Debate on racism renews calls for Redskins to change name
The recent national debate over racism has renewed calls for the NFL’s Washington Redskins to change their name, with Native American advocates believing the climate is right for action despite no evidence owner Dan Snyder is considering it.
It could take pressure from the other 31 owners and the league office itself to force Snyder’s hand. A Redskins spokesman said the team had no comment, while the NFL did not immediately respond to questions about the future of the name.
“(It) might be easier if the NFL as an institution or a corporation mandates the change because then it takes the pressure off of the Washington team themselves and Dan Snyder,” University of California, Berkeley, assistant professor of psychology Arianne Eason said Wednesday.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser last week called the name “an obstacle” to the team building a new stadium and headquarters in the District, which would likely be on land leased by the federal government. The site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium, is one option, along with locations in Maryland and Virginia when the current lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, expires in 2027.
“I think it’s past time for the team to deal with what offends so many people,” Bowser told Team 980 radio. “This is a great franchise with a great history that’s beloved in Washington, and it deserves a name that reflects the affection that we’ve built for the team.”
Snyder has owned the team since 1999 and shown no indication he’d make a change like Washington’s NBA franchise did in 1995, going from the Bullets to Wizards. When a 2016 Washington Post poll found nine in 10 Native Americans aren’t offended by the name, Snyder said the team, fans and community believe it “represents honor, respect and pride.”
A peer-reviewed UC Berkeley study co-authored by Eason and University of Michigan diversity of social transformation professor of psychology Stephanie Fryberg that was released earlier this year revealed 49% of the 1,000 Native Americans surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the name was offensive. That number goes up to 67% among those who strongly identify as Native.
“How do you poll the use of the ‘N-word?’” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter, leader of the “Change the Mascot” campaign. “Are you actually going to take a vote on whether or not that’s OK? If you’re degrading and disrespecting someone, you should not do it, even though it’s just a few people.”
Since the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, protests have erupted around the world, with much of the conversation centered on systematic racism and police brutality against black people in the U.S.