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The Washington Redskins name controversy involves the name and logo of the Washington Redskins which has been a source of controversy between its owners, certain Native American groups, fans, and the United States government. Some Native American groups insist that the term redskin is a racial epithet, and as such, it perpetuates demeaning stereotypes of Native Americans. Numerous civil rights, educational, athletic, and academic organizations consider any use of native names/symbols by non-native sports teams to be a harmful form of ethnic stereotyping which should be eliminated. Others believe that the name is honoring the achievements and virtues of Native Americans, and that it is not intended in a negative manner. Former Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke said "I admire the Redskins name. I think it stands for bravery, courage, and a stalwart spirit and I see no reason why we shouldn't continue to use it." These differing opinions have led to controversy, protests and legislative action.

History

The Washington Redskins were originally known as the Boston Braves. In 1933, co-owner George Preston Marshall changed the name to the Redskins, possibly in recognition of the then–head coach Lone Star Dietz, who claimed to be part Sioux. On July 6, 1933, the Boston Herald reported that "the change was made to avoid confusion with the Braves baseball team and the team that is to be coached by an Indian (Dietz)... with several Indian players."

Dietz's true heritage has been questioned by some scholars. There is also the fact that, in 1933, the Boston Braves moved from Braves Field, which they shared with baseball's Boston Braves, to Fenway Park, already occupied by the Boston Red Sox. The name Redskins was chosen by Marshall. The Washington Redskins name and logo, which is a picture of an Native American, was officially registered in 1967.

Origin and Meaning

The origin of the word "redskin" is debated. Some scholars say that the word was coined by early settlers in reference to the skin tone of Native Americans. Smithsonian Institution senior linguist and curator emeritus Ives Goddard asserts that the actual origin of the word is benign and reflects more positive aspects of early relations between Native Americans and whites. It emerged at a specific time in history among a small group of men linked by joint activities that provided the context that brought it forth. That context was the need for a term that all could use in negotiating treaties during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is later that the term became more pejorative. A linguistic analysis of books published between 1875 and 1930 show an increasingly negative context in the use of redskin, often in association with "dirty", "lying", etc.; while benign or positive usage such as "noble" redskin were used in a condescending manner. The term continued in common use until the 1960s, as evidenced in Western movies, but is now largely considered a pejorative and is seldom used publicly aside from football teams. As with any term perceived to be discriminatory, different individuals may hold differing opinions of the term's appropriateness.

Other Redskins

On its official website, the Washington Redskins have posted articles referencing high school teams using the same name (and often the same logo). The athletic director of Coshocton High School in Ohio is quoted as saying "We are very proud of our athletic teams and very proud to be called Redskins!" The principal of McCloud High School in McLoud, Oklahoma states that not only students, but the local Native American population takes pride in the name. The coach at Lamar High School in Houston, TX states that “Our school is 75 years old and there’s a lot of pride in it,” he explained. “I think it’s a great mascot, as all of the traits of a Redskins warrior are something to be admired."

The Capitol News Service in Maryland has verified that there are 62 high schools in 22 states continuing to use the Redskins name for their teams, 40% of which have had local efforts to change the name; while 28 high schools in 18 states have dropped the name over the last 25 years.

Controversy

There is much debate whether the use of the word "Redskin" is acceptable as a name for a sports team. Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune wrote in 1992 " are the only big time professional sports team whose name is an unequivocal racial slur. After all, how would we react if the team was named the Washington Negroes? Or the Washington Jews? ... It is more than just a racial reference, it is a racial epithet." Larry Dolan, owner of the Cleveland Indians, has criticized the Redskins' team name during a discussion of his own team's controversial Native American logo, Chief Wahoo. According to Dolan, "If we were the Redskins, the day after I owned the team the name would have been changed".

The unofficial mascot of the team is an African American man, Zema Williams (aka Chief Zee), who has attended games since 1978 dressed in a red faux "Indian" costume complete with feathered war bonnet and tomahawk. It is not unusual for other fans to attend games in similar costume.

