Section106 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Wow, I go away for a few days and..... Devil421, you do know that the current name glorifies the warlike aspect of native culture? The rationale that is used to counteract the racism charge is that the name is refering to the red paint that the native warriors would don to go do battle. I don't see how pivoting from an old warrior to a new warrior theme is that controversial. Especially when you consider the amount of soldiers, DOD civilian employees, military contractors, veterans, civilian gov't employees, and elected officials and their staffs that live and work in the DMV. To honor the warfighter, the US Military and their support network would be a genius marketing strategy. I live in Hampton, work for the VA, am the husband/caretaker of a 100% total and permanent disabled veteran, and am on Langley AFB weekly. I have never heard the amount of military/goverment contract/contractor advertising as I do on gameday in and around FedEx Field. The military is the life blood of the DMV so I suggest you get used to it. Naming the team after a militrary theme would simply be a smart recognition of who and what the people that buy the majority of the tickets and merchandise are all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 The Washington Generals already existed in the 70's as an exhibition basketball team... The way the Redskins have been playing for the last 2 decades, this might be the most perfect choice so far. :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268798/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Em5d95ws Tribal leaders thank Obama for Redskins comments Native American leaders used a meeting at the White House on Tuesday to thank President Barack Obama for wading into the controversy over the Washington Redskins team name and voicing his concern that the nickname was offensive. Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Nation, which has led efforts to get the National Football League team to change its name, thanked the president for speaking out. Other tribal leaders responded with applause during the meeting in the Roosevelt Room. Obama's meeting with tribal leaders was closed to reporters. The developments were described by a tribal representative familiar with the meeting. The person was not authorized to discuss the private talks by name and insisted on anonymity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Obama recently had the Chicago Blackhawks at the White House to celebrate their Stanley Cup win since he is from Illinois and roots for Chicago teams. According to some Native Americans, including the NCAI, the Blackhawks are offensive because they don't have the permission of the local tribe to use the name and NA themes in sports in general are offensive. I am assuming he told their owner to think about changing the name too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubble Screen Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Washington Generals would be a great alternative, I agree. And obviously we would use red white and blue unies (screw the Giants). I also like the Federals. Of course I'm not advocating a name change. Just offering up suggestions, should we change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s0crates Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I don't mind changing the name, but I would prefer to keep the mascot. Something like Red Clouds or Natives or Americans or, my favorite: the Washington Nation. I at least want to keep the burgundy and gold no matter what happens with the mascot. I could even see becoming the first team with no mascot. Just simply Washington or the Washington football club or something. I hate the idea of red, white, and blue or any other such drastic change. My biggest fear is we end up like the Bullets. No offense to Wizards fans, but that is one of the worst mascots in all of sports. The Wiz? Terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warskins65 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Worth a watch, not name related, but pride related. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UNzpEISkrU HTTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonniey Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 A well written and balanced article from the National Interest. Click link for entire article. http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/redskins-manufactured-controversy-9395 Excerpts "....... The sudden escalation of the Redskins team name controversy is not the result of an organic shift in public opinion where the term has gradually grown to offend more people. This isn’t a case of evolving standards of decency. It is a controversy manufactured by select people, exercising raw political and cultural power. It’s undeniable that the Washington football franchise has a mixed legacy with race, going from racist owners and a segregated locker room to being a team that advanced black quarterbacks and united a city across racial lines. Yes, the Redskins song once exhorted fans to “Fight for old Dixie!” But the blunt fact is that sports team names are not designed to be insulting or derogatory. A team is named to depict its members and fan base in a positive light, emphasizing character traits that are beneficial in sports. No one would name a team the Washington Idiots (although such a name seemed justified during the worst moments of the Jim Zorn era) or the Baltimore Buffoons. There is a reason there is a team called the New England Patriots and not one named the New England Traitors. A team name almost by definition is intended as a compliment rather than a slur........ ...... Institutions should sometimes change even cherished customs and traditions out of respect for others. But this requires mutual respect, a desire to let other communities keep what is important to them without powerful reasons to the contrary. This is the difference between decency and political correctness. It is as fundamental as the difference between doing something because it is right and doing something at the behest of the politically and culturally powerful. Perhaps someday public opinion will shift in a direction that necessitates a Redskins team name change. More likely, a small group of activists will wear everyone else down and people with more important things to worry about will decide it isn’t worth the fuss. You can make the case that the former is progress. The latter would make the Redskins name something to mourn." http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/redskins-manufactured-controversy-9395 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/16/21495221-students-ban-redskins-get-sent-to-principal?lite Students ban 'Redskins,' get sent to principal Classic court cases involving students and free speech usually involve teens trying to push the limits of provocative, political or even profane language. But a looming clash of cultures at a suburban Philadelphia football powerhouse presents a new twist on the usual First Amendment fight. Editors of a student newspaper are getting heat from school officials after banning the word "Redskins'' - their mascot at Neshaminy, a high school named for the creek where the Lenape Indians once lived. "Detractors will argue that the word is used with all due respect. But the offensiveness of a word cannot be judged by its intended meaning, but by how it is received,'' read an Oct. 27 editorial in the Playwickian, backed by 14 of 21 staff members. (An equally well-written op-ed voiced the dissenting group's opinion.