Story: "Could 'Redskins' be banished once and for all?"

[slinky]

is this an attempt to set a legal precedent by going after the small guys using the name "Redskins" in order to come after our team?

Could 'Redskins' be banished once and for all?

By Howard Yune/Appeal-Democrat

February 28, 2008 12:35:00 AM

A possible move to replace Colusa High School's Redskins sports mascot could start as early as next month.

Board members for the Colusa Unified School District on Tuesday announced plans on how they'd take the mascot's future to the public if the board decides to drop Redskins, one of a collection of tribe-themed high school and college monikers criticized by Native American activists as caricaturing tribal cultures.

for complete story...

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/school_60896___article.html/redskins_high.html

also this link

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/redskins_61192___article.html/indians_american.html

[corrupt3d]

no, because the high school is a public institution, funded by the government

we are a private institution.

[Fifty Gut]

no, because the high school is a public institution, funded by the government

we are a private institution.

Bingo, thread over.

[moss1981]

they've tried and tried dan has to much money and it will never happen colleges can do it and high schools can too. they are public i am not worried

[dfbovey]

The government regulating public schools or things run by the State is completely different than telling a business what they can and can't name their company... or in the case of the Washington Redskins, their team.

[Master Blaster]

no, because the high school is a public institution, funded by the government

we are a private institution.

At one point in time, this idea was 100% accurate. However, the line has become blurred in recent years.

Deciding who businesses can/cannot hire, whether or not they can allow smoking, and regulating when they can be open have all slowly eroded property rights in this country.

It is inevitable that we will see the Redskins forced to change their name. It may be a decade or two, but it will happen. As the PC crowd continues to push their agenda more and more, and this same crowd finds jobs in educational institutions because they cannot take their ideas into real life practice, the next generation will be filled with people that think this way.

Our only hope of stopping this is to have something similiar to the Thermodorian Reaction seen in the French Revolution, where the people finally said enough is enough. Recent growth in support for Ron Paul shows that their is an ever increasing number of people that are starting to feel this way, as his "revolution" grows exponentially, not geometrically.

However, this is a sports message board, and people don't come here to read this, so I will stop.

Good day.

[motorhead]

I don't it will ever happen. That's why I can say if it does I will sale all my redskins gear on Ebay for the big bucks.

[Pourdanesh]

yes we're private, and the government can't tell us what to call ourselves. but they do provide us with federal trademark protection, and there are laws re: "offensive" trademarks. if the gov't yanked this intellectual property protection, you think danny would keep the name/moniker? anyone out there could (legally) slap them on a shirt or poster ..

anyway, the courts have held that, since we've used this so long, it would be unfair to force us to relinquish the protection now. so it doesn't look like anything will happen soon, but it's possible ...

[Big Ted]

I agree with everybody you cant force a private company to change names because some people are offended

Danny boy won't change the name(he shouldn't either) hes a marketing guy. He knows the power of the Redskins name and he would be shooting himself in the foot by changing.

[Master Blaster]

I agree with everybody you cant force a private company to change names because some people are offended

Danny boy won't change the name(he shouldn't either) hes a marketing guy. He knows the power of the Redskins name and he would be shooting himself in the foot by changing.

Exactly.

You can't force them to change the name, but like Pourdanesh said you can take away the exclusive rights to the trademark. Do you think Danny would keep the name if the trademark was removed, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue?

Look into how the legal system/government works sometime. They rarely say "you must do this." They do, however, provide incentives to do something or punishment for failure to do something. Basically, they force your hand. That is how the nickname will possibly be taken away.

[dfbovey]

You can't force them to change the name, but like Pourdanesh said you can take away the exclusive rights to the trademark. Do you think Danny would keep the name if the trademark was removed, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue?

It's a recognizable brand that millions have identified with for decades. There would be cost and revenue lost changing the name as well.

