The point people are trying to make is that the name is offensive. Yet, the name itself continues to be used by nearly every news outlet, sportscaster, announcer and reporter. Unlike other words, where simply uttering them, even in context, often results in immediate termination or suspension, every news story about the Washington football teams still refers to the name, every reporter and announcer still feels completely comfortable saying the word out loud, over, and over, and over.
If this wasn’t America, some people might find this hypocrisy odd.
In 2019, a white owner of a sports franchise, who insisted on calling their team The Black Indians, The Crackers, or the Chinks (all real team names from our glorious past…) would be run out of their own city on a rail. Tarred and feathered, as it were. But somehow, despite our enlightened age of reason in which we currently pretend to reside, the idea of using such a racist term to describe the Washington football team, is still something worth fighting for, or at the very least, ignoring.
30 years ago, when this controversy first became a more public affair, people imagined a time when sports teams wouldn’t cling to these base and degrading vestiges. And for the most part, teams throughout college, high school, and professional sports have grudgingly obliged. In 1990, over 700 schools and teams were identified as having offensive mascots, slogans or team names. Now, that number is under 100. Yet, in our nation’s capital, a football franchise worth over 3 BILLION dollars, a giant fortune 500 company (Fedex) and a league whose worth is counted in the hundreds of BILLIONS are all comfortable hanging on to their past, without regard to the image or the impact.
To put the issue into context, if you consider that on an individual basis, there are some people who would never use the N-word to refer to a black person, regardless of the circumstances…and then, there are some that would. Individually, it’s highly likely that we have different attitudes and feelings about the types of people who do, and do not use this type of language. We’ve probably all been forced to make decisions about those types of people, based on their word choice. Clearly, some offensive things are considered by the vast majority of people to be completely unacceptable. So, the idea is not a strange concept.
We cannot claim ignorance. Every dictionary available today publishes the definition of the R-word as offensive, vulgar, dated, derogatory or disparaging. (to be clear, no dictionary lists the word as acceptable, and to a person, I’m willing to bet that if your own child was referring to people by this term, there would be severe repercussions…) We really don’t ever hear the word used in any other context in our society. We cannot claim that no one cares. Since the 1960’s groups and individuals have been working to remove this name and the accompanying attitudes which have allowed it to persist. We cannot claim that there’s nothing we can do, because clearly, there is. We can start by refusing to use the name, anywhere, any time for any reason. Unlike the multitude of published news articles about this same subject, I’ve managed to write this story without use of the term. Acceptable alternatives abound. The Washington football team, the Washington R-words, the NFL football franchise from Washington D.C. Most importantly, people can have a direct affect on the team itself. People could refuse to attend or watch their games, buy their merchandise, support the team, etc. No one is obligated, for any reason, to support a racist organization, or even organizations who support racist organizations. Players could take a stand and voice their opinions, even knowing such a courageous position would likely be controversial and perilous to their careers. But, for the most part, this doesn’t happen. People simply accept things as they are, without really thinking or caring about what it all means.
We can spend more time talking about the effects of the name. How it lessens a people, how it inspires others to be racist. (check the home crowd if you don’t believe it…) How normalizing offensive terms reduces everyone’s moral character. But, it seems clear that deep down, we all know right from wrong, which is why no one would never use that word…outside of referring to this particular football.
Like I said, it’s an offensive epitaph that thankfully, has been all but removed from our daily lexicon. Yet, tune into a Washington football game on any given Sunday, and you’ll hear the word spoken over, and over and over again. As if it’s totally fine.
Hundreds Attend ‘Not Your Mascot’ Rally Protesting Washington Team Name Before Vikings Game
“MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A coalition of tribal governments, Native American activists and supporters of the native community plan to rally Thursday afternoon to urge the Washington Redskins to drop their team name and mascot.
A coalition of Minnesota Native American tribes and organizations will host a “Not Your Mascot” march that will turn into a rally at The Commons near U.S. Bank Stadium. Participants will gather at Peavey Plaza at 2 p.m. and the march is slated to start at 4 p.m.
This wouldn’t be the first time there’s been a protest in Minnesota over the Redskins team name. Back in 2014, thousands gathered outside TCF Bank Stadium.
“Five years ago, we gathered outside TCF Bank Stadium to encourage the retirement of the Washington NFL team name,” Mille Lacs Band Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin said. “Since then, nothing has changed – the Washington NFL team still unapologetically uses the worst Native American racial epithet…”
Mickey Moore
Article URL : https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/10/24/not-your-mascot-rally-planned-to-protest-redskins-name/