Washington Redskins: A Name Of Honor Or Dishonor?

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Redskins, a name of honor or dishonor? There has been controversy that involves the name and logo a National Football League (NFL) team named the Washington Redskins. Many people believe the use of Native American names and symbols by non-native sports teams, is a detrimental form of ethnic stereotyping. President Barack Obama discussed issues of culture and professional football on an interview with the Associated Press (AP), stating that the Washington Redskins football team should consider a new name. In response, Lanny Davis, an attorney for the Redskins, argued that President Obama is not aware polls taken in 2004 and 2013 that reveal Native Americans weren’t bothered by the name “Washington Redskins”. Although President Barack Obama and …show more content…

One way both positions are similar is because both Obama and Davis respect the concerns of the people. For example, According to President Obama, he states “I don’t know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real, legitimate concerns that people have about these things.” In addition Lanny Davis states “We at the Redskins respect everyone… we do not intend to disparage or disrespect a racial or ethnic group.” Both statements show how both Obama and Davis respect the concerns of the people. Another way President Obama and Lanny Davis positions are similar is because both agree that The Washington Redskins fans love their team and don’t mean offense. President Obama states “I don’t think there are any Redskin fans that mean offense... they love their team, and rightly so” and Davis states “We Redskins fans sing 'hail to the Redskins' every Sunday as an expression of honor not disparagement." These are some examples of the two positions are …show more content…

According to President Barack Obama, in an interview with the Associated Press (AP), President Barack Obama states that “If I were the owner of the team and I knew that there was a name of my team, even if they’ve had a storied history, that was offending a sizable group of people, I’d think about changing it.” However, in response to the president, Davis argues using observational study and states "As a supporter of President Obama, I am sure the president is not aware that in the highly respected Annenberg Institute poll (taken 2004) with a national sample of Native Americans, 9 out of 10 Native Americans said they were not bothered by the name the "Washington Redskins." Also Davis states “an April 2013 AP poll showed that eight out of ten of all Americans in a national sample don't think the Washington Redskins name should be changed. President Obama believes that Native Americans feel “pretty strongly” about all the mascots and team names related to Native Americans. In Lanny Davis response to President Obama, Davis uses examples of other team names that relate to Native Americans such as The Atlanta Braves, The Cleveland Indians, and The Chicago Blackhawks, to demonstrate that The Washington Redskins isn’t the only team name that relates to Native Americans and that that they love their team, the name of their team, and don’t mean to

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