Washinton Redskins changing team name

[spinner4]

I thought the idea of keeping the name redskins and rebranding the mascot to be a potato was the smartest way to go.

the true biggest asset our country has is its farm lands anyways. What better way to represent our nations capital then that really? But I’m bias, I like food as a mascot.

 

[Huskerchil]

Maybe they should tear down the statue that would fix them

 

[Larry Hagman's Liver]

That poll was later found to be not even remotely statistically valid. Later polls done by Quinnipiac and other schools of Native Americans put the numbers between around 65% to 70% opposed, with one outlier poll at, IIRC, 54% opposed.

I know a number of Native Americans and every single one of them is strongly opposed to the name. A number of years ago I was at a writer's conference in KC, held at a large hotel. Also held at the hotel was a conference of Native Americans on, IIRC, providing medical services to Native Americans. One evening, in a fantastic collision of the stereotypes of drunken writers and drunken Native Americans, me and two other writers were talking to five Native Americans in one of the hotel's bars. This subject came up. The Native Americans weren't overly concerned about most of the team names. They even felt that changing ND States name from the Fighting Sioux was unnecessary. But they were all strongly opposed to Redskins. As one put it "What would you think if they were called the Washington Jungle Bunnies? Redskins means the same thing to us."

Nice post. Really appreciated the "fantastic collision" comment. I used to teach a creative copywriting class at UNL. This poster appeared in a textbook we used. Bear in mind, this was first published in 2013.

 

[ru4nu2win]

First the Bullets, now the Redskins. WTF!

 

[ru4nu2win]

Should make the Cowboys change their name. They’re the ones that killed all the Indians!

 

[daddy mack]

I hope they still stay with a Native American name..

Redskins was a terrible nickname.

9 out of 10 native Americans diid not have a problem. But hey sense it bugs you and a few rich white kids, Let’s call them Washington Wiretappers

 

[saluno22]

Should make the Cowboys change their name. They’re the ones that killed all the Indians!

To the Dallas Small Pox.

 

[scarletred]

9 out of 10 native Americans diid not have a problem. But hey sense it bugs you and a few rich white kids, Let’s call them Washington Wiretappers

It doesn’t bother me one bit, and if Native Americans are fine with it then I hope Dan Snyder doesn’t change the name..

It appears after doing research Washington had a Native American Coach and they had some Native American players and disliked the name Braves so they changed the name to Redskins... So now I know the name was excepted not as a terrible name..

 

[drubendall]

Dan Snyder has not wanted to change the name in the past. I would like to see a good survey done of Native Americans. In the past, they overwhelmingly approved. Forget the opinion of the lily white chardonnay crowd. They have no say here.

It's a proud heritage and a strong mascot. Leave it alone. I don't find it demeaning one bit. But again, let native Americans decide.

 

[HuskerHackFraud]

Native Americans don't even care.

 

[drubendall]

A few do, but most love it. Not like the Cleveland Indians mascot which is terrible IMO.

 

[jlb321]

Dan Snyder has not wanted to change the name in the past. I would like to see a good survey done of Native Americans. In the past, they overwhelmingly approved. Forget the opinion of the lily white chardonnay crowd. They have no say here.

It's a proud heritage and a strong mascot. Leave it alone. I don't find it demeaning one bit. But again, let native Americans decide.

If it is just a few misguided people exercising their right of free speech stating that they find the name problematic then there should be no reason to consider changing the name.

why is the team considering the name change if it is such a small fraction of people - that many here think are crazy - that are raising the issue?

 

[scarletred]

If it is just a few misguided people exercising their right of free speech stating that they find the name problematic then there should be no reason to consider changing the name.

why is the team considering the name change if it is such a small fraction of people - that many here think are crazy - that are raising the issue?

Only way to answer that is before I researched it I wasn’t aware the Boston Braves had a Native American Head Coach and players they’re the ones that lobbied for the name change and choose Redskins..

