The Washington Redskins name has been in the news a lot this past year as many feel that it is time it should change from the racial slur that it is to another nickname and while owner Dan Snyder and the NFL are too worried about money to change it, that hasn't stopped people from asking them to.
Petitions and other types of protests have come up and even though Snyder said he will never change the name, the smart people at the online magazine Slate.com are. According to an article from David Plotz, the magazine will no longer use the name "Redskins", siding with the Indian activists and others who disagree with the awful connotations of the name. While many will argue it's about pride and what the name means to the city, the actual word is a legitimate racial slur and should be changed.
Plotz writes that smart sportswriter Tony Kornheiser called for this years ago and also brings up items about the mayor of the city and government officials who have asked for the team name to change. Snyder hides behind high school's that still have the name and says that is why he shouldn't change it and of course that's a good argument from a millionaire. Snyder should change the name but he is too greedy for that. The team even brought out a fake Indian chief (but peddled him as real) to show that the name was okay for American Indians and it was just another reason why Snyder should relent.
Plotz writes that he will no longer use the name and neither will Slate, writing: "Close readers of Slate know that we are owned by the Washington Post Co., which just sold the Washington Post newspaper, the market-maker in Redskins coverage. Slate and the Washington Post newspaper have always been editorially independent, and what we've decided has no bearing on the newspaper, which still refers to the Redskins. Speaking as a Post subscriber, I wish they would change. The Post is-along with ESPN and the other NFL broadcasters-one of the only institutions that could bring genuine pressure on Snyder to drop the name. But it's only fair to acknowledge that it's a much more difficult decision for the newspaper than it is for us, given that covering Dan Snyder's team is essential to the Post's editorial mission."
Mayor Vincent C. Gray brought up the issue earlier in the year when talking about the Redskins possibly moving back into the city one day (as they play in Landover) and the team has come under fire in recent years with the rise of social media and the main issue, while native Americans have been going at it for a number of years. At a Smithsonian panel earlier this year some fans who came to support the team on Redskins gear eventually left without it after hearing arguments against the team name when they heard testimony from Native Americans about what the name means and where it came from.
The team name has been the same for many years and has roots in racism, but the current ownership has not said much publicly and respects the tradition of the name in regard to the football franchise. The team is one of the most valuable in the world and the franchise has been unwilling to change the name in the past.
The nickname has been in the news a lot due to the legal battle going on over the use of it and also due to a Smithsonian panel from earlier in the year. Washington mayor Vincent Gray brought up the topic earlier in the year in regards to the team possibly moving back into the city in the future, as they currently play their games in Maryland. He stated that if the team wanted to do so, they should discuss changing the name.
The Redskins moved to Washington in 1937 and have had the name ever since. Over the years other high schools, universities, colleges and professional sports teams have changed their name from the Redskins moniker, including Miami University in Ohio. Up until this point, team owner Dan Snyder has shown no signs of wanting to change the name or starting a discussion to do so.
Many fans argue that the name is traditional, but other groups have called for changes. According to the Washington Post, in 1992 a group of Native Americans filed a disparagement lawsuit against the Redskins brand, which was formally trademarked years earlier. D.C. resident Suzan Harjo, who was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, led the group, but the case was lost on a technicality.
