The Washington Redskins name has been in the media quote a bit this year after many have criticized the use of a racial slur as a team nickname and now some native Americans are doing something about it, as the Oneida Tribe from upstate New York is launching a campaign against the nickname.
According to ESPN.com, the tribe will launch a radio ad campaign that fights against the use of the nickname by the NFL franchise, as many feel that it is a racial slur and should be changed. So far Dan Snyder, who owns the team and is happy that he has one of the most valuable brands in sports to keep him rich, has refused to change it or to even acknowledge that it should be changed. Instead he hired a fake Indian chief to go around defending the name and also employed focus group testing about the name.
The report says that the tribe will have ads run during the Monday night football game between the Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles that opens the season for both teams. The campaign will include Oneida Nation Representative Ray Halbritter speaking about the name and that the NFL should fight back against "bigotry" and should have the name changed. He mentions that the people should not be called redskins, but instead should be called "Americans".
The radio ad mentions the issues that came up with Riley Cooper and his racial slur video and while the NFL defended what happened there vigorously, the ad says the same should happen in this situation. Even Congress got involved, as 10 members signed their names to a letter to the league and the team asking them to change the name from the slur, which dates back to a past owner that was a reported racist and wanted the Redskins to be the "team of the south".
While the team has said that the nickname has positive connotations after being associated with the club for so long, many Native Americans have been trying to get the name changed for years to no success and now this push will try and make it into a bigger issue. The game should get a high rating and while many hope the team name will change, greed will likely win out.
