GM Bruce Allen was quoted in the Washington Post and other outlets today saying the team will not change its name, even if changing the name will help it re-located to a new stadium after the lease on Fed Ex field expires in 2026. Specifically, the Federal government has decried that the team cannot lease the land under RFK stadium unless the team changes its name. One has to wonder why the team is so stubborn and stuck on a name that is offensive to Native Americans. Just from a business point of view, one would think that the team would choose a name that was appealing to all citizens. Why would the team tarnish its reputation with a name that is controversial. Even if a minority opposes the name, the team will eventually lose a significant portion of potential fans who will stop going to games. And why give up prime real estate like RFK stadium. Longtime fans know how precious and wonderful that stadium was. Mr. Snyder - it just doesn't make any sense...business sense or moral sense. Please change the name now!
1 Comment
A District judge upheld the trademark board holding the R-skins name and logo are not eligible for federal trademark protection since name is disparaging. He referenced a recent Supreme Court decision allowing Texas to refuse to print Confederate flags on license plates. Dan Snyder and his lawyer claim this is an infringement of freedom of speech but the judge maintains that the First amendment does not apply to government speech..ie. actions government takes to protect or promote symbols and logos. Mr. Snyder will appeal, of course, but the pressure mounts against his stubbornness. See http://wapo.st/1S8xOTL for an account of the trademark case. The editorial board of the Washington Post called for Mr. Snyder to change the name one day after the District Judge's ruling; see http://wapo.st/1Hit0sb . Enough is enough, Mr. Snyder. Common decency dictates that you must change the name now!
Once again, the Interior Department takes a strong stand against racism. In the early 1960s, the Interior Department of the Kennedy Administration informed George Preston Marshall, owner of the DC football team, that they would not renew the lease on federal land beneath Griffith Stadium until Marshall integrates his team. Marshall was the last NFL owner to integrate his team.
The Obama Administration's Interior Department informed the DC Mayor and the pro football team that it would not grant a lease on federal land beneath RFK if the pro football team wanted to move back to the RFK site. The name would have to change. This is a bold stand. Hopefully, it is one more pressure point to persuade Mr. Snyder to change the name. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2015/07/01/obama-administration-rebuffs-d-c-s-efforts-to-bring-back-the-redskins/?hpid=z4. Today (June 29, 2015), the National United Church of Christ (UCC) passed a resolution calling on Dan Snyder to change the name of the team. The resolution states that the name of the team is offensive and hurtful to many Native Americans and causes harm to the Native American population. The resolution continues by saying that Native American organizations along with hundreds of clergy, civil rights organizations, journalists, elected officials (including the President of the United States) has voiced support for changing the team name.
The resolution continues by urging its 1.1 million members to join a boycott of games played by the Washington Professional football team. This is a strong statement and should be replicated many times over by other respected and venerable institutions. I have had the pleasure of meeting Rev. Tim Tutt of the Westmorland UCC church in Bethesda, MD who delivered this sermon on the topic (http://www.westmorelanducc.org/sermons/2014/2/12/should-washingtons-professional-football-team-change-its-name). We need more sermons like this. Thank you UCC for your leadership. We wrote to Arlington County and so did other citizens. They heard us. They passed the following resolution today:
May 19, 2015 – Arlington County Board http://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/arlington-county-board-requests-redskins-name-change/ Resolution Commending the Washington NFL Football Team and Requesting a Name Change WHEREAS, the Arlington County Board finds that for more than 80 years, the Washington Redskins football team has brought great pride and joy to the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, serving as an important symbolic and tangible representation of the values, achievement and unity of our region; and WHEREAS, recent news reports suggest that the team may be seeking a new home, and is considering Virginia and such a move would be met with near-universal acclaim throughout Virginia, uniting a Commonwealth and its residents of all incomes and races, north and south, urban and rural, young and old, conservative and progressive; and WHEREAS, the word “redskins” is objectionable to many Americans, Virginians and Arlingtonians who consider it to be a racist slur and derogatory, as demonstrated by the 1983 edition of the Random House Dictionary of the English Language Second Edition Unabridged which defines “redskin” to mean: “Slang (often disparaging and offensive), A North American Indian; and WHEREAS, by Resolution 43-01 adopted on January 9, 2002, by the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments found that “the term ‘Redskins’ is viewed by many sensitive and progressive-minded individuals as a demeaning and dehumanizing racist insult that embodies a history of degradation and slaughter;” and WHEREAS, many sports teams – at the professional, collegiate and high school levels – have changed names that reference Native Americans in this derogatory manner; and WHEREAS, in recent years, prominent Americans and organizations, including President Obama, the Anti-Defamation League, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, the Council of the District of Columbia and many more, have urged changing the name because it is not a neutral term regardless of present day intent, and WHEREAS, the “rebranding” of Washington’s professional football team need not result in economic loss, as evidenced by the successful rebranding in 1995 of Washington’s professional basketball team, when the team’s owner changed the team’s name from “Bullets” to “Wizards” because the name was associated with violence; and WHEREAS, the current name offends many people, serves to divide us, diminishes our humanity, and when we do not stand up against it, can erode our integrity. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Arlington County Board commends the Washington NFL football team for their outstanding contribution to the Greater Washington metropolitan region and requests the team’s owners to change the name and be welcomed into our Commonwealth with a fresh start and a brand new name. In 2014, Maryland state Delegates Talmadge Branch of the city of Baltimore and C.T.Wilson of Charles County, MD introduced a resolution urging Dan Snyder, owner of the DC professional football team, to change the name. The resolution states:
