The NFL’s
Washington Redskins are once again facing intense public scrutiny for
their name, which is considered a racial slur in dictionary entries. But
this time it looks like change may be on the horizon—longtime owner Dan
Snyder released a statement on Friday saying the team would be conducting a “thorough review” of the name.
What’s in a name?
Sports teams, mostly in the college ranks, have been moving away from stereotypical Native American names and imagery for decades.
- In the 1970s, Stanford,
Dartmouth, and Syracuse all swapped out their nicknames while
professional teams, like the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins,
have kept theirs.
But 2020 is a
different story. As protests over racial injustice dominate the
national conversation, big brands are comfortable using their dollars to
initiate change.
- FedEx, which paid $205 million for the naming rights to Washington's stadium in 1999, made it clear
last week that it wants the team to change its name. And on Thursday,
Nike appeared to pull all Redskins gear from its online store.
- Those moves came after 87 investors and shareholders representing $620 billion in assets called on FedEx, Nike, and PepsiCo to cut ties to the team unless Snyder pursued a name change.
Which bring us to an important lesson
Unless
you're Babe Ruth and it's the fifth inning of Game 3 of the 1932 World
Series, you might not want to guarantee anything.
-
Dan Snyder in 2013: "We'll never change the name...It's that simple. NEVER—you can use caps."
-
Washington Redskins in 2020: “The team will undergo a thorough review of the team’s name.”
Washington,
which Forbes ranked as the seventh-most valuable NFL franchise in 2019,
could set off a chain reaction if it commits to changing its name.
- The MLB’s Cleveland Indians also released a statement
Friday saying they were considering a name change. That announcement
comes after the team completely phased out its heavily criticized "Chief
Wahoo" logo by 2019.
Looking ahead...this thing is happening. Washington is expected to change its name before kickoff in September, Axios reports. So here's our question for Brew readers: What should the new name be? Share your answer here.
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I AM A REPUBLICAN BORN AND BRED
IN AMERICA .I BELIEVE IN EQUALITY AND JUSTICE AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.I SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
MAJORED IN GEOLOGY AND MUSIC AND WENT TO ANGELO STATE IN SAN ANGELO, TEXAS
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