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Washington Generals would be a great alternative, I agree. And obviously we would use red white and blue unies (screw the Giants). I also like the Federals. Of course I'm not advocating a name change. Just offering up suggestions, should we change. So your suggestions are a two crappy former DC teams ? The USFL Federals played at RFK...ugh. The Generals are a sideshow/circus act. And Red. White, and Blue ? Absolutely not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 I don't mind changing the name, but I would prefer to keep the mascot. Something like Red Clouds or Natives or Americans or, my favorite: the Washington Nation. Wonder what the Browns logo is, what about the Lakers ? I find it interesting that some people equate mascot with logo. Although, I have seen some say that it exists, but I have also seen some say "ain't" is a word. To me a mascot is typically a logo (sometimes related to the name or logo). Sometimes they have then in the stands or on the field to hype the crowd up. The Wizards mascot is a prime example, as is the Phillys, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s0crates Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 When I use the word "mascot," I have in mind the standard English usage of the term: a symbolic figure that represents a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 So what figure represents the Browns or the Lakers ? The Phillies ? There are plenty of other examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s0crates Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 So what figure represents the Browns or the Lakers ? The Phillies ? There are plenty of other examples. The Browns mascot is Paul Brown. The Lakers don't have a mascot, just a name. I'm a bit unclear what point you are getting at though. I was saying I would like to keep the Native American mascot but change the name. Otherwise, I could also see being without a mascot, but keeping the colors. What I would hate to see is a complete overhaul like what happened to the Bullets. I'm not clear on how any of that hinges on what a mascot is, or whether a team necessarily needs one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 I don't think we have a mascot. A logo is not a mascot. we could have a dog for a mascot. A mascot is just a lovable thing that hangs around with the group,, doesn't have to be a symbol or a representative. I like our logo. i can't see how anyone could see it as anything but proud and strong and wise. ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFKFedEx Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Anybody read the Post's long article on Halbritter over the weekend? http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/oneida-indian-nation-is-the-tiny-tribe-taking-on-the-nfl-and-dan-snyder-over-redskins-name/2013/11/16/10ef9290-4c88-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html Imo Halbritter has a lot of paralells w/ Snyder, aside from their obvious differences on the name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grego Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Anybody read the Post's long article on Halbritter over the weekend? http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/oneida-indian-nation-is-the-tiny-tribe-taking-on-the-nfl-and-dan-snyder-over-redskins-name/2013/11/16/10ef9290-4c88-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html Imo Halbritter has a lot of paralells w/ Snyder, aside from their obvious differences on the name. halbitter and the post. opportunist person meets opportunistic rag. perfect together, really. still, shocking, almost, that they wrote an article actually mentioning his 'controversial' side. kudos, i guess. even if they are months late on the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grego Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 “I learned what ‘redskin’ means through my family — and specifically, through the experience of seeing them left to die by a local fire department that didn’t think it was their responsibility to help us because we are Native Americans,” he said. “They saw us not as individual human beings or fellow Americans, but as people that didn’t deserve to be treated as equals. They saw us as redskins.” well, theres the problem right there .he assigned his own personal definition to a word. one that suited his purposes, and apparently still does. must be nice. somebody gave him an uneducated opinion when he was younger and never put his big boy pants on to actually learn what it really meant. shame, since hes obviously educated. he should know better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 well now that we suck, no one cares about our name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s0crates Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 well now that we suck, no one cares about our name. I'm starting to think the way we suck is the reason to change the name. Nothing but despair has followed us since 1999. Even success breeds despair around here (eg #21, RGs ACL). There have been few constants besides the name and the owner. I'm not usually prone to magical thinking, but if ever there was a case for a curse . . . Maybe it is time to change it. Just don't make it stupid like the Wizards. Change the name only, keep everything else the same. Hopefully that will end our streak of anguish. It is not like anything else has worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I'm starting to think the way we suck is the reason to change the name. Nothing but despair has followed us since 1999. Even success breeds despair around here (eg #21, RGs ACL). There have been few constants besides the name and the owner. I'm not usually prone to magical thinking, but if ever there was a case for a curse . . . Maybe it is time to change it. Just don't make it stupid like the Wizards. Change the name only, keep everything else the same. Hopefully that will end our streak of anguish. It is not like anything else has worked. Yet, we won six pre-merger division titles, two NFL Championships, five NFC