massapequa, a coastal hamlet 40 miles 64 kilometers east of Manhattan where roughly 90 of the residents are white.