If everyone knows the fact about this maybe everyone would leave it a lone, but the majority like myself didn’t know the real reason in the first place..

 

[drubendall]

Money. Corporations run America. If the social media mafia turns its wrath on companies associated with groups or causes it disapproves of, that scares them to death. They do not want to be a pariah. Look how many stopped advertising with Facebook last week. Whatever you do, do not p.o. the SJW's. No debate or discussion is needed or welcome. Do what we want or else.

 

[jlb321]

Money. Corporations run America. If the social media mafia turns its wrath on companies associated with groups or causes it disapproves of, that scares them to death. They do not want to be a pariah. Look how many stopped advertising with Facebook last week. Whatever you do, do not p.o. the SJW's. No debate or discussion is needed or welcome. Do what we want or else.

you mean a few vocal “SJWs” as you label them were able to convince billion dollar corporations to back their position?

The team in Washington likely pays millions in PR - communications - lawyers, etc etc - surely if the name isn’t problematic they should have no problem presenting a compelling argument to support their position

should be an easy sell - billion dollar corporations aren’t going to back fringe issues if there is little, if any public support

 

[bigboxes]

How about porch monkeys? beaners? camel jockeys? chinks? grease balls?

It's amazing how many people say racist things to me because they think I'm one of them. I am one of them. I'm a human and they are making us look bad.

 

[RedCap]

Everyone brings their own personal interpretation to the meaning of any word as well as their own personal guilt that influences their interpretation of the word.

Two of the mascot words that puzzle me most are "braves" and "chiefs". I always had very favorable associations with those two words. To me "brave" was always associated with courage. "Chief" was associated with wise and wisdom. Relegating those two mascots to the trash heap IMO robs Native Americans of some very positive imagery/heritage. But of course that's my personal interpretation.

 

[Mr.Scary13]

It wont stop there. The Vikings, Chiefs, Cowboys, Patriots, Texans, and even Browns better be on notice....

 

[RedCap]

It wont stop there. The Vikings, Chiefs, Cowboys, Patriots, Texans, and even Browns better be on notice....

Browns can always switch it up to Greens or Purples - at least until some Martians get offended.

Vikings and Cowboys on the other hand probably would be viewed as oppressors by the woke folk. And Patriots and Texans obviously just are a bunch of prideful supremacists. Texans (especially those in Austin) have always considered themselves supreme to anybody else regardless of skin color.

 

[brnred58]

Is wonder which team will be next? Cleveland Indians? Chiefs?

Rename them to Washington Whiteskins

Redskins is a derogatory name,no different than the N-word,Chiefs and Indians not so much.

 

[bmb81664]

WTF does any of this have to do with BLM? Stay focused people.

 

[brnred58]

Maybe The Trailer Park Trash Honkey Ass Buck Toothed Morons !

 

[HuskerBlueDevil]

9 out of 10 native Americans diid not have a problem. But hey sense it bugs you and a few rich white kids, Let’s call them Washington Wiretappers

That's false. The Washington Post did a survey that showed 92% of native Americans approved of the name. But it turned out that the survey was statistically invalid at just about every level. Later surveys by a number of different Universities has shown a pretty steady 65-70% of native Americans disapprove of the name, with one outlier study at something like 54%. And that doesn't mean that 30-35% approved. A high percentage did not care, with only a small percent approving. One Native American told me that, given the name's origin and meaning, it was no different than calling them the Washington Jungle Bunnies.

 

[Husker Red 182]

I thought the idea of keeping the name redskins and rebranding the mascot to be a potato was the smartest way to go.

the true biggest asset our country has is its farm lands anyways. What better way to represent our nations capital then that really? But I’m bias, I like food as a mascot.

