It’s surely time for NFL to ban Washington’s ‘Redskins’ moniker

Supporting Black Lives Matter movement will mean nothing if league doesn’t put pressure on Dan Snyder to change team’s name

Protesters gather before a Washington Redskins match to vent their anger at the team’s racist moniker. Picture: Stacy Revere/Getty Images

It is not often NASCAR gets held up as an example when it comes to the US sporting landscape. Still, over the past two weeks, they have managed to shine a light on other sports by banning the confederate flag, one of the most controversial associations with the sport.

NASCAR took the brave step of potentially alienating a portion of its fanbase by banning the confederate flag from all its events, and was met with a resounding chorus of cheers as the traditionally southern sport set an example other pro sports need to follow.

In the US we see a fondness for teams named after tribes from their geographical region, like the Chicago Blackhawks, and it has given global recognition to these names. While the teams have sought on-field success, off the field Native American groups have fought the profiteering from names like Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL and MLB’s Atlanta Braves.

While these names and logos can be offensive, there has been a shift among ownership and league management to engage with these communities and to bring a balance to their usage, although none as successful as the Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles, an American football team, work closely with the Florida Seminole tribe to build business opportunities, to add authenticity in a symbiotic relationship.

While using tribal names isn’t acceptable, it still comes in at a higher level than the downright racism of the Cleveland Indians (baseball) or the most debated name in professional sports, the Washington Redskins – note this will be the last time I use that term in my column.

Washington is named not after a tribe, or even a race – they instead carry a term that has and still is used as a racial slur.

Washington is an NFL team based in the District of Columbia, the capital city of the USA, a place where laws are written and where the whole country looks to for leadership.

The team already has a controversial past after initially being named the Boston Braves –well at least it’s less racist – before changing to their current moniker when they shared Fenway Park with the Red Sox in 1933.

Then owner and founder of the team George Preston Marshall moved the team to Washington in 1937 and continued as owner until his death in 1969. Marshall’s controversy doesn’t end there; he was the last owner to integrate African American players into his team in 1962 almost 20 years after the first teams became integrated, then only doing so because the league forced his hand.

Current team owner Dan Snyder, while having a less divisive past, has so far refused to consider changing the team name even telling USA Today “NEVER – you can use cap” when asked about the subject.

Now is the time for the wider NFL and DC community to step up and force a change. The NFL cannot expect to be taken seriously in its changed course, supporting protesting and fighting for equality, if it allows a team to continue with a name that is a racial slur.

As for the local community, Snyder is currently lobbying the city for a new publically-funded stadium and the city can use this as a weapon for change; if Snyder wants his new billion-dollar facility on taxpayers’ money then it’s time to change the name.

In today’s climate, a new team that has a nickname and logo that is an offensive stereotype would never be allowed in the NFL, or for that matter, any sport. The fact that the NFL hasn’t acted on this yet is shocking in itself.

To call or identify anyone by their skin colour is wrong and while some will argue that Native Americans use it, that is their prerogative and their choice – it is not for a professional sports team to profit from.

The NFL has to act now, or all of its support for Black Lives Matter is just a corporate shill, a move to appease a movement and collect its hard-earned cash. If the league wants to show authentic leadership in the battle for equality, then they should put their money where their mouth is. If Washington owner Snyder disagrees then maybe it’s time that the District of Columbia and the NFL found a new owner.

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