[Tennessee Ed]

I wonder what a new name would be, that would keep a link to the Redskins history.:logo:

[Thiebear]

Henry Waxman will be presiding over this next April.

[Cpt.Chaos47]

I really don't think it will happen atleast not anytime soon. I've seen many Native Americans on TV say they don't care about Mascot names. I the government has more things to worry about well they should. Its ridiculous how much of our tax money the government spends on crap like steroids in baseball and going after Roger Clemens. I'm Irish and The Notre Dame Fighting Irish doesn't bother me and thats a very sterotypical name saying the Irish like to fight. I just think there are bigger things to worry about in this country then a team name.

[Big Ted]

Exactly.

You can't force them to change the name, but like Pourdanesh said you can take away the exclusive rights to the trademark. Do you think Danny would keep the name if the trademark was removed, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue?

Look into how the legal system/government works sometime. They rarely say "you must do this." They do, however, provide incentives to do something or punishment for failure to do something. Basically, they force your hand. That is how the nickname will possibly be taken away.

its an interesting view on it, but if the gov't can remove the trademark why hasn't it happened yet? changing the the skins name isn't a new concept.

[Mackdaddydean]

they've tried and tried dan has to much money and it will never happen colleges can do it and high schools can too. they are public i am not worried

Honestly, the money really doesn't have much to do with it. The courts have ruled in our favor nearly every time. In fact the only time they didn't (when our trademark to the name was taken away) was overturned a few years later.

EDIT: Well i guess money helps for getting a good lawyer to argue your case. And the possible extreme of paying off a judge. But i don't think that's happening.

[elkabong82]

This stuff gets more and more tired each year. So many don't even bother to look up the root of the word, and just assume it is racist. I can honestly say I have never heard the word Redskin used as a racial slur. We started as the Boston Braves, named after the baseball team there at the time. We moved to D.C. so had to change the name, but the coach at the time, his mother was Sioux and the team kept the Native American moniker, changing the name to something synonomous.

You look at teams like the Cleveland Indians, with the big smiley face Indian mascot named Chief Knock-a-homah. That is offensive, as is there name, seeing as Native Americans have tried very hard to get eradicate the term Indian when it is in reference to them. All the complainers are doing is seeing "red" and "skin" and thinking it is racist because a color is used in combination with the word skin. People call white people white, but that is acceptable because we are the majority in this country so that makes it ok. The double standard is absurd.

I have yet to read an article complaining about the Redskins name where they mentioned even one positive about the team, like their charity work year in and year out, putting out a good name for the word Redskin. None of them ever seem to want to admit that we did name our team in honor of their people, I view that as more of a sign of respect than anything. If you had hostility or dislike for a people, why would you name the team after them? Why would a Native American be head coach for the team at one point?

I know the term Redskin may sound offensive, but I think that is more the doing of this cravenly PC culture as of late. They are effecting many aspects of life, because heaven forbid someone get their feelings hurt. As a kid, PG movies had a swear or two, nowadays if you smoke a cigarrette in amovie it is an automatic R rating. It's out of control, and in my opinion, that is why some people see the word "Red" and "Skin" together, and automatically think it is racist.

[CG]

There's not enough of a legal/financial lobbying presence for this to ever happen. Native Americans simply lack the wherewithall to make it happen, and I'm sure under enough pressure, the government would reconsider their stance. But as things are, it won't ever happen. Its probably offensive to some people, but not the right people.

[dfbovey]

I wonder what a new name would be, that would keep a link to the Redskins history.:logo:

Probably the Injuns.

[blusun]

I wonder what a new name would be, that would keep a link to the Redskins history.:logo:

Dan Snyder has trademarked the name : "Washington Warriors"

Could be a possible name:

http://www.slate.com/id/2065416

[Peregrine]

There is a large difference between a government funded, and private organization. That said, the government has become so overbearing and out of control in recent years, its not far fetched to say it would try very hard to get the name changed by force.

