The Washington Redskins Should Be Forced To Change Their Name

Should the Washington Redskins change their team name due to controversy with Native Americans? That has been the questions since the 1980s. There are many different views on the issue. Some people believe the name should stay, some insist it should be changed, and others are ultimately indifferent. In the end, changing the name is the definite right choice, the Washington Redskins name is offensive to the Native American people and therefore it must go. The name is not only offensive to the Native American people, but people outside of Native American 's find issue with it, and it also promotes ethnic stereotyping.

The debate about whether or not the Washington Redskins should change their name has been a topic for a long time. Some Native Americans have often considered the name a racial slur and think that the league should get rid of the name as it doesn’t represent Native Americans in the best way possible. In 1937 the Redskins moved to Washington and decided to retain the name even though it had faced backlash then. Since then the team has over time shown more caution on using slogans that may disrespect Native Americans. Some slogans they did use include “On the Warpath, with a cartoon drawing of an angry Indian, and another called “Teepee Talk, featuring a clip-art Indian sticking his head out of a tepee” (Shapira, 2016, Para.5). There will always be a debate if the team should get rid of its name but for right now Washington’s football teams name is the Redskins.

Over time the controversy on the Redskins name in the National Football League has been debated. Recently, the argument has been revamped with even congress stepping into the debate about the historic name. The topic does not just affect the Redskins though but the 2,129 other teams with a mascot with Native American association. People have been taking both sides and some believe it’s racist, while others argue the legacy and history tied with the name. Others even claim that the name is not really referencing native Americans at all. Which brings me to my question should the Washington Redskins be allowed to keep their mascot name?

The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team that is based out of Washington area and currently play at FedEx Field in Maryland. In 1932, the name Boston Braves emerged when the football program began to arise. The following year, the name the Boston Redskins replaced the original name of the Boston Braves. In 1937, the team changed locations to Washington, thus making their current team name the Washington Redskins. Unfortunately, a problem arose around the 1990’s when the Native American people began to feel “disrespected”. The reason the Native American people have such hatred for the team is due to the fact that it portrays and offends the Natives skin color with the name, “Redskin.” The Washington Redskins debate plays a significant role in professional sports team history due to the demoralization amongst Native American Society. Factors that contribute to this debate include, but are not limited to; religion, economics, and politics.

The National Congress of American Indians feel that sports teams with Native American related team names and/or mascots are offensive and unnecessary. The changing of these names has become an enormous debate in today’s world. A fact from “Washington Redskins Name Controversy” says it has since become a prominent civil rights issue and that the American Indian people consider these names a harmful racial epithet. Offensive team names and/or mascots is truly an intense topic with two points of view. Many believe that these teams should keep the names because they show respect and honor, but truly they are racist and offensive to the American Indian culture and need to be changed as soon as possible.

The Native American people have been apart of America ever since the “white man” came over from Europe. There traditions have been around for as long as they have been alive. They were the first people on the land we call home today. The Native American people have done more for this land than we have and we do not appreciate them at all for that. It is crazy how some people just blow them off like they are less than us and do not get anything special, but they do not also need to be disrespected in the public eye. Professional sports teams that have Native American mascots are used in a way that disrespects the people of Native American descent. It also happens at the high school level and gives the young adults with an biased outlook on the culture and history of these people. Any sports team name with an Native American mascot should have to change there name.

Originally named the Boston Braves, the Washington Redskins remain known for their legacy and team history. Under the ownership of George Person Marshall, Vincent Bendix, Jay O’Brien and Dorland Dolye, the Boston Braves were born as part of the NFL franchise in 1932. Shortly after in 1933, they renamed the Boston Redskins, followed by another name change when they reestablished in Washington D.C as the Washington Redskins in 1937; and made the Griffith Stadium their new home.

