In recognition of the responsibility of higher education to eliminate behaviors that creates a hostile environment for education, in 2005 the NCAA initiated a policy against 'hostile and abusive' names and mascots that led to the change of many derived from Native American culture, with the exception of those that established an agreement with particular tribes for the use of their specific names.

Such practices are seen as particularly harmful in schools and universities, which have the stated purpose of promoting ethnic diversity and inclusion. Such practices maintain the power relationship between the dominant culture and the Indigenous culture, and can be seen as a form of cultural imperialism. The rise of Indigenous rights movements has led to controversy regarding the continuation of practices rooted in colonialism. However, the adoption of Indigenous names in Asia, Africa, Australia and South America may indicate that the team members are themselves Indigenous. In Brazil, these teams may be referred to using the derogatory term bugre.

Globally, there are teams in Africa and Europe that use Native American images and logos, while in South America there are a number of teams that reference the Guaraní people.

While there are team names in North America derived from other ethnic groups, such as the Boston Celtics, the New York Yankees, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, these are names selected by groups to represent themselves. The popularity of stereotypical representations of American Indians in global culture has led to a number of teams in Europe also adopting team names derived from Native Americans. The practice of deriving sports team names, imagery, and mascots from Indigenous peoples of North America is a significant phenomenon in the United States and Canada.

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