WHEREAS, The term “r-dskins” has been associated with gruesome acts of genocide, is disparaging to those of Native American heritage, and is not befitting a professional football team with such a proud, honorable, and uplifting tradition, especially a team representing the nation’s capital and playing in Maryland, a State grounded in respect for the dignity of all individuals; and WHEREAS, The unifying force of pride for our Washington, D.C., professional football team should not be undermined by the divisive nature of its name; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That, out of respect for the diverse heritage of this nation, the Washington metropolitan area, and the team’s passionate fans, the Maryland General Assembly urges the owners of the Washington, D.C., professional football franchise to change the name of the football team to a name that is not offensive to Native Americans or any other group; The resolution did not make it out of the Rules Committee. But Rebrand WF will be working with sympathetic Maryland legislators to re-introduce this resolution during the next legsilative session. Please contact us through our webpage if you want to be part of this effort. The Washington Post reports today an unusual courageous stance by a public official (http://wapo.st/1IUP7Em). The lease on Fed Ex stadium does not expire for 12 years but the governors of Maryland and Virginia are already in a race to lure Dan Snyder and the team to their jurisdications. Both governors have stated that the offensive name is acceptable. In contrast, the District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Boswer is sticking by her previous position when she was a member of the City Council. The District of Columbia Council had passed a resolution urging Mr. Snyder to change the name of the team. When asked if the name of the team needs to be changed for her to consider a new stadium for the team in the District, Mayor Bowser said, "I've called on them - just like a lot of people around the city to change the name." We applaud Mayor Bowser's leadership and urge the Maryland and Virginia governors to take a similar stance. While jurisidictions often think they are the servants to owners of professional teams, they are actually their masters. Mr. Snyder would not have access to the lucrative DC market if the jurisdictions do not play ball and allow him to use a stadium on their turf. By saying "no ballgame" unless he does right by Native Americans, the jurisdictions would be setting an important example that human dignity and respect is more important than first downs and touchdowns. It would continue a proud tradition in the DC area and follow the example of the Kennedy administration that threatened to ban George Preston Marshall, former owner of the team, from using Griffifth stadium until he integrated the team.
As reported previously, Montgomery County, MD will not use the name of the professional football team in official county communication and the county council will be considering a resolution urging the owner to change the name. We need other counties and elected bodies to do the same! Rebrand Washington Football continued its advocacy and sent letters to Prince George's County and Arlington County. Prince George's could be a hard sell because Fed Ex Field is located there. Yet, we will not be cowered and wrote the county asking them to do the right thing. More than one week later, Rebrand Washington Football has not heard from a single county councilmember or board member from either of the two counties. We need this situation to change and that is why it is important that constituents write letters asking for a change of the name. You can find the contact information of members of Prince George's county here: http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/sites/countycouncil/Pages/default.aspx and Arlington County here: http://countyboard.arlingtonva.us/county-board-members/. A copy of our letter is here:
Mr. Snyder fancies himself a beneficent philanthropist. The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/1NLkKn1) that his Original Americans Foundation has spent millions of dollars on 220 projects with 50 tribes. On closer inspection, however, Mr. Snyder is a colonial master, using the oldest tricks in the book to divide and conquer tribes. The article further reports that the Paiute, Navajo, Zuni, and Cree tribes have had internal divisions and clashes regarding the name of the Washington professional football team. Moreover, the foundation projects mentioned in the article reveal a complete misunderstanding of community and economic development. The article mentions the foundation providing vans, shoes, coats, and playgrounds to the tribes. All nice things, but do any of these gifts promote job creation and economic development? If the foundation was serious, it would finance affordable housing, mixed use development, and small business start-ups and expansions. It would engage experts in the affordable housing and economic development field who would plan revitalization projects with the tribes. The efforts are not genuine economic development. They are simply divide and conquer. As one Native American puts it, "If the tribe accepts the gift, it lends the veneer of support...The strings attached are your dignity." If Mr. Snyder was sincere, he would change the name of his team and engage in real community development efforts through his foundation.
The Lancaster school district in New York state bucked majority opinion and voted to end the use of R-skins as a high school's name and mascot (see http://wapo.st/1xa0KGm). Superintendent Michael J. Vallely explains, "We realize that traditions are sometimes hard to leave behind, but we do need to rethink traditions when they have become hurtful and perceived as disrespectful of others, even unitentionally." This valiant action was not popular in the local community. The school board was booed loudly in a public meeting. Civil rights is often not popular with the majority. But Mr. Snyder would have an easier time doing the right thing regarding the name of the Washington football team. While a majority in the DC area may still support the name, perhaps out of inertia for a 70 year old name, a growing and substantial minority is uncomfortable with it. In the long run, Mr. Snyder would end the increasing divisiveness and ugliness associated with the controversy. A name change would ultimately be hailed by fans and the community. Mr. Snyder -- if a small school board can ban the use of ethnic slurs, so can you!
|
AuthorJosh Silver is one of the founders of RWF and is a life time fan that wants the name changed! Archives
February 2022
Categories |