User:DylanElder/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: Native American mascot controversy
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate.
 * I chose to evaluate this article because it is a topic that interests me as a sports fan. In addition, the topic has been discussed in the media recently, with the Washington Redskins choosing to retire their name and logo today.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?

Lead evaluation
Overall, this lead does a pretty good job describing the topic in a thorough yet concise manner, however there are several ways it could be improved as well. The lead mentions most of the article's major sections, but leaves out three important ones (Civil Rights / Religious Organizations / Legal Proceedings). The lead also has two places (the last sentence of the first paragraph, and the last sentence of the third paragraph) where a citation is not yet present. These sentences in essence say that the number of teams using a Native American mascot are declining, but do not back that up with a source. Fixing these two issues would improve the lead, but otherwise the information provided is relevant and thorough.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?

Content evaluation
The content in this article is for the most part relevant to this topic, and it is up-to-date as well. For example, under the "Washington Redskins" section, it mentions that on July 13, 2020 the team announced they will be retiring their name and logo. It also discusses recent events regarding the Cleveland Indians' plan to change their name. I do not believe there is anything missing from this article, at least in terms of the topics it covers.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Tone and balance evaluation
I do not believe this article is neutral, and I do see instances of bias throughout; I can't help but think about the Pharao Hansen article we read for class today in connection with this Wikipedia article. Because most Wikipedians are 23-30 Anglo-Saxan males, it is likely that those who have edited this Native American mascot controversy are as well. Assuming that's the case, then this article lacks important perspective, especially as it relates to the feelings and experiences of Native Americans themselves. For example, under the "Varying degrees of controversy" heading, the article states, "To further complicate this controversy, many feel that there are varying levels of offensiveness with team names and mascots. The nature and degree of stereotyping varies depending upon the name of the team, the logo, the mascot, and the behavior of fans." Not only do these two sentences not use citations, but they also show bias on the part of the author. Whoever wrote this is seemingly not offended by sports teams using Native American mascots, and therefore this description is vague about the offensiveness to Native Americans specifically. The entire content of this Wikipedia page, but especially this part, could use help from a Native American who understands the topic better.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Are the sources current?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Sources and references evaluation
Most of the facts are backed up by a reliable secondary source of information, however there are a few places where a citation is still needed. In addition to the two examples I provided from the lead, there is another sentence about teams outside of the Americas that needs a citation: "Native American names and images are used by teams in other countries, generally those playing American-style sports and copying the imagery of American teams." That being said, the sources are current, and all of the links I checked worked.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?

Organization evaluation
This article is well-written, free of grammatical or spelling errors, and well organized. While I do have several issues about the article relating to citations and bias, organization is a strength of this article. The major events and controversies are all broken up into their own sections, which makes this article easy to follow.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?

Images and media evaluation
This article uses 5 images, and each enhance understanding of the topic. I like how the first image in the article is next to the lead and it shows people protesting the name of the Washington Redskins in 2014. This image and its placement at the top of the article helps enhance the understanding of the topic. One minor issue I have for the images is that they are very small, and not extremely visually appealing.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Talk page evaluation
I was surprised to see how little the talk page was used for this article. One user (WriterArtistDC) made a vast majority of the comments in the talk page. That user offered some interesting points about what he was doing to improve the article, as well as guidelines for others to follow to make sure the content remains neutral. However, there was not much conversation itself in the talk page. This page is rated "good" and is involved in 19 different WikiProjects.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * How can the article be improved?
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?

Overall evaluation
I believe this is a strong article, as also evidenced by its "good" rating on Wikipedia. Its strengths are its organization, summarization of the controversy and each aspect involved, and the fact that it is very current and up-to-date. The article can be improved by adding citations where necessary and removing bias throughout the discussion of the varying levels of offensiveness regarding the mascot controversy. I also think this article would benefit from the perspective of a Native American on these issues as well. Overall, I believe this article is useful, complete, and well-developed.

Optional activity

 * Choose at least 1 question relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback

with four tildes — ~


 * Link to feedback: Talk:Native American mascot controversy/Archives/2020