“If the NFL season opens as planned with training camps this summer, Washington’s team should do so under another name. Under its new name. Whatever that might be.” —
Barry Svrluga, Washington Post
More:
“Change the name of the Washington NFL team. Now.” Washington Post editorial
“The Washington football team can’t duck and run on its name ever again,” Mike Wise, Washington Post
“Daniel Snyder has a chance to change the legacy of the team he loves. He should.” John Feinstein, Washington Post
Updates:
“Does Congress have the leverage to force a name change for Washington’s football team?” Clyde McGrady, Roll Call
“Native American Leader Challenges Players on Washington’s NFL Team to Sit,” Andrew Beaujon, Washingtonian
Washington DC’s professional football team lived up to its name in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The DC team, named after a variety of potato (USDA B 2368-4) with a red-pigmented skin, was buried in the turf like its namesake tuber for a 24 – 16 loss. Washington players will have plenty of time to plan their vegetable gardens since, with a 3-7 record, they’re probably gonna be out of the playoffs.
In an interview with AP’s Julie Pace on Friday, President Obama said he would “think about changing” the Washington NFL team’s racist name if he owned the pro football franchise. “I don’t know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things,” said the president, who went on to praise the team’s loyal fan base.
“Before he lay in a hospital bed, convalescing after reconstructive knee surgery, I thought that Robert Griffin III would be the perfect person to take on a problem that’s been plaguing Washington for decades: our football team’s ill-considered, objectionable, offensive, racist, totally unacceptable name.”
— “Only RGIII can make the Redskins change their name. Here’s why he won’t.” Mike Wise, Washington Post
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NFL cheerleader tryout finals were held at the State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia today. You may be thinking “Hey! Falls Church doesn’t HAVE an NFL team,” and you’re right. The team in question has “Washington” in its name, right before a racial slur, but it practices in Virginia and plays in Maryland.
Anyway, NFL cheerleaders are picked for their athletic skillsdance talent personalities and pom-pom prowess. They’re all about the same height, too. But don’t think pro sports cheerleaders are dumb; many are scientists and engineers. Need empirical proof? Observe this demonstration of classical mechanics:
Washington DC’s allegedly professional football team, the one with the racist name and the worst record in the NFL, has decided to stop embarrassing itself on the field and will now compete on the fashion runway. In a partnership with Portland-area couturier Nike, the oversized athletes will sport new designer ensembles as they lumber across your television screen this fall in a version of reality show America’s Next Top Model. Inexplicably loyal fans will want to compost their old replica team jerseys and buy new ones to profit billionaire team owner Dan Snyder, widely recognized as the worst owner in the NFL.
Related:
“Court Won’t Block State Vote on ‘Fighting Sioux’ Name,” Inside Higher Ed
This week, many Washingtonians were shocked — shocked! — to realize that the name of their professional football team is a racial slur. The way the team plays, they probably assumed it was named after some type of potato.
More:
“You Know What’s Linsane? The Redskins’ Name,” Martin Austermuhle, DCist
“D.C. Officials Want Redskins Back, But What About That Name?” Elahe Izadi, DCentric
The ACLU wants to slap Dan Snyder with a penalty. That’s Dan Snyder, millionaire owner of DC’s NFL team, and SLAPP, as in Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. A SLAPP is a rich man’s bludgeon, used to suppress criticism or other actions by pesky peons who lack the financial resources to fight back. In this case, a critical sportswriter in DC’s weekly alternative newspaper. Mr. Snyder first filed his SLAPP in New York, then re-filed in the District of Columbia.
But DC has an anti-SLAPP law, as the ACLU just reminded him. Some other folks noted that, too, and signed on to the ACLU’s amicus brief: D.C. Councilmember Mary M. Cheh (a law professor), National Public Radio, Public Citizen, the American Society of News Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, WJLA-TV 7, and WUSA-TV (Channel 9).
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