Many others believe that the name is a positive reference to the culture of Native Americans. Many Redskins fans say that it is a reference to the strength and courage of Native Americans. Some scholars counteract this argument by saying that any stereotype, whether positive or negative, is a hindrance to the advancement of a group. Scott B. Vickers quotes Susan Harjo "the use of any stereotype in the portrayal of Indians is considered ... to be contributory to their dehumanization and deracination."

Advocates of changing the team's name argue that stereotyping of Native Americans must be understood in the context of history which includes conquest, forced relocation, and organized efforts to eradicate native cultures, such as the boarding schools of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which separated young Native Americans from their families in order educate them as Euro-Americans. "Since the first Europeans made landfall in North America, native peoples have suffered under a weltering array of stereotypes, misconceptions and caricatures. Whether portrayed as noble savages, ignoble savages, teary-eyed environmentalists or, most recently, simply as casino-rich, native peoples find their efforts to be treated with a measure of respect and integrity undermined by images that flatten complex tribal, historical and personal experience into one-dimensional representations that tells us more about the depicters than about the depicted."

Protests

Soon after the team's Super Bowl XXII victory, a number of Native Americans wrote letters to Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke encouraging him to change the name. Others boycotted Redskins products and protested. At one protest "Native Americans handed the fans redskin potatoes as they entered a Redskins game, suggesting that if the team will not change their name altogether, then they should at least change their mascot to the potato." Many of these events were led by Suzan Shown Harjo of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Cooke responded to these pleas in an interview stating "There's not a single, solitary jot, tittle, whit chance in the world that the Redskins will adopt a new nickname."

There was a large protest at the 1992 Super Bowl between the Redskins and the Buffalo Bills. Since the game was held in Minnesota, the area's large Native American population was able to voice their anger over the name. The American Indian Movement's (AIM) Vernon Bellecourt was one of the main organizers and voices of the event. Before and during the game, approximately 2,000 Chippewa, Sioux, Winnebago, and Choctaw, and other Native Americans and members of the local population protested. Some of the signs they carried read "We are not Mascots", "Promote Sports not Racism", and "Repeal Redskin Racism".

With the renewed effort to eliminate the name during the 2013 football season, protests have occurred wherever the Redskins have played, particularly in cities with a significant population of Native Americans; such as Dallas, Denver and Minneapolis .

Stadium move

In the 1990s the owner at that time, Jack Kent Cooke, wanted to build a new stadium in Washington, D.C. In addition to other legal and environmental requirements that delayed the project, U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell introduced legislation that would have required Cooke to change the name of the Redskins before a stadium deal could be approved.

The possibility of a move back to the District of Columbia prompted Mayor Vincent Gray to state that a name change would need to be part of the discussion.

Legal and regulatory action

In 1992, Suzan Shown Harjo, President of the Morning Star Institute, joined forces with other prominent Native Americans as well as the Dorsey & Whitney law firm of Minneapolis and petitioned the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). They based their lawsuit on the idea that federal trademark law states that certain trademarks are not legal if they are "disparaging, scandalous contemptuous, or disreputable." The legal battle went on for seven years and in 1999 the PTO judges canceled the federal trademarks of the Redskin name "on the grounds that the subject marks may disparage Native Americans and may bring them into contempt or disrepute."

The owners appealed the decision to a district court in the District of Columbia in Pro-Football, Inc. vs. Harjo. The court reversed the PTO's decision on the grounds of insufficient evidence of disparagement. Subsequent appeals have been rejected on the basis of laches, which means that the Native Americans had pursued their rights in an untimely and delayed manner. However a second case, Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc., with younger plaintiffs whose standing might not be hindered by laches is proceeding in 2013. If the trademark were canceled, the Washington Redskins would be able to keep the name and many of their federally trademarked rights, but they may lose millions of dollars worth of merchandise sales.

A bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives on March 20, 2013 by Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, Delegate from American Samoa, and co-sponsoed by 19 others to amend the Trademark Act of 1946 to void any trademarks that disparage Native American Persons or Peoples, such as redskins. Ten members of congress also sent a letter to the NFL commissioner, all of the team owners including Dan Snyder, and Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx, a primary sponsor of the team; requesting that the name be changed due to the many Native American organizations that oppose the continued use of the name, and in order to fulfill the NFL's own policy regarding diversity. A co-sponsor, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D - DC), stated she supports the local team but not the name.

Some members of congress and former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials have sent a letter to the FCC asking that the use of "redskin" by broadcast media be punished in the same manner as the use of any racial slur, sanctions including fines and refusing to renew licenses.

Public opinion polls

Despite vocal and legal action from Native American groups and scholars, the vast majority of people surveyed on the subject in prior years did not find the name offensive. Following the 1992 Super Bowl protests, The Washington Post posted a survey in which "89 percent of those surveyed said that the name should stay." In a study performed in 2004 by the National Annenberg Survey, Native Americans from the 48 continental U.S. states were asked "The professional football team in Washington calls itself the Washington Redskins. As a Native American, do you find that name offensive or does it not bother you?" In response, ninety percent replied that the name is acceptable, while nine percent said that it was offensive, and one percent would not answer. The possible flaw in random and anonymous polls of Native Americans' opinion is that they must rely upon self-identification to select the target group. In an editorial in the Bloomington Herald Times, Steve Russell, an enrolled Cherokee citizen and associate professor of criminal justice at Indiana University, states that both SI and Annenberg's samples of "self-identified Native Americans... includes plenty of people who have nothing to do with Indians". The problem of individuals claiming to be Native American when they are not is well known in academic research, and is a particular problem when non-natives claim Indian identity to gain authority in the debate over sports mascots.

More recent national polls show continued support for retaining the name, although lower (79%) than previously. The opinion of Redskin fans continues to favor keeping the name. Comments made by fans on the web in response to news stories tend to dismiss the controversy as political correctness, and that the name refers to nothing except the football team.

In July 2013 The Washington Post conducted a phone survey of people living in the DC Metro Area. No questions about ethnicity were asked, only whether respondents supported the continued use of the Redskins name and if they were sports fans in general and fans of the team in particular. A vast majority of fans supported the retention of the name, but they also said that if it did change, they would continue to support the team. A small majority (56%) of those that would keep the name also thought that the word "redskin" was not an appropriate way to describe a Native American Indian.

Similar results came from a poll of residents of the DC Metro Area commissioned by the Oneida Indian Nation of New York and conducted in October, 2013 which found that although sports fans want to keep the name, 59% also say Native Americans have a right to feel offended by the term redskins and 44% say that when they learn the term is defined as 'offensive' by the dictionary, they are more likely to support changing the team name. Additionally, most people (66%) say that if Snyder meets with Native American leaders, he should not refer to them as "redskins" because the term is inappropriate.

Comments in the media

Print publications

The following publications limit their use of the team nickname, although most said they would not strike "Redskins" from quotations:

• Kansas City Star (24 Sep. 2012): The Star's public editor defended his publications' "longtime policy" of avoiding the term "Washington Redskins" by finding "no compelling reason ... to reprint an egregiously offensive term as a casual matter of course."
• Washington City Paper (18 Oct. 2012): The alt weekly WCP unveiled the results of its readers poll, referring to the capital's NFL team thereafter only as "Washington Pigskins" (or "'Skins") "instead of the name the team prefers, which is a pejorative term for Native Americans."
• The New Republic's editor, Franklin Foer, tweeted that his publication would follow Slate's "air-tight" logic and drop "Redskins" from its stylebook.
• Mother Jones magazine said it would be "tweaking our house style guide" by following Slate, The New Republic, and the Washington City Paper, referring thereafter to "Washington's pro football team."
• The Richmond Free Press announced October 17, 2013 that it will no longer use the Washington NFL team name in news or editorial columns because it is "insulting to Native Americans, racist, and divisive".
• San Francisco Chronicle (30 Oct. 2013): The Chronicle's managing editor Audrey Cooper told KCBS that the paper would refer to the team as "Washington," adding, "Why should we err on the side of using an offensive term when we don't have to?

