Obama eyes Redskins change, muses about ownership
JULIE PACE WASHINGTON— U.S. President Barack Obama says that if he owned the Washington Redskins, he would “think about changing” the team name, wading into the controversy over a football nickname that many people deem offensive to native Americans.
Obama, in an interview with The Associated Press, said team names such as the Redskins offend “a siz- able group of people.” He said that while fans get attached to the nicknames, nostalgia may not be a good enough reason to keep them in place.
“I don’t know whether our attach- ment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things,” he said in the interview, which was conducted Friday. Obama said that he doesn’t have a direct stake in the Redskins debate since he’s not a team owner, but hinted that might be part of his postWhite House plans. “Maybe after I leave the presidency,” he joked. “I think it would be a lot of fun.” He added: “I’d probably look at a basketball team before I looked at a football team. I know more about basketball than I do about football.” An avid sports fan, Obama said he doesn’t think Washington football fans are purposely trying to offend American Indians: “I don’t want to detract from the wonderful Redskins fans that are here. They love their team and rightly so.” But the president appeared to come down on the side of those who have sharply criticized the name, noting that Indians “feel pretty strongly” about mascots and team names that depict negative stereotypes about their heritage.
The Redskins’ nickname has attracted a fresh round of controversy in recent months, with local leaders in Washington calling for a name change and some media outlets refraining from using the name. Team owner Dan Snyder has vowed to never abandon the name.