Can I ask a question. Why do we declare our land stolen? A war was fought? Native Americans lost. Why the guilt. To the victor goes the spoils. In addition we give them a check every month and let them have casinos which bring in lots of money to the tribe

 

[jlb321]

Only way to answer that is before I researched it I wasn’t aware the Boston Braves had a Native American Head Coach and players they’re the ones that lobbied for the name change and choose Redskins..

If everyone knows the fact about this maybe everyone would leave it a lone, but the majority like myself didn’t know the real reason in the first place..

If the facts are on your side then it shouldn’t be a problem effectively communicating those facts to garner support for your position ... if you can’t, then either the facts never did or no longer support your position or you (the team in Washington in this instance) are woefully inept in presenting the merits of your position. As I said earlier I assume the team in Washington is paying millions in PR and communications trying to get support for their view.

 

[RedCap]

Can I ask a question. Why do we declare our land stolen? A war was fought? Native Americans lost. Why the guilt. To the victor goes the spoils. In addition we give them a check every month and let them have casinos which bring in lots of money to the tribe

Well, Native Americans were treated very badly back when this country was settled - no doubt about that part. But it's history that can't be changed, not contemporary news by people who are living today. IMO we shouldn't hide or rewrite any of that history, we should just understand it and worry about our own personal behavior today.

What I always find so ironic and hypocritical are the people who claim someone else is living on stolen land from Native Americans. Doesn't that really apply to every single location in this country? And, if that's your cause, shouldn't every single person with less than 50% Native American DNA then be moving back to the place of their ancestor's origin? This would be a pretty de-populated expanse of a country if that happened.

But of course none of this is logical, it's all emotional.

 

[artguy68]

For those of you who are having a problem understanding: would you address a Native American as a redskin to their face?

 

[scarletred]

For those of you who are having a problem understanding: would you address a Native American as a redskin to their face?

But what does that have to do with the nickname of a football team that a Native American choose for the team?

 

[RedCap]

For those of you who are having a problem understanding: would you address a Native American as a redskin to their face?

Of course I wouldn't do that or some other nickname either without knowing someone on a very friendly basis. Different people ascribe different values/feelings toward those different terms that you have no idea about due to their past experiences. You usually can't know what that is for a person without knowing them pretty well.

Conversely, however, I also wouldn't have any big issue with someone calling me whiteskin, paleface or the F word (which I have to say has been done before). I'm not that thin skinned I guess. It just influences my perception of who the person is who called me that.

 

[JohnRossEwing]

Can I ask a question. Why do we declare our land stolen? A war was fought? Native Americans lost. Why the guilt. To the victor goes the spoils. In addition we give them a check every month and let them have casinos which bring in lots of money to the tribe

I have never understood this either. Pretty much every land was conquered by someone...

 

[Husker Red 182]

I have never understood this either. Pretty much every land was conquered by someone...

It’s like we glorify the Roman and Greek empires who were brutal but yet are told to feel guilty about how we expanded

 

[VandallHuskerJulie]

Ouampi, a stereotypical caricature of a Native American, was the mascot of the Municipal University of Omaha (after 1968, the University of Nebraska at Omaha) from 1950 until 1971. Although the OU sports teams were known as the Indians starting in 1939 (replacing the Cardinals), the named mascot Ouampi did not appear until 1950, after an alumni committee contest to name the OU Indian mascot. In 1971, the Student Senate abolished Ouampi, the Indians, Maie Day, and related racial stereotypes from UNO campus symbolism. Source material varies on the capitalization of "Ouampi" versus "OUampi," though "Ouampi" seems to be more common. It is pronounced "wampi."

Sources:

Carter, Stan. "Senate drops 'Indians' nickname." Gateway (Omaha, NE). May 12, 1971.

"Committee finds name for Indian." Gateway (Omaha, NE). March 24, 1950.

