http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5264.shtml Every year, with the opening of the football season, I have the same complaint: the name of the Washington, D.C. football team is obnoxious, racist (against Native Americans) and must be changed. And, every year I receive in response generally positive feedback from regular people who hold the same concern. Yet the team’s name does not change.
There are many of us, D.C.-area residents and beyond, who have argued for years that the name ‘‘Washington Redskins’’ is a racist name that should be changed. Many college teams have removed offensive mascots, teams have changed names for any number of reasons, yet the resistance from the owners of the Washington football team is amazing.
The problem, however, is not just with the owners. It is difficult to exaggerate the level of football support that exists in the D.C. area. From the moment that the pre-season training begins, football starts to overshadow baseball in the media, whether radio, TV or printed. African Americans are major enthusiasts for the Washington football team (unless they happen to be fans of the Dallas Cowboys—which is another story). Yet our enthusiasm seems to blind us to the name of the team and what it represents.
