"I've been saying for many decades (these sports traditions) were race-based, and everything associated with it and the antics of the fans mimicked and trivialized the cultural traditions of our people," said Charlene Teters, a Native American from the Spokane Tribe who began protesting the Chief in 1989 as an Illinois graduate student. "Whatever steps it takes, they're stepping in the right direction, and we should applaud that."