"Naylor approves Ouampi removal." Gateway (Omaha, NE). May 21, 1971
.https://archives.nebraska.edu/agents/people/359

 

[VandallHuskerJulie]

A white male Municipal University of Omaha student portraying the university's Indian mascot on an unidentified hillside. This may be on the sidelines of a football field. Sports fans and cars can be seen in the background. The Municipal University of Omaha/University of Nebraska at Omaha mascot, called "Ouampi," was abolished in May 1971, along with the UNO sports team name of "Indians." UNO would be briefly without a mascot, until "Mavericks" was selected in October 1971. The university now recognizes that the Ouampi mascot is offensive. When the university first selected this mascot in 1950, school mascots based on Native American stereotypes were common. Many artifacts from University history from the period from 1950 through 1971 depict this caricature, and it is difficult to present materials from this era without showing or acknowledging this mascot. We accept this as a part of our history, as we accept that the 1971 mascot change represented a positive step for the university.

https://unomaha.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16383coll2/id/127/

 

[WestCoastCornhusker2]

With the announcement of an official review of their team name, it seems inevitable that the Redskins will soon be a thing of the past.

Seems about 5 years too late for me, but I think it’s a good decision. Curious to hear what they come up with for a replacement. I’m sure many branding agencies are working night and day to come up with alternatives.

Vikings and Cornhuskers are a disgrace and racists names that should be changed. How about the "Washington Communists?"

 

[MITCH492]

Washington Red Feathers, Washington Greenbacks or the Washington Big Spenders are notable names.

 

[SLOHusker]

With the announcement of an official review of their team name, it seems inevitable that the Redskins will soon be a thing of the past.

Seems about 5 years too late for me, but I think it’s a good decision. Curious to hear what they come up with for a replacement. I’m sure many branding agencies are working night and day to come up with alternatives.

I'm good with Hillbillies. Heck even Pale Faces. I want the most ridiculous caricature of a white person possible. Wait, that's Herbie Husker (the greatest mascot ever). Then again who doesn't walk around in overalls with a corncob in their pocket?

 

[Nebraska_Reality]

I have never understood this either. Pretty much every land was conquered by someone...

1) The reason that American Indian land is referred to as stolen is due to the US Government breaking treaty after treaty. For example, several tribes were relocated to the Indian Territory (more on that later), which was fine with the US Government...until it was decided to open it up for settlement, and sell off Indian land to the railroads. The Oglala Lakota received the entire Black Hills by way of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. That was fine with the US Government...until a guy named Custer found gold there in 1873-74......

2) Indian tribes were forcibly relocated during much of the 1800s (Trail of Tears, Apaches to Florida, etc.). The Sand Creek and Wounded Knee Massacres were acts of genocide. Some would argue that what happened to the American Indian was, in general, an act of genocide. Nazis in the 1940s, and (mostly) Serbians in the late 1990s/early 2000s, were tried as war criminals for doing such things (killing of non-combatants based on ethnicity, forced relocation of populations, etc.).

3) American Indians were often forced to attend Indian Schools beginning in the 1880s. Some of these schools lasted until the early 1960s. The primary purpose of these schools was to eradicate the Indian (language, religion, way of life, etc.) out of the person. We didn't demand Germans and Japanese people to stop being German and Japanese after World War II....so to just chalk up the American Indian experience to the "spoils of war" is very disingenuous and intellectually lazy.

 

[Nebraska_Reality]

Can I ask a question. Why do we declare our land stolen? A war was fought? Native Americans lost. Why the guilt. To the victor goes the spoils. In addition we give them a check every month and let them have casinos which bring in lots of money to the tribe

I'm pretty sure the people on the reservations are the ones that allow the casinos....just like the people in Council Bluffs were the ones to approve those.

 

[Charlie Marlow]

It's amazing how many people say racist things to me because they think I'm one of them. I am one of them. I'm a human and they are making us look bad.

same. It blows my mind every time.

 

[Crazyhole]

Native Americans owned black slaves and sided with the confederacy.

Back then, just like today, nothing was black and white where one group was good and the other bad. Its all shades of grey.