Should The Redskins Change Their Name?

We are NY Giants football fans. They play in the same NFL division as the Washington Redskins. Over the years there have been lawsuits asking them to change the team name. Most Native Americans find the name offensive. The owner, Dan Snyder, says it's to honor the bravery of Native Americans. As a sports fan I can understand frustration over a favorite team changing it's name. It's like you're starting over.

I know there are other sports teams with Native American names that are mostly left alone. The Chiefs aren't offensive and neither are the Indians or the Braves. Actually, the Braves would be what's best for the Redskins to change to. That's the name they started with in 1932, The Boston Braves. That year they played on the same field as the Boston Braves Baseball team. In 1933 They moved to Fenway Park and renamed the team the Boston Redskins. They moved to Washington in 1937. For 80 years they have been the Redskins. I went to see WHY they choose this name but can't find anything for certain. One theory is that it was to honor their Coach, William "Lone Star" Dietz who's mother was Sioux.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_redskins

http://www.redskins.com/

I decided to look up what makes "Redskins" a derogatory name. The team says they mean no disrespect by insisting on keeping that name. Some tribes paint their skin red. Most of those tribes were in the Delaware area. Now they are in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Red started referring to race starting in the middle of the 1700s but it wasn't accepted as a label for Native Americans until the 1800s. The reason it is considered so offensive is because during that time there were are lot of lost lives as the Settlers pushed them from their homes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redskin_(slang)

I can't blame Native Americans for feeling so strongly that the team needs to change it's name. By going back to their original name the Redskins can still do what they are claiming they are trying to do, "honor the bravery of Native Americans". The current lawsuit isn't the first.

1968: When the National Congress of American Indians was created
1992: Seven Native Americans file their lawsuit revoking the trademark and won (The Harjo lawsuit)
2005: When a court ruling reversed a previous ruling, Pro Football Inc. vs. Harjo.
2009: Harjo tried again
2013: Congress is trying to get the team to change it's name calling it offensive.

Until recently, the only ones speaking up about wanting the name change were Native Americans. Most of the country saw nothing wrong with the name. The GLBT community experienced the same thing. For a really long time they were the only ones with a voice for their rights. But the more open they were about their sexuality the more people changed their minds about what GLBT people look and act like. The stereotypes are slowly melting away. Once strait people joined the fight, the GLBT community earned real rights. The most recent being the Defense of Marriage Act being considered illegal and California's Proposition 8 being ruled unconstitutional.

Now the Native Americans need our help. I like that Congress is taking note about this issue but they really have bigger issues at the moment. What will really make a difference is loss of profit. When Dan Snyder is loosing money because they can't sell seats or merchandise he'll be motivated to change it. I don't see that happening. But the more voices that support the Native American community the better.

That's why I wrote this post. To help support the Native American Community. By providing just the facts it might help those who don't understand what's going on form an opinion. I understand why it's hard for the team and the fans to let this name go. I believe them when they say they don't intend for it to be offensive. Maybe they can compromise with the Native American community.

They can work out a deal where the team keeps the name but donates an agreed upon percent of all profits to Native American organizations and at every home game features a real tribe. The tribe can do Native dances, teach about their traditions, perform ceremonies and even include Fans in their shows. This would give the Native American community opportunities to address the stereotypes and instead inform about what they really do and why. I think that would be exciting for Fans and helpful for Native Americans. But that only works if false stereotypes are removed from what the Redskins do.

Should they change their name? YES but it's not going to happen. The best thing we can do it find a way to educate about the Native American community to help eliminate the stereotypes.