On Monday, The Washington Redskins released a statement saying they are retiring the Redskins name after sponsors threatened to pull their sponsorship if Washington did not change its name. The Redskins have been in a battle for years, with people calling for the name to be replaced.
Owner Dan Snyder said back in 2013 that he would never change the name. As part of the statement, the press release said, “we want to keep our sponsors, fans, and community apprised of our thinking as we go forward.”
First off, Dan Snyder should not have changed the name nor give in to demands. The people calling for the change have never been season ticket holders, attended a game, bought the team’s merchandise, cried, cheered, or celebrated their wins and losses. He should’ve told FedEx to take a hike, take the name down, and sue for a breach of contract. Does it state in the contract that they can pull out if a name change does not occur?
As for Nike, well, you could bring up Nike’s relationship with China, who doesn’t afford the people fundamental human rights with kids working at their factories, making Nike merchandise. The people demanding the name change probably don’t watch sports at all. Polls have been done numerous times in favor of the Redskins.
In 2016, the Washington Post stated that 9 out of 10 Native Americans were not offended by the name. The latest poll by UC Berkley (California public polls, not Washington Polls) on February 4th of this year showed that 49% of people felt the name was offensive while 38% were not bothered by the name. Two different polls, two different results.
But it won’t stop there, once the Redskins have a new name, these people are going to go after more teams. The same Washington Post has now said the Texas Rangers name needs to be changed because of White Supremacy. That is precisely what the majority think when you ask them about the Texas Rangers, right? Do they even know that it’s a baseball team? Again, have they ever attended a game, bought season tickets, bought the merchandise, or cheered them on?
This could mean that other teams would have to change their names like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Cowboys, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and New York Yankees. You get the picture; protesters are not concerned with the history and tradition of the franchise, only the dismantling of it.
For Dan Snyder to give in is not a good look for sports. He chose money over a loyal fanbase when it should be the other way around. He chose money over the men who made the Redskins a household name like Joe Gibbs, John Riggins, Doug Williams, Darrell Green, Brian Mitchell, Joe Theismann, and other countless players over the years.
It’s time for teams to defend themselves and not give in to protesters who look only to dismantle these franchises that have existed long before they were ever born. Few people have ever seriously wished to be exclusively rational.
Joseph Wood Krutch said that the good life that most desire is a life warmed by passions and touched with that ceremonial grace, which is impossible without some affectionate loyalty to traditional forms and ceremonies.
