Redskins

Redskin Paper

Many people believe that racism no longer exists in sports, but did you know that one of the National Football League’s (NFL) most successful franchises has a racist name? It’s the Washington Redskins.  For the first time in a long time, the people of the Native American community are having an effect worldwide on the Redskins’ name.

The Native Americans have been protesting the Redskins’ name for many years.  In the early years of the Redskins, the Native Americans had no effect on the organization.   In  the last couple of years, the impact of social media and news of protests  seems to be getting to the Redskins owner, Dan Snyder. Native Americans have protested, written letters and set up meetings with the NFL.  All of this seems to have Dan Snyder searching for answers on why he should keep the name. The most consistent answer Dan Snyder uses is that it is part of tradition and they have used the name forever.

Many people do not want to change the name because of tradition. The Redskins have had this name for over 70 years. The Redskins have won three Super Bowls and have a rich tradition. The Redskins have a large and passionate fan base. Most of the people do not want it to change because of the tradition. One team (The North Dakota Sioux) have long history and a good team. They changed their name just to North Dakota. The Washington Bullets changed their name to the Washington wizards because Washington was known as the murder capital of the world and the name gave them a bad reputation.

One of the biggest reasons for not changing the name is money. The world revolves around money so why would you spend money just to change a name. Changing the name would run from $500,000 to 1 million dollars. The real expense would be changing the logo in the middle of FedEx field and changing the sign on top of the stadium. Even though the Redskins are one of the most wealthy franchises in sports.

Because of the controversy the name has caused and the impact the name has caused on the Native American community. Many fans and people who think the name is offensive think that the NFL has an obligation to change the name so it won’t offend anyone.