Every few years the controversy surrounding the Washington Redskins team name ramps up, and this seems to be one of those years. With the team making national headlines in the past year thanks to drafting RGIII, winning the NFC East, and a highly visible prime time playoff game with the Seattle Seahawks. It seems that whenever the Redskins’ on field exploits bring them into the national spotlight for the right reasons, their name keeps them there for the wrong reasons.
About a month ago, a Washington councilman by the name of David Grosso submitted a resolution to city council asking the body to recommend that the Redskins’ change their name. He cited that the fact the term “redskin” is a “”racist and derogatory” term used to dercribe Native Americans, meant that it was time for the NFL team to change their name. Grosso suggested that the team could change the name to Redtails, which would honor of the Tuskegee Airmen, a pioneering group of African-American pilots who served the United States in World War II.
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was asked to respond to the issue and gave the following statement to the media; “We will never change the name of the team. As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season.”
He went on to say, “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”
That seemed to put the issue to rest, at least for a couple of weeks. However, things are never that simple when it comes to this franchise.
Today a letter signed by three members of congress was sent to the Redskins Owner recommending that he change the name of the team. The letter is signed by the co-chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus, Tom Cole (a Republican from Oklahoma) and Betty McCollum (a Democrat from Minnesota). It is also signed by Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is a Democrat and the delegate for the District of Columbia in Congress.
An excerpt from the letter says the following:
“Native Americans throughout the country consider the R-word a racial, derogatory slur akin to the N-word among African Americans or the W-word among Latinos. Such offensive epithets would no doubt draw widespread disapproval among the NFL’s fan base. Yet the national coverage of Washington’s NFL football team profits from a term that is equally disparaging to Native Americans.”
The letter goes on to recommend that the Franchise change the name.
While it is unlikely that a letter alone will sway the opinion of Daniel Snyder, the fact that prominent congresspersons are now weighing in on the debate suggests that it is not going to go away. The more they get involved, the trickier this situation will become for Snyder and the Redskins.
In my personal opinion, the team should change the name. Yes there is a lot of tradition in the name, but tradition is not a reason to continually use a racially offensive name. The name Redtails would work well and the team’s fanbase could keep most of their old cheers, songs, and even the team colours. Now with RGIII at the helm is the perfect time to change the name and create new traditions.
You can follow @RoryHarbaughNFL on twitter for all your NFL needs, and the follow the site @lastwordonsport while you are at it
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
Football fans…check out Thursday Night Tailgate Radio as hosts Chris Mascaro and Angelo Cane chat with current and former NFL and College players. NFL stars open up on TNT because they’re regular guys, without network influence. Access the show in the sidebar on our home page or by visiting their website at ThursdayNightTailgate.com. Learn more about the show including their upcoming schedule at their page at LWOS.
photo credit: Matthew Straubmuller via photopin cc
