Washington’s NFL team drops its name after 87 years

On July 13, a change long in the making happened for the Washington National Football League (NFL) team. It announced it is dropping both its “Redskins” name and the Indigenous person’s head that is used in the logo. In doing so, it bowed to many years of criticism that the images are offensive to Indigenous Americans. The current logo shows the image of a red-faced Indigenous American with feathers in his hair.

A new name must still be selected for one of the oldest teams in the National Football League. It was unclear when that will happen. But for now, arguably the most controversial name in North American professional sports is gone. The change comes at a time of deep reflection over racial injustice, imagery and racism in the U.S. Many statues and monuments honoring people with histories of racist beliefs have been torn down or questioned.

The Washington football team owner Dan Snyder was a boyhood fan of the team. Snyder once declared he would never get rid of the name. The move came less than two weeks after his team launched a “thorough review” amid pressure from sponsors. FedEx, Nike, Pepsi and Bank of America all lined up against the name. The name was given to the club in 1933 when the team was still based in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The NFL and Dan Snyder, we have to commend them on making the right call to change the name,” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter. He has led the “Change the Mascot” campaign. “I know that’s not an easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.”

The team said that Snyder and coach Ron Rivera are working closely to develop a new name and design.

Name Criticized As A “Dictionary-Defined Racial Slur”

Indigenous American advocates and experts have long criticized the name they call a “dictionary-defined racial slur.” More than a dozen Indigenous leaders and organizations wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in early July demanding an immediate end to Washington’s use of the name. Goodell, who has faced questions on the topic for years, said he supported the review.

Protests against the name came before Snyder bought the team in 1999. Until now, he had shown no willingness to consider a change. Strong words from sponsors changed the equation.

FedEx earlier in July became the first sponsor to announce it had asked the organization to change the name. The move was particularly important because FedEx chief executive Frederick Smith owns part of the Washington team. FedEx paid $205 million for the long-term naming rights to the team’s stadium, FedEx Field, in Landover, Maryland.

Name Was “Obstacle” To Building New Stadium In D.C.

In 2027, the team’s naming partnership with FedEx will end. Dropping the old team name keeps open various possibilities in Maryland, Virginia and Washington for the team’s new stadium. Snyder had considered building a stadium on a site in the District of Columbia. However, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has said the team name was an “obstacle” to Snyder’s building there.

The team recently started cutting ties with racist founder George Preston Marshall. Before, its lower seating area at FedEx Field was named for Marshall. He believed in segregating, or separating Black and white people in public places. He was the last NFL owner to integrate Black players on his team. The lower seating area was renamed for the team’s first Black player, late Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell.

Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves and the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks both use images of Indigenous Americans on their logos and names. They have said they have no plans to change. Some advocates would like to see all Indigenous American names, mascots and images out of sports.

“Our fight continues,” Crystal Echo Hawk of the Indigenous American advocacy group IllumiNative said. “We will not rest until the offensive use of Native imagery, logos and names is eradicated from professional, collegiate and (other school) sports. The time is now to stand in solidarity and declare that racism will not be tolerated.”

Halbritter said it was important to note those other names are not a slur, but he hopes a “broader discussion” can be had. He pointed out that Florida State spoke with the Seminole tribe about its name. A minor league baseball team in Spokane, Washington, did the same with local Indigenous Americans.

“It’s About Respect”

It was not immediately clear if the Washington football organization is consulting Indigenous Americans on a new name or if any such images will even be used.

“I think it’s striking that the NFL and other owners of other sports teams don’t have a conversation with Indigenous America on these names,” Halbritter said. “It’s about respect, and I don’t understand why they just don’t have a conversation with the affected people.”

Washington’s NFL team has just five playoff appearances in 21 years and no postseason victories since 2005. It stands long removed from its Super Bowl titles in the 1982, 1987 and 1991 seasons.

Re-branding with a new name and logo — and perhaps the same maroon and gold colors — coupled with a new head coach in Rivera could be a positive for Snyder on and off the field. Even if some of its fans oppose the change in the name of tradition, winning would more than make up for those losses.

For Educational purposes.

By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff

Published:07/16/2020