Internet sites

• DCist (11 Feb. 2013): The Washington-area news website DCist published an editorial announcing it would refer to the local NFL club as the Washington football team instead of its trademarked name, which DCist agreed is "distasteful, vulgar, and racist."
• Slate in a story (8 Aug. 2013) stated, "This is the last Slate article that will refer to the Washington NFL team as the Redskins."

Broadcast media

Robert Lipsyte states that there has been discussion about the use of the name at ESPN, but it is unlikely that it or any other major sports network will stop using Redskins in reporting due to a general consensus that it should report the news (including the controversy) but not take sides, and that taking sides would injure their ability to cover the games. There are also the corporate affiliations that make it unlikely. Steven Gaydos, Vice President & Executive Editor of Variety states his opinion that the broadcast networks should tackle the Redskins name issue.

Writers / Commentators

The following individuals in the media have taken a position that the name should be changed, some also deciding that they will stop using it in their own reporting.

• Christine Brennan of USA TODAY Sports: "It's the right thing to do. If that's not reason enough, try explaining and defending the nickname to a child. It's impossible." In a subsequent column Brennan writes that the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell should make the decision that the owner is resisting.
• Bob Costas, NBC Sports: Redskins’ name was “undeniably” a slur.
• Kevin Ewoldt, Managing Editor for HogsHaven.com, SB Nation's Redskins' website: "It's the organization we root for and bond with, not a picture or mascot name."
• John Feinstein, sports columnist and commentator: "Daniel Snyder ‘knows no shame’."
• Mike Florio, NBC Sports: ntent doesn’t matter; people say unintentionally offensive things all the time...some Native Americans are offended, and the number seems to be increasing.
• Tim Graham, The Buffalo News: "The R-word should not tumble from our mouths so effortlessly, so thoughtlessly."
• Sally Jenkins, Washington Post columnist: "It’s time the grown-ups talk sense into Daniel Snyder"
• Peter King: "I can do my job without using , and I will."
• Tony Kornheiser, Sports Writer and ESPN Commentator, wrote in 1992 that the name should change.
• Charles Krauthammer, political columnist, wrote that unlike other examples of "the language police" he dislikes, use of the term redskins has become a pejorative in modern times similar to the use of the term negro for African Americans and that the name should be changed.
• Robert McCartney, reporter for the Washington Post
• Cortland Milloy, columnist for the Washington Post
• Bill Plaschke, sports writer for the LA Times: "'Redskins' is no honor, it's an insult."
• Leonard Pitts Jr., The Miami Herald: "‘Redskins’ is an offensive word, period."
• William C. Rhoden, New York Times Sports columnist, compares Redskins owner Dan Snyder to Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama, both being on the wrong side of history.
• John Smallwood, Philadelphia Daily News Columnist: "I no longer will consciously used the official name of the NFL team in Washington"
• Jim Vance, news anchor for NBC4 in Washington, DC comments on racism towards any other minority not being tolerated, using the example of Jeremy Lin.
• Juan Williams, Fox News: If the team gets a new name its gotta be good.
• Mike Wise, sports writer for the Washington Post has been a long-time critic of the name.
• Dave Zirin, Sports Editor for the Nation

Support for the name

In 1992, columnist Andy Rooney wrote that protesting team names such as "Redskins" is silly, but after receiving many letters from Native Americans he wrote "when so many people complain about one thing, you have to assume you may have been wrong".

