Watch out Washington Redskins fans, it’s that time of year again.
Every fall, it seems there is an ever-increasing group of Americans who want the name of Washington Redskins changed to a less-offensive term.
While some who dislike the Washington Redskins team name may be right in certain aspects of their arguments, their desire to officially change the name is both short-sighted and unwise.
Asking a team that has not practiced any form of discrimination to change its name is foolish.
Recent calls to change the team’s name prompted President Barack Obama to weigh in on Saturday.
“If I were the owner of the team, and I knew that there was a name of my team — even if it had a storied history — that was offending a sizeable group of people, I’d think about changing it,” Obama said, according to the Washington Post.
Obama’s comments won support from Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter.
“As the first sitting president to speak out against the Washington team name, President Obama’s comments today are historic,” he said to the Washington Post. “The use of such an offensive term has negative consequences for the Native American community when it comes to issues of self-identity and imagery.”
While the term “redskin” may be offensive to some Americans, one should understand that the Washington Redskins organization does not promote intolerance or racism towards the Native American community.
It is not the desire of the Redskins to negatively affect the Native American community. To assume otherwise is unfair.
According to the Washington Post, the Redskins have already removed much of their controversial Native American antics in years past.
Mock rain dances and cheerleaders wearing lengthy black braids are no longer tolerated, according to the Washington Post.
Through the team’s actions over the past few decades, opportunities to offend Native Americans have been dramatically reduced.
The Washington Post also said that nearly 90 percent of Native Americans did not express frustration regarding the Redskins name in a 2004 poll.
If the Redskins or any other team was promoting intolerance or prejudice, then a call for change would be necessary. But that’s not what’s happening here.
If the Washington Redskins name was to be changed, then other professional sports teams with Native American-based names should be changed too.
By saying goodbye to the Redskins, we should also bid adieu to the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta Braves.
The other Native American names can also appear offensive, depending on who you ask.
When people think of the Redskins team, there’s a good chance images of intense playoff games and dynamic players like quarterback Robert Griffin III come to mind.
The Redskins team name is not meant to be used in a derogatory manner. It is simply used as a collective name for a group of hard-working athletes.
At the end of the day, the Redskins name is just a name. Treat it as such.
Shane Newell is a junior journalism major and the opinions editor at the Daily 49er.
What Mr. Obama has to say regarding the names of sports teams in irrelevant. He simply needs to worry and focus on doing his job well rather than butting himself into business outside of what he is elected to do.
As to the changing or retention of the “Redskins” team name it doesn’t appear that a large group of Native Americans are upset with this. If there are large numbers then they haven’t stepped forward. Would it be preferred by some Native Americans who support changing the name to the team taking on a name that has nothing to do with being associated with Native Americans. Given this choice I would suspect they would prefer some attention by the name rather than none at all.