Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia recently weighed in on the subject of the racist team name of the Washington Redskins. He said the name is disrespectful and urged owner Dan Snyder to change the name immediately. Following the powerful ad launched by Native American lobby group ChangeTheMascot.org hopefully concern over the issue is growing. Snyder and the front office, as well as the NFL, are still digging in their heels, however. They have even hired a fancy lobbyist to handle PR concerning the mascot issue.
Rep. Moran expounded on the true origin of the term "Redskins" this week. It didn't merely serve as a pejorative for Native Americans. It referred to the scalps of natives which fetched a nice bounty at the time (via TMZ):
"In fact, Moran's got advice for team officials -- saying, 'They should give the football team a name that's respectful of all Americans ... particularly Native Americans.'
"Moran told Talk Radio News Service ... 'It's wrong to glorify that term. Those native Americans who know the background are rightfully offended, so I think [team owner Dan Snyder] is going to have to change the name.'"
Not one to take kindly to being told what to do with his property, Dan Snyder has hired lobbyist Ben Tribbett to fix their PR problem. He is going to fix it with Twitter (via Washington Post):
"'I have been a Redskins fan my entire life,' Tribbett told Richmond's NBC 12, which first reported the news of Tribbett's hiring. 'It is an honor to help the team promote a tradition that means so much to so many people.'"
The biggest obstacle to name change is public apathy but hopefully people will start to listen to reason and demand that the team take swift action and change their incredibly offensive name.
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