The Washington Redskins team name has been a point of controversy for some time and this year it seems as though the movement of changing the nickname has gained some steam, as it keeps popping up in the news, including this week when the NFL commissioner himself Roger Goodell spoke about it.
According to ESPN.com, Goodell made an appearance on the radio in Washington and was asked about the nickname, which many groups have said is a racial slur that should be changes and is a discriminatory name for Native Americans. Goodell spoke about the league doing "what's right" and that they should be "listening and making sure that we're doing the right things to try to address that," which are the most pointed words by anyone associated with the NFL executive office about the subject of the name this year.
Owner Dan Snyder has said that the team will "never" change the name and while the issue has come up more this year than is has in recent years, there has been a constant Native American movement to try and get it changed. Snyder owns one of the most lucrative franchises in all of the world and that is one reason why he likely will fight to change the name. The drafting of Robert Griffin III and the way he has played brought more attention to the franchise over the past year and a half and while the franchise won't be too willing to do it, if enough pressure comes from the NFL and others, it could make some movement.
The logo and name has long been an issue for Native Americans since the name is considered by many to be a slur and many have also cited the fact that the former owner of the team, George Preston Marshall, was known to be a racist and he kept his team from signing an African American player for years after other NFL franchises did, as he was hoping to make his franchise more valuable and popular to the South, as the Washington franchise was the southernmost team at the time.
While Goodell did not actually say that the name should be changed, the fact that he made the statements about listening to people and that offending one person is enough to have to that is a promising sign. Snyder obviously has to decide to change the team name if the NFL does not pressure him and based on his past statements, that doesn't seem like a realistic option.