One of the few to publicly defend the use of the name currently is sports writer Rick Reilly of ESPN, making a case similar to the owner and fans that all discussions about native mascots and names are mere political correctness, "silly", and do not take into account the Native Americans who are not offended. As proof Reilly quotes his father-in-law, a member of the Blackfeet tribe of Montana. However, the father-in-law, Bob Burns, has replied that he was misquoted, and actually said "if the name offends someone, change it". Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation, replied in an article that Reilly's was the "Most Irredeemably Stupid Defense of the Redskins Name You Will Ever Read". (Many writers and bloggers were quick to point out that Reilly's 2013 column could be used as a point-for-point counter-argument to his 1991 Sports Illustrated column "Let's Bust Those Chops", which argued against the continued use of all Native American names and mascots.)

On Fox News, George Will commented about all complaints regarding Indian mascots: “It’s capricious action by the sensitivity police, and they ought to mind their own business”.

Current status

In May 2013 ten members of Congress sent a letter to the team owner and the NFL Commissioner requesting that the name be changed since it is offensive to Native Americans. Dan Snyder responded that the name will never change, and in June 2013 Roger Goodell cited the nickname's origins and traditions and polls that support its popularity. In direct response to the President's comment, the team's lawyer, Lanny Davis, repeats the team position that no offense is intended to Native Americans, and refers to both the 2004 poll and a recent AP poll that show a large majority of people nationally support the continued use of the name.

The Oneida Indian Nation of New York is sponsoring a series of radio ads as part of a new campaign to have the name changed. The campaign included a symposium and protest that coincided with a meeting of the NFL. The topic came up in an interview of President Barack Obama, who stated that if he were the owner of the Redskins, he would consider changing the name because it offends many Native Americans. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi has also stated that the name should be changed.

The National Congress of American Indians has issued a report summarizing opposition to Indian mascots and team names generally, and the Washington Redskins in particular.

In response to the continued controversy, the team owner Dan Snyder sent an open letter to fans that was published in The Washington Post on October 9, 2013. In the letter Snyder states that the most important meaning of the name Redskins is the association that fans have to memories of their personal history with the team. Snyder also states that the name was chosen in 1933 to honor Native Americans in general and the coach and four players at that time who were Native American; and that in 1971 the then coach George Allen consulted with the Red Cloud Indian Fund on the Pine Ridge reservation when designing the logo. However the Red Cloud Athletic Fund sent a letter to the Washington Post stating that "As an organization, Red Cloud Indian School has never—and will never—endorse the use of the name “Redskins.” Like many Native American organizations across the country, members of our staff and extended community find the name offensive."

On October 30, 2013, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell met with the Oneida Indian Nation and Dan Snyder separately to discuss the Redskins name. Snyder informed Goodell that he does not intend to change the team's name. According to Oneida spokesman Joel Barkin, the league defended the use of the Redskins name. "We are very disappointed," Barkin said. "This is the beginning of a process. It's clear that they don't see how this is not a unifying term. They don't have a complete appreciation for the breadth of opposition of Native Americans to this mascot and name."

See also

• Hail to the Redskins
• List of sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples
• List of ethnic sports team and mascot names
• Nacotchtank - The extinct Native American tribe whose home was in what is now Washington, DC.

