Name Change

Nane? :crazy:

I think it's a bunch of BS! They've been trying to for a long time now, but to no avail! When I was in Jr. High we were the Cherokee's, a couple of years ago they changed their name to the Bruins to be "politically correct". Like I said, BS!
Oh, last I heard, Fl. St. still has the Seminole tribe's blessing on their name!

I don't give a hoot wheather or not they change their name.I just don't understand the term Redskins.I've seen a pretty good number of Indians in my lifetime.They've come from Canada all the way south to Mexico including the USA.I've yet to see my first red one.

How long were they called the "Redskins"? Since 1932!!! And now it's a problem??? Who says this political correct crap this country is engulfed in isn't pure BUL!$#^T??? Can't wait for what's next.

I'm a quarter Sioux - the name doesn't offend me and I was raised off and on at the edge of the reservation.

A lot of the complaining is being done as a way of generating publicity for the complainers. They may or may not be offended by the name.
The KC Chiefs get the same flack every now and again but "Chiefs" isn't anywhere as polarizing as "Redskins".

In Highschool our soccer team was called "The Indians" but a person that had an Indian as his father's father's father and that gave him the right to advocate that the name be removed because it offended him as an Indian. I actually have just as much Indian blood as he does myself. So for that last year we did not have a team name, symbol, mascot, or anything, we were called our city's name while people looked for a suitable alternative. Our school didn't even fight it, they dropped it in fear the instant it was brought up, anything to avoid a lawsuit.

So what's next, tall people offended by the NY/SF Giants???? Sedentary, awkward people offended by the Oakland Athletic's? ALL of Canada that is NOT in Montreal offended by the Canadiens? US Northerners offended by the NY Yankees??? I am actually having fun with this and could keep going .......... :nana:

Well, one thing is for sure. We had better not name a team "The Americans;" every single person in this country will be able to both ban it and collect the proceeds from the inevitable lawsuit!

Since 1932!!! And now it's a problem???

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Actually, it's been a problem all along - it's just that now people are finally paying attention to the issue of using racial epithets as team names/mascots.

Just go to a, "Indian Casino". It's all about money. You'll sure as shit see them perpetrating native stereotypes when there is a buck to be made, but they don't get any coin from the Red Skins and other similarly named organizations so they need to complain about it. I bet if they were paid royalties you'd never hear a peep.

I guess I'd have to be a member of a group whose name is being "adapted" for a sports team without my

permission or participation to know if this is legitimate cultural self-assertion or opportunism. Think they'll

have one called The Old White Geezers? I might actually cheer for that one, as long as they won at least half

the time.

I bet if they were paid royalties you'd never hear a peep.

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Hm. I suppose we could start by honoring any one of the treaties our government broke over the years...
For the record, I have no Native heritage myself, and I'm not even a football fan. I just have a lot of friends who are First Nations (Ute, Cherokee, Wampanoag) and I used to work for a museum with a large collection of Native American artifacts that worked closely with the tribes to provide education about actual Native life and culture as opposed to the hurtful stereotypes. Just speaking up because nobody else is, at this point... This thread seemed like it could use some counterpoint.

Think they'll have one called The Old White Geezers? I might actually cheer for that one, as long as they won at least half the time.

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The University of Northern Colorado has an intramural basketball team called The Fighting Whites, named specifically to call attention to the issue of Native American stereotypes in sports. No idea what their record is, though, mso489.

This thread seemed like it could use some counterpoint.

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Glad to see it, Phred. Courtesy and respect go a long way, and do not, IMO, have anything to do with being "politically correct".

Courtesy and respect are fine. But due to PC they have been beaten into the ground and used to political advantage.
I have the same bona fides as Phred.
That said, I am totally fine with the status quo. There have been, in the last 40 years quite a bit of movement in the cause of the first nation peoples.
I don't think this is going to make much difference.
If you want to make a difference, you can go back and not implement the reservation system. Had the first nations integrated with the rest of our peoples, they wouldn't have half the problems they have now.
Taking away 90 year old sports team names won't fix that. It is insulting to think it will.

I think the name should be changed to The DC’s for two reasons:
1) The team does after all reside in and represent the District of Criminals. Why besmirch the noble Red Race by associating it with such a place?
2) DC can also appropriately stand for Divide and Conquer...which is exactly what all of the race-baiting BS such as this manufactured debate is really about. The last thing the Kleptocratic Oligarchy wants is for all of us peasants to come together and figure out that we’re all being screwed. They just want to keep us distracted with racial politics. Divide and Conquer is the oldest trick in the book.
As a great Native American said, “The United States is one big reservation, and we are all in it.” – Russell Means

Courtesy and respect are fine. But due to PC they have been beaten into the ground and used to political advantage.

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I've posted my opinions about Political Correctness elsewhere. And I'll be honest - I run the risk of becoming exactly that which I detest on this thread, as I'm not personally affected by the use of the term "Redskin", except to dislike the term as much as I dislike any other racially insensitive slur. I'm not comfortable arguing on behalf of others, as it can come across as the sort of insincere or condescending PC outrage that drives me bananas.
That said, I find myself replying once more...

I have the same bona fides as Phred.

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Always a pleasure to meet someone else with no interest in football. :D

That said, I am totally fine with the status quo. There have been, in the last 40 years quite a bit of movement in the cause of the first nation peoples.
I don't think this is going to make much difference.

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Probably not to you. Certainly not to me. But for those Native Americans who have to put up with the use of the term every football season, even a gesture as small as renaming a major league football team can have an impact. Despite all we're told about sticks and stones, word can indeed be hurtful - and there are plenty of other proverbial cliches out there about how much power words actually have (pen mightier than the sword for starters). If you're curious about the effects of words on people, look up the research that Jane Elliot has been doing with her Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes exercises.

If you want to make a difference, you can go back and not implement the reservation system. Had the first nations integrated with the rest of our peoples, they wouldn't have half the problems they have now.
Taking away 90 year old sports team names won't fix that. It is insulting to think it will.

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There are certainly problems with the reservation system - but it's not as if the Native American tribes were allowed to "integrate". The reservation system was set up specifically to prevent integration, especially the ones in Oklahoma that were set up after the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which removed Native populations from Florida, North Carolina, Mississipi, and Alabama. Fun fact - the Act was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but President Andrew Jackson ordered the removal anyway, figuring nobody had the political or military power to tell the U.S. Army "no"... In other words, the Natives worked within our system to try and redress a legal wrong being done to them, WON, and still got screwed. Why would anyone want to "integrate" into a system that stacked against them?
Yeah, in the greater scheme of things, renaming a sports team doesn't seem like that big a deal. At least not to those of us who aren't directly affected by it. But continuing to use the term is adding insult to injury, IMHO.
And finally, if it's not that big a deal, why not change the name? Just think of the merchandise sales opportunities... :wink:

There was an NHL team called the Brooklyn Americans. Not sure if they evolved into a current team or just folded.
I can understand people wanting the team to change the name. Most people I've met refer to their heritage by their tribal name like "I'm Cherokee". I haven't met too many people that have said, "I'm a redskin.".