Hail to the Redskins: Try as They Might… President, PC Media Will Never Get Team Name Changed

You just knew this was coming…

President Obama—who has lots of time on his hands these days (cancelling trips to Asia to stay home to not talk to the other side during a partial government shutdown tends to free up the schedule)—has now weighed in on a subject only the politically correct and/or morally superior are talking about:

Renaming the Washington Redskins.

For his first four years in office, Mr. Obama never commented on it. Only now does he suddenly take issue with it:

“If I were the owner of the team and I knew that the name of my team — even if they’ve had a storied history — was offending a sizable group of people, I’d think about changing it,” Mr. Obama told the AP.

Telling private businesses how to run their business is nothing new for this President, so at least give him props for being consistent.

To review the “controversy”, the Redskins are an NFL team that has existed since 1932.

In the 30s, there was no public outcry to change the name.

In the 40s, there was no public outcry to change the name.

In the 50s, there was no public outcry to change the name.

In the 60s, there was no public outcry to change the name.

Same goes for the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s.

But thanks to a recent rise in political correctness and white guilt, 81 years after the franchise came into existence, justlikethat the name has become offensive to a select few. Sports writers—ones I respect enormously—Bill Simmons (ESPN/Grantland), Christine Brennan (USA Today) and Peter King (Sports Illustrated)—are experiencing a change of heart after decades in the business. Moving forward, they declare, each will no longer include the word “Redskins” when doing any stories about the team.

No matter. Team owner Dan Snyder has vowed he will never change the name. And really, what would ever prompt him to do so? Snyder is a businessman, and a very successful one at that. His Redskins, despite not winning a Super Bowl in over 20 years (or have even appeared in one), continue to be a league leader (Top 4) in attendance since purchasing the team in 1999. This is important, because only a tangible loss in revenue directly connected to a public backlash around the Redskins name is the ONLY thing that will force a change as long as Snyder is the owner.

Period.

Having said that, the efforts of Simmons, Brennan, King (and DC-based magazines such as Slate) will have ZERO impact in changing Snyder’s mind. President Obama—he of the 41 percent approval rating in the latest Gallup poll—will also have as much influence here as he does in, say, Moscow. In fact, the Redskins released a statement through their attorney (Lanny Davis, a Democrat and Fox News Contributor) following the President’s remarks that included the following:

“As a supporter of President Obama, I am sure the president is not aware that in the highly respected Annenberg Institute poll (taken 2004) with a national sample of Native Americans, 9 out of 10 Native Americans said they were not bothered by the name the ‘Washington Redskins.’

“The president made these comments to the Associated Press, but he was apparently unaware that an April 2013 AP poll showed that eight out of ten of all Americans in a national sample don’t think the Washington Redskins name should be changed.

“We at the Redskins respect everyone. But like devoted fans of the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Blackhawks (from President Obama’s hometown), we love our team and its name and, like those fans, we do not intend to disparage or disrespect a racial or ethnic group.

“The name ‘Washington Redskins’ is 80 years old – it’s our history and legacy and tradition. We Redskins fans sing ‘hail to the Redskins’ every Sunday as a word of honor not disparagement.”

Well said. Even better stated was ESPN’s Rick Reilly in a recent piece defending Synder’s decision. What especially made the column a must-read was Reilly’s diligence in reaching out to High Schools where the student population is overwhelmingly Native American who also have Redskins as their team name.

A portion of his September 18th ESPN.com commentary:

And I definitely don’t know how I’ll tell the athletes at Wellpinit (Wash.) High School — where the student body is 91.2 percent Native American — that the “Redskins” name they wear proudly across their chests is insulting them. Because they have no idea.

“I’ve talked to our students, our parents and our community about this and nobody finds any offense at all in it,” says Tim Ames, the superintendent of Wellpinit schools. “‘Redskins’ is not an insult to our kids. ‘Wagon burners’ is an insult. ‘Prairie n—–s’ is an insult. Those are very upsetting to our kids. But ‘Redskins’ is an honorable name we wear with pride. … In fact,
I’d like to see somebody come up here and try to change it.”

On cue, Reilly was called a racist by some for having the audacity to pick up a phone and do some actual reporting. Such is America in 2013…

So to sum it up:

There have been no mass protests outside of FedEx field, the home of the Redskins demanding a name change.

Eight in ten Americans don’t want the name changed.

Most fans in the DC-area don’t want the name changed.

Native Americans are mostly apathetic on the issue.

But…a growing number of white sports writers are certainly passionate about it.

Still…the Redskins are worth $1.55 billion (roughly double of what Synder paid for the team back in 1999) and are the NFL’s most profitable team over the past decade, according to Forbes.

So…why would Synder change the name if:

His customers don’t want the name changed…

And…

They continue to spend boatloads of money to see his product perform…

While…

Wearing its paraphernalia proudly?

Money makes the world go round.

The name ain’t going to be changed as long as the owner is still breathing.

Good for him.

All of the “public outcry” you may be hearing about largely only exists in the media and from politicans looking to score some cheap points.

Sing it loud. Sing it proud.

Hail to the Redskins.

[photo via AP]
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This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.