Washington Redskins name change? Ah…Talk to Mom on Mother’s Day, first.
Count this blogger’s mother as a staunch supporter of the name Washington Redskins, and she has never met Mr. Snyder, whereas I have. Good guy in my book. But my Mom’s main point is that she thinks the Redskins name is positive, and while she doesn’t think of Native Americans when she hears it (football is what she thinks of), to her, it’s a positive image, and not a negative one.
In our debate, I said that perhaps it was time for a change if some weren’t happy with the Redskins current name. But then I considered that the Dallas Cowboys are called just that, no one thinks of Native Americans when they think of Cowboys, and the most common image is that of a white male. With that, I don’t see white men up in arms about the name Dallas Cowboys.
See?
Washington Redskins Owner Daniel Synder told USA Today “We will never change the name of the team,” Snyder told the newspaper in an interview this week. “As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season. We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”
Mom says that we have to get beyond this racial hypersensitivity and embrace American history. And after disagreeing with her on the video, I’m starting to see it her way.
And not just because it’s Mother’s Day.
Stay tuned.