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The 'blackface' scandal that never was: How Internet refused to sit on its thumbs as young KC Chiefs fan was used to stir up controversy

A sports outlet has accused a young Kansas City Chiefs fan of donning racial blackface

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: Deadspin, an online sports outlet, recently raised concerns over a young Kansas City Chiefs fan who was spotted wearing face paint in a photo taken by a photographer.

While some have accused the fan of wearing blackface, a closer look at the picture reveals that he was actually donning team colors across his entire face along with a Native American headdress.

The incident has sparked a conversation around cultural sensitivity and appropriation, with some pointing out that the team has banned the use of headdresses since 2020.

However, it came out on Wednesday, November 29, that the young boy named, Holden Armenta, has Native American heritage himself with a grandfather serving on the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.

The boy's mom Shannon Armenta wrote on Facebook, "Just stop already. He is Native American."

This raises issues of journalistic due diligence on the part of reporter Carron Phillips who jumped the gun in accusing the boy of racism without actually substantiating his claims by committing background checks.

What did the young Kansas City Chiefs fan do wrong?

An incident involving a young Kansas City Chiefs fan has sparked controversy after a photograph of the child, in profile, revealed black face paint.

However, the other half of the child's face, not visible in the original photograph, was painted in the team's colors of red.

Additionally, the child was wearing a Native American headdress, which has been banned by the NFL team for wear since the year 2020.

Since September 2020, wearing headdresses and war paint has been prohibited inside Arrowhead Stadium, home to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Many indigenous communities consider the use of Native American clothing as a costume to be a form of cultural appropriation, which refers to the superficial or inappropriate use of another people's cultural expression.

Blackface is the act of painting a non-black person's skin darker, often for the purpose of mocking or imitating a black person.

Deadspin argues that had the league changed the name of the Chiefs, as was done with the Washington Redskins becoming the Commanders, this controversy may not have arisen.

How did the Internet react to 'blackface' controversy?

People on X who commented on the story said it was unfair to attack a child and that claiming that he was wearing blackface was deceptive.

One X user said, “Shame on you trying to ruin a young child’s life. Hope he sues you for defamation.”

Another user wrote, “The media is really trying to smear a child over this. Shame on you @Deadspin”

Another user tweeted, “The @nfl needs to send this kid some free tickets and make sure he isn't lost as a fan. Kid looks great. This is Native American approved .”

One user said, “This is a CHILD!!! You should be ashamed, and sued!!”

Another user stated, “If you're triggered by the way this young man dressed up at the Kansas City Chiefs game Seek help you have a mental disorder”

Another X user tweeted, “He’s wearing face paint that matches the KC colors. Get a f***ing life.”

One user wrote, “You really want to ruin this little kid's life over him WEARING HIS FAVORITE TEAM'S COLORS? This is an embarrassing take and you should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Finally, this X user wrote, “The whole world needs to stop ruining peoples lives for harmless costumes.”