Native American Motifs - Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have changed their logo many times throughout their history, as well as their name changing as they moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Below are the range of logos they have used throughout their over 60 years of history.

The current Golden State logo is not only a far more advanced piece of design work than the previous logos, but it has also replaced the racist and disrespectful caricature of a native American with a stylised Hellenic warrior holding a lightening bolt.
It is a dynamic design, with the bold font setting up a diagonal which the rest of the image sits apon. The warrior faces to the right, which traditionally means moving forward. Behind the warrior is a stylised basketball which also resembles the setting sun and provides a container for the design. The sunset image is appropriate as the Warriors are based in a western state.
The colour scheme is predominantly gold, in reference to the team name. It has been made out of yellow-orange gradients complimented by two tones of blue. The simultaneous contrast of this colour choice generates a lot of visual energy, which in turn implies the energetic nature of the team.
The warrior character is, as mentioned, a Hellenic warrior, but also has the style of a cartoon character which fits well with the more modern aesthetic and resembles The Rocketeer, Iron Man or a Power Ranger. The head or helmet is inspired by ancient Greek armour design and the lightening bolt motif is a reference to Zeus. Even the sharp nature of the serifs on the text seem to echo the jagged shape of the lightening bolt.

When we look back now on the original logo from 1947 it is hard to believe that it was ever considered to be the sort of logo a team would want. One could imagine wanting to use an image of a native warrior if the intention was to invoke the strength or skills he possessed (for example the current Washington Redskins logo displays a native American in a way that seems very respectful and reverent, even inspiring), yet this image seems like it is making fun of its own mascot and therefore also the team. It is wrong in any case to create a stereotypical image of any race or group, it robs them of their individuality.
In this age of global mingling, political correctness is extremely important. By taking care to respect the dignity and beliefs of others we ensure that, not only for them but also for ourselves, our experience of life is far more positive.
I like this logo and it is very effective. However there is debate about whether it should stay as it is. Some favor a design which is more in line with the teams origins - including many of the Warriors native American fans. This could be a m0dification of the current logo to have a spear instead of lightning. If done properly, this might be an acceptable way to bring back a native American flavour whilst remaining politically correct.

Bibliography:
http://www.nba.com/warriors/history/logo_history.html
http://thesportdigest.com/article/aboriginal-stereotypes-sports-intentions-gone-horribly-wrong
http://www.norcalbuffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/warriors.png
http://logoshak.com/~asgsport/images/Philadelphia_Warriors.gif
http://nakayoshi-jacl.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html
http://www.nba.com/media/warriors/GS1000_Logo.jpg
http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/about_us/organisation/structure/research_centre
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2009/11/23/1171589/hot-or-not-san-francisco-warriors
http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=5970
http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=1bhcqs6l5t44lw04y1tygdsce