Notes

1. "Legislative efforts to eliminate native-themed mascots, nicknames, and logos: Slow but steady progress post-APA resolution". American Psychological Association. August 2010. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
2. "Braves Pro Gridmen To Be Called Redskins". The Boston Herald. July 6, 1933. Retrieved 10/14/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
3. "A Linguist's Alternative History of 'Redskin'". Washingtonpost.com. 2005-10-03. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
4. Ives Goddard (2005). ""I AM A RED-SKIN":The Adoption of a Native American Expression (1769–1826)" (PDF). European Review of Native American Studies. 19 (2).
5. Bruce Stapleton (March 6, 2001). Redskins: Racial Slur or Symbol of Success?. iUniverse. ISBN 0595171672.
6. Steinberg, Dan (October 23, 2012). "'Around the Horn' and the Redskins". The Washington Post. Retrieved 02/06/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
7. "'We Are Very Proud To Be Called Redskins'". Feb 11, 2013. Retrieved 10/20/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
8. "McLoud: 'Our Community Is Proud Of Our Name'". Feb 12, 2013. Retrieved 10/20/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
9. "Lamar: 'Once A Redskin, Always A Redskin.'". Feb 13, 2013. Retrieved 10/20/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
10. "The Other Redskins". Retrieved 10/20/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
11. Page, Clarence (September 21, 1992). "'Redsins' - A name that insults". The Free Lance-Star. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
12. ^ Stillman, Nick (9 February 2001). "Dolan Defends Logo That Students Call Racist". The Oberlin Review. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
13. Kogod, Sarah (December 11, 2012). "Redskins fan gives himself an Indian name, gets DeAngelo Hall's helmet". The Wasington Post. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
14. "APA Resolution Justifications" (PDF). American Psychological Association. 2005. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
15. CARTER MELAND and DAVID E. WILKINS (November 22, 2012). "Stereotypes in sports, chaos in federal policy". The Star Tribune. Retrieved 2013-01-30.(Carter Meland (Anishinaabe heritage) and David E. Wilkins (Lumbee) are professors of Native American Studies at the University of Minnesota)
16. "Indians Protest". The Pittsburg Press. January 23, 1988. Retrieved 10/16/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
17. "2,000 at Metrodome protest Indian mascots". The New York times. 01/27/1992. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
18. "Battle over controversial Redskins name comes to Dallas". The Dallas Morning News. Associated Press. October 13, 2013.
19. Simon Moya-Smith. "'It's always been about the hatred of Indian skin': Native Americans, allies protest Washington Redskins in Denver". NBC News. Retrieved 11/02/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
20. Will Brinson (October 26, 2013). "Metrodome will use 'Redskins' name in stadium despite protests". CBS News. Retrieved 11/02/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
21. Kovaleski, Serge (October 28, 1993). "Delays Push Back Stadium's Chances for 1995 Opening". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
22. DeBonis, Mike (January 9, 2013). "Redskins name change should be discussed, Vincent Gray says". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
23. "United States Patent and Trademark Office". Retrieved 10/16/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
24. Erik Brady (May 10, 2013). "New generation of Native Americans challenges Redskins". USA Today. Retrieved 05/10/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
25. "MEMBERS OF CONGRESS URGE SNYDER AND THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE TO CHANGE THE WASHINGTON TEAM'S NAME". Retrieved 10/30/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
26. Johnson, Andrew (March 21, 2013). "House Dems Introduce Bill to Ban 'Redskins' Trademark". The National Review. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
27. Andrew Johnson (June 11, 2013). "Congressmen, Former FCC Officials Ask Agency to Punish Use of 'Redskins' on Air". National Review. Retrieved 10/20/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
28. King, C. Richard. The Native American Mascot Controvery: A Handbook p.268. Peter Harris Research Group. (2002) Methodology for Sports Illustrated survey on the use of "Indian" nicknames, mascots, etc. Document produced by The Peter Harris Research Group and shared with Ellen Staurowsky in January 2003.
29. "Some collected materials about the NCAA's decision to ban "Indian" sports mascots from the Indianapolis area". Retrieved 2013-01-27.