That said, there are three very large things in our favor. First and foremost the name is revered and loved around the nation. The "Redskins" are an organization with a long history, a large fanbase, and who's name is only used in a good way(with the exception of the occasional drunk Cowboys fan). Its ironic how a name viewed by some as an insult, is never used as an insult by any football fan. When was the last time you heard a Cowboys fan try and insult us by calling us "Redskins". Think about it. The only insults they throw are perversions of the name. Even to them the name is a positive symbol.

Second, because of so many cases over the years, those wishing to change the name have actually done themselves a great disservice. They have built up precedent for keeping the status quo. Now there is ruling after ruling in our favor that any future judge can be pointed to. We all know how important precedence has become in our justice system.

Third, even among those who some would expect to be "offended" by the name, there are very few who are. Most are(like some of us) rational human beings and see that there really is no need to change the name. In order for a change like this to occour, there would have to be a much larger outcry to push it along. A few scattered people filing lawsuits isnt going to do it.

[HogNose]

I wonder what a new name would be, that would keep a link to the Redskins history.:logo:

If it came down to it we could be called the " Washington Skins" but would still be called the Redskins by fans, etc. Kind of like how people still call the 49'ers stadium CandleStick Park or the Broncos' Mile High.

[jistardy]

This stuff gets more and more tired each year. So many don't even bother to look up the root of the word, and just assume it is racist. I can honestly say I have never heard the word Redskin used as a racial slur. We started as the Boston Braves, named after the baseball team there at the time. We moved to D.C. so had to change the name, but the coach at the time, his mother was Sioux and the team kept the Native American moniker, changing the name to something synonomous.

You look at teams like the Cleveland Indians, with the big smiley face Indian mascot named Chief Knock-a-homah. That is offensive, as is there name, seeing as Native Americans have tried very hard to get eradicate the term Indian when it is in reference to them. All the complainers are doing is seeing "red" and "skin" and thinking it is racist because a color is used in combination with the word skin. People call white people white, but that is acceptable because we are the majority in this country so that makes it ok. The double standard is absurd.

I have yet to read an article complaining about the Redskins name where they mentioned even one positive about the team, like their charity work year in and year out, putting out a good name for the word Redskin. None of them ever seem to want to admit that we did name our team in honor of their people, I view that as more of a sign of respect than anything. If you had hostility or dislike for a people, why would you name the team after them? Why would a Native American be head coach for the team at one point?

I know the term Redskin may sound offensive, but I think that is more the doing of this cravenly PC culture as of late. They are effecting many aspects of life, because heaven forbid someone get their feelings hurt. As a kid, PG movies had a swear or two, nowadays if you smoke a cigarrette in amovie it is an automatic R rating. It's out of control, and in my opinion, that is why some people see the word "Red" and "Skin" together, and automatically think it is racist.

Thank you for your post. I feel the same way. It is misinterprited in such a large spectrum. Maybe we make a movie or somethimg on PBS of the true makings of the Redskins. I don't know how to educate the masses but I sure believe they are influenced by one who knows where to strike a nerve. For the good or bad. It is a shame that we are so headstrong and form an opinion of an ideal. Before we gain knowledge of such an ideal. History has proven that people have mistakenly changed the dynamics of civilazations over miss informed conceptions. And eventualy lead to their demise, only in the future we can look back on it and realize how powerful a trivial idea truley was. Sadly it repeats itself agin and again. As the greatest species of apes, I am humble in our own wake.

Until Next Time

HTTR

[CM916]

The "caricature" argument doesn't really work for our version of the logo, although I haven't seen what these schools use. There are some that copied us exactly.

[Predicto]

Of course, there are about 5 "true" stories about the origin of the Redskins name.

I'm in the minority - I think we probably should change the name (but I don't care much about it either way). It will always be my team, whatever the name.

However, I do disagree on one thing: I think a savvy marketer like Danny could change the name and uni and make many millions in extra profit out of the change. He could package doggy doots in plastic bags and make money off it. :laugh: