Redskins Controversy

When you hear team names like Redskins, Blackhawks, Chippewas and Seminoles you may not automatically think of the racism behind the names. However, does this make it any less offensive to someone else? For many decades Native Americans have had to deal with racism in the name of sports teams. Many of these teams in the past have changed their names, however the Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder simply refuses to do so. The debate over changing the Redskins controversial and racist name is an extremely hot topic, and it seems now a days that everyone has their opinion on it.  There are many very different yet very arguable claims.

The most popular opinion on the name change is that the Redskins have been around since 1932 and that changing the team name would also change the legacy of the team. Money also plays a huge factor in why many people side with the owner on not changing the name. They say that spending all the money to re-brand the whole name would be too much of a hassle. However, there have been many sports teams in the past that have changed their racist names many years ago. There is no excuse for such ignorance and selfishness; we, as a nation, should not still be having this debate in 2013.

Some people feel the name does not need to be changed simply because most people do not think that the name is offensive in any way. However, many people also argue that if it does not affect you personally, then you will not be offended by the name. Some others suggest that only non-Native American people are interested in the name change, however from the pictures I have seen the Native Americans seems to be pretty active in the protests and debate. Personally, I do not feel offended when I hear the name Redskins simply because of the fact that I am not Native American, but that does not make this injustice acceptable in society. We should make each and every race feel welcome in this country. We should not keep offensive names just because no one else is offended by them or because the team name is classic. This debate is extremely ironic as well especially because we are the foreigners and the Native Americans are the natives in this country.