Redskins Pros And Cons

The word redskin originates as far back as 1769 when a British lieutenant colonel was translating a letter from an Indian Chief referring to his people as “redskins” (Shapira). This word in the modern era has created a linguistic debate to whether it’s a derogatory slur or an honorary name for the justification of a football team. Indian people feel that the Washington Redskins name is offensive and outdated depiction of Native Americans. This paper will cover the current efforts taken by Native Americans to abolish the name and their opinions of why the team name needs to be changed.
One of the biggest problems Native Americans have with sports teams using names, logos, or anything with Indian affiliation is the negative connotations associated

with them. Whether the team name be honorary or a slur they argue both are offensive because it creates a racial epithet. The Washington Redskins name dates back to 1933 when George P. Marshall changed the name of his team from the Boston Braves to the Boston Redskins. Since then, the team has continued to uphold the name of their team. Indian people argue that the team name was started with derogatory intent. One of Native Americans biggest arguments supporting their point of derogatory intent is the Redskins fight song. Original lyrics from the song read “scalp’um, swamp’um- We will” and “braves on the warpath.” On March 29, 1972 a group of Native American leaders met with the Redskins president Edward Williams and asked him to change the name and song. Soon after, the lyrics “Scalp’ um” were replaced with “beat’em” (Shapira). This was a small, but significant win for the Native American people. Many Native Americans feel that the song and team create a negative connotation about Native American people. They argue young children are being taught outdated racial terms, slurs, and outdated ideas through the team.
Efforts to change the song aren’t the only push Native American community have made against the Redskins organization.

They have made efforts to change the logo, name, and the cheerleading squad name. In the past, Native Americans have had a hard time making positive progress with changes within the organization due to the organization receiving patents for these symbols in the early sixties and seventies. Despite this years later, September 10, 1992 Suzan Harjo and six Americans filed a petition with the Patent and Trademark Office asking for the revocation of the team’s six federal trademark registrations. After thirteen years of waiting for ruling on the Harjo case the Supreme Court declined to accept the Harjo petition. This was a large blow to the Native American efforts to make a change within the organization. Finally, after many years of waiting on June 18, 2014 over twenty years since the Harjo petition was filed the Trademark and Trial Appeal Board got rid of all Washington Redskins patents. Since then the Redskins organization has appealed the ruling in efforts to keep their teams traditions and no changes within the organization have been made.
In recent years, the Native American community has been supported by the media that the Washington Redskins team name and mascot is offensive and needs to be changed. President Obama contributed his opinion on the matter and told press “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.” Since Obama’s comment sportscasters, writers, and even the Washington Post Editorial Board announced they will no longer use the team name and that it’s offensive.
The difference between the Redskins organization versus other Native American affiliated sports teams like the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Blackhawks is the use of the “R word.” By definition the “R-word” is referred to as a derogatory term and a racial epithet.

The Chicago Blackhawks receive less attention for their name because the team was named after the Sioux leader called Black Hawk. The leader Black Hawk can been used as an argument to support honorary purposes. The Washington Redskins have no argument to defend the teams name because it’s a derogatory slur. Despite the Redskins receiving more scrutiny for their team name than any other organization, many high up individuals in the organization have promised that the name will never be changed. “We’ll never change the name, it’s that simple. Never, you can use all caps” said team owner Daniel Snyder in 2013.
On November 2, 2014 the Washington Redskins played the Minnesota Viking in Minneapolis. Police estimated that around 3,200 people were outside the stadium before the game protesting including the Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges. Mayor Hodges participated in chants and spoke to the crowd saying “I have a message to the Washington team. The clock is ticking on your name. It’s more than an insult, it’s hate.” Attendants at the protest traveled from multiple states including Kentucky, Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Indiana. Many other protests continue to occur outside the stadiums where the Washington Redskins

play.
Due to protests, media attention, and government rule the Native American people have the potential to win a long fought battle with the Washington Redskins organization. Native Americans feel that the Redskins organization represents a time when Native Americans were depicted by white people as violent and ignorant savages. The last sixty years multiple Native American groups have made efforts to change the racial epithets within the organization including the Redskin name, logo, song, and cheerleading squad name. In the past, some efforts have failed and some have succeeded, but within the past ten years the Native American community has received support from the media and large figures which has drawn supportive attention to the matter. The United States has turned into a very politically correct country in the last decade and I think the Native American community will finally achieve justice they’ve been longing achieve.