30. Springwood, Charles (02/2004). ""I'M Indian Too!": Claiming Native American Identity, Crafting Authority in Mascot Debates". 28. Journal of sport and social issues: 56. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
31. *Ben Nuckols (05/03/2013). "Poll: Controversial Redskins name has support". Associated Press. Retrieved 10/12/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
32. Tom Geoghegan (09/12/2013). "Washington Redskins: Time to change the name?". BBC. Retrieved 09/17/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
33. "Should the Washington Redskins change their name?". The Washington Post. July 30, 2013. Retrieved 10/16/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
34. Derek Donovan, "Star policy on Washington NFL team's name," 24 Sep., http://adastrum.kansascity.com/?q=node/1534 (accessed 9 Sep. 2013).
35. Mike Madden, "Hail to the Pigskins!" http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2012/10/18/hail-to-the-pigskins/ (accessed 9 Sep. 2013).
36. Franklin Foer, @FranklinFoer (twitter), cited in "The New Republic Joins Slate, Will Stop Using ‘Redskins," http://dcist.com/2013/08/the_new_republic_joins_slate_in_ban.php (accessed 9 Sep. 2013).
37. Ian Gordon, "Ditching the Redskins, Once and for All," 9 Aug. 2013, http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/08/ditching-redskins-nfl-dan-snyder-slate (accessed 9 Sep. 2013).
38. Associated Press (October 18, 2013). "Richmond Free Press banishing name 'Redskins' in coverage of Washington NFL team". The Washington Post.
39. Melissa Curlos, KCBS radio (San Francisco, 30 October 2013), "San Francisco Chronicle Will Not Use Washington Redskins Name" (KCBS), http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/10/30/san-francisco-chronicle-will-not-use-washington-redskins-name/
40. "We Are Very Proud to Omit the Name of the Local NFL Team "
41. David Plotz, "The Washington _________: Why Slate will no longer refer to Washington’s NFL team as the Redskins," 8 Aug. 2013, http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2013/08/washington_redskins_nickname_why_slate_will_stop_referring_to_the_nfl_team.html (accessed 9 Sep. 2013).
42. Robert Lipsyte (September, 6, 2013). "So what if ESPN refused to use the R-word?". ESPN. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
43. Steven Gaydos. "Hey, Broadcast Chiefs: Time To Tackle Redskins' Racist Mascot Problem". Variety.
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45. Christine Brennan (October 10, 2013). . USATODAY. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
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48. Kevin Ewoldt (Feb 8, 2013). "4 Reasons a Redskins Name Change Should Not Bother You".
49. Dan Steinberg (May 13, 2013). "John Feinstein says Daniel Snyder 'knows no shame'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 06/19/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
50. Mike Florio (October 5, 2013). "Redskins go on offensive in defending team name". NBC Sports. Retrieved 11/03/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
51. Tim Graham (June 10, 2013). "I don't need Daniel Snyder's, NFL's permission to stop saying R-word". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 11/03/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
52. Sally Jenkins (02/13/2013). "On Washington Redskins' name, it's time the grown-ups talk sense into Daniel Snyder". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
53. Peter King, "A note from me about the use of the nickname 'Redskins'," Monday Morning Quarterback, 5 Sep. 2013, http://mmqb.si.com/2013/09/06/eli-manning-new-york-giants-dallas-cowboys/2/ (accessed 9 Sep. 2013)
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55. Charles Krauthammer (October 17, 2013). "Redskins and reason". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10/20/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
56. Robert McCartney (February 6, 2013). "Drop 'Redskins' name? Time to take a stand". The Washington Post. Retrieved 05/30/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
57. Milloy, Cortland (8 January 2013). "What's in a name? The Redskins' bad karma". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
58. PLASCHKE, BILL (September 18, 2009). "'Redskins' is no honor, it's an insult". LA Times. Retrieved 01/17/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
59. Leonard Pitts Jr. (06/16/2013). "'Redskins' is an offensive word, period". The Miami Herald. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
60. WILLIAM C. RHODEN (October 12, 2013). "Redskins' Owner Stubbornly Clings to Wrong Side of History". Retrieved 10/21/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
61. By John Smallwood (June 16, 2013). "Taking a stand against Washington football team's offensive Redskins name". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved 11/03/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
62. Steinberg, Dan (9 January 2012). "Jim Vance on Jeremy Lin and the 'Redskins'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
63. Juan Williams (October 16, 2013). "Redskins debate -- if team gets new name it's gotta be good". FoxNews.com. Retrieved 10/21/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
64. Wise, Mike (January 11, 2013). "Only RGIII can make the Redskins change their name. Here's why he won't". The Washington Post. Retrieved 01/17/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
65. Mike Wise. "Chief Zee, the Redskins and the setting sun". The Washington Post. Retrieved 09/08/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
66. Dave Zirin (February 11, 2013). "Redskins: The Clock Is Now Ticking on Changing the Name". The Nation.
67. Dave Zirin, "Enough: An open letter to Dan Snyder," grantland.com, 13 Jun. 2013, http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9376010/rename-washington-redskins (accessed 9 Sep. 2013).
68. Andy Rooney (April 16, 1992). "An Apology to Indians... Sort of". The Hour. Retrieved 11/02/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
69. Rick Reilly (September 18, 2013). "Have the people spoken?". ESPN. Retrieved 10/15/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
70. Ryan Van Bibber (10/10/2013). "Rick Reilly allegedly misquoted Native American father-in-law in Redskins column". Retrieved 10/18/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
71. Dave Zirin (09/18/2013). "Most Irredeemably Stupid Defense of the Redskins Name You Will Ever Read". Retrieved 10/18/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
72. Rick Reilly, "Let's Bust Those Chops: Native Americans have every reason to object to the way they're caricatured by teams," Sports Illustrated (28 Oct. 1991), http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140310/index.htm
73. Dan Steinberg (October 15, 2013). "Charles Krauthammer and George Will debate 'Redskins'". The Washington Post.
74. "U.S. reps urge end to 'Redskins'". ESPN. Retrieved 06/13/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
75. "Roger Goodell defends Washington Redskins' nickname". NFL.com Wire Reports. June 12, 2013. Retrieved 06/13/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
76. "Redskins attorney responds to Obama". USA Today. 10/16/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
77. Associated Press (September 5, 2013). "NY tribe launches radio ad against Washington Redskins, saying name is a racial slur". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
78. MICHAEL HILL (10/03/13). "Redskins Name Controversy: Oneida Indian Nation Plans Symposium To Coincide With NFL Meeting In DC". The Huffington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
79. David Nakamura (10/05/2013). "Obama: 'I'd think about changing' Washington Redskins team name". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10/05/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
80. Andrew Johnson (October 28, 2013). "Pelosi Joins Anti-'Redskins' Chorus". The National Review. Retrieved 10/30/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
81. "NCAI Releases Report on History and Legacy of Washington's Harmful "Indian" Sports Mascot". Retrieved 10/11/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
82. "Letter from Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to fans". The Washington Post. 10/09/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
83. "Letter from Red Cloud Indian School on the Washington Redskins name". The Washington Post. 10/12/2013. Retrieved 10/18/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
84. Don Van Natta Jr. (October 30, 2013). "Oneida, NFL meet about 'Redskins'". ESPN.com. Retrieved 10/30/2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

References

• King, C. R., and Charles F. Springwood, eds. Team Spirits The Native American Mascots Controversy. New York: University of Nebraska, 2001. 191-207.Print.
• Ming, Robert D., ed. "How Politically Correct Must a Trademark Be?" Pepperdine Law Review 22.4 (1995): 13-19. Hein Online. Web.
• Delacruz, Elizabeth M. "Racism American Style and Resistance to Change: Art Education's Role in the Indian Mascot Issue." Art Education 56.3 (2003): 16. Web.
• Vickers, Scott. "American Identities: From Stereotype to Archetype in Art and Literature." Michigan Civil Rights Commission Report (1998): 68-69. Print.
• Miller, Jackson B. ""Indians" "Braves" and "Redskins". A Performative Struggle for Control of an Image." Quarterly Journal of Speech 85 (1999): 188-202. JSTOR. Web.
• National Annenberg Election Survey. Rep. University of Pennsylvania, 2004. Web.

• Washington Redskins
• 20th-century controversies
• 21st-century controversies
• Controversies in the United States
• Cultural appropriation
• National Football League controversies
• Sports mascots