Sports Illustrated also has polled Indians on what they think of team names: The results show that although there’s a vocal minority that objects, most simply don’t care or actually approve. Clearly, this is an issue for professional activists rather than ordinary tribal members.
I suspect that a lot of regular Indians understand what the team names are supposed to connote: martial vigor, bravery, the warrior spirit, etc., and so they view these team names positively. There’s also an educational benefit. I bet that the Seminoles are one of the best-known tribes in America today simply because they’re Florida State’s team name. Whereas typical ESPN viewers probably don’t know much about the Arapahoe or where they live, they can identify the Seminoles as being from Florida. They may also know something about Chief Osceola. As it happens, FSU works closely with the Seminole tribe in Florida–another benefit for Indians.