The Washington Redskins are a proud franchise with one of the most valuable names in all of sports, but after repeated requests and campaigns from politicians and Native Americans, one Washington DC council man is taking matters into his own hands, proposing a resolution that would work to change the nickname.
According to ABC.com, D.C. City Councilmember David Grosso has proposed a non-binding resolution that asks the Redskins to change their name from a word that has "racist and derogatory" meaning to one that is more respectful to the city, suggesting Redtails, as it was used by the World War II African American aviation unit that broke the color barrier. Many have denounced the move as too far when it comes to political correctness, but Native Americans see it in a different way.
Robert Griffin III, the start quarterback for the Redskins, jumped into the debate, writing on Twitter: "In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness" and "Tyranny- "a condition imposed by some outside agency or force
The word is racist when talking about native Americans and how it was used in the past and the Redskins cannot hide from the fact that their former owner who started the team was an open bigot and used the name to get fans from the south, as the team was the southernmost franchise for many years.
The battle is continuing as well, as a three-judge panel is hearing arguments brought by 5 18 year-old Native Americans that the name should not be allowed to be trademarked since it is offensive.