The Change the Mascot campaign has made a website for people to see how big of topic this is to them. Also, on their website they’ve put out many other Native American tribes that support the changing of the name, ways to take action and even ways to contact them. They have a tab that shows the history of progress that shows that many team’s names and mascots have been changed from a racial Native American term to a more laid back name or mascot. They believe that the name and mascot should and will be changed to create more of non-racial effect among the Washington Redskins fans and community. Also, the Change the Mascot organization has put together a way to for non-Native American people to show their support by using the tag #ProudToBe Standing With #NotYourMascot on social media. Many native american tribes have actually sent out letters to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about changing the Washington Redskins name, logo and mascot. This is a national movement of Americans across the country, both Native and non-Native alike, who are standing against racism and strongly encouraging a

A fan once said “There goes the Redskins season” and most times they are right. Although some people find this offensive. Not for the season part but for the name of the teams. For at least two years now fans and simple people have debated whether or not the teams name redskins was offensive to the Native Americans. Some say that it was offensive to the native people, Others disagreed. Having a team named after you is always respectful but in this case it is very offensive to the native American people.

Offensive names such as the Redskins are insulting to Native Americans. The term Redskins is a disparaging and derogatory name for our Native Americans. Former Redskin player

Nowadays we do not see the Indians or Redskins as a negative way of describing a race or culture. We see them as professional teams that play hard and get our spirits up. Out of all teams, I would say that the Redskins is probably the most racist of all names because of the term it was used years ago. I would change the name to something more honorable towards Native Americans. Braves is actually more honorable than Redskins because they are identifying Native Americans as Brave rather than a negative stereotype of a name. The team name, Redskins, has actually received backlash for many years because it was seen as insulting and offensive to people of Native American culture. After many polls of whether to keep the name or not, 83 percent of people chose to keep the name as it was not used as racial slur. At this point, the team names are not meant as a racial slur so there shouldn't be any

There has been many controversy with teams using Native American name for mascots and has become a major issue in today’s society. Many have viewed the Washington Redskins as honor for Native Americans, others see it racist, insensitive, and demeaning. Woods (2016) claims that “the complaint is that the use of stereotypical team names, mascots, and logos perpetuates an ideology that dehumanizes and demeans the cultures of Native Americans” (p. 298). Since the issue arise, many scholars, journalists and leaders have joined the battle to ensure that each team will eliminate the nicknames since it is considered abusive or hostile. It may take time but the trend is growing. More than 1,400 professional, collegiate,

Many people look at the Washington Redskins logo and see it just the same as any of the other NFL teams’ logos. So, why take the time and money to change their brand for the very few amount of people that think it’s little offensive? In the past couple of years, a lot of people see many pro and college sports teams differently because of their mascot or logo. Native Americans, whose culture diminished ever since Europeans stepped onto the shores of the East, are used as branding for all levels and divisions of athletics teams. A lot of people argue for both sides of the conflict, with one side reasoning that the logos look racist and disrespect Native American culture, and the other side reasoning that they honor Indians and there is not even an issue. However, a ton of people fighting for the Indian mascot’s removal do not know how Native Americans themselves truly feel about them. Also, the general public probably does not know either that many schools actually work with specific tribes to make sure that they respect their culture. The United States should not ban Native American mascots because most Native Americans don’t get insulted from sports teams’ logos and many teams work with tribes to make sure that they don’t disparage Indian customs and traditions.

Native Americans are often offended by racist nicknames, logos, and stereotypes in sports. The Washington Redskins and many other teams are facing this.

Throughout ancient times, many names have identified as racial slurs. Most recently, controversy has surrounded multiple sports teams such as the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and the Washington Redskins; however, some may believe the Braves and Indians name is more to honor them, instead of discriminate against them. The conflict of the Washington Redskins seems highest compared to other teams. This kind of denigration has both visible and unseen consequences for Native Americans (Keim 2). Throughout this paper opinions on the argument has been voiced, polls which have taken placed, and protests have developed for both sides of the argument will be taken discussed to find a resolution for the potential name change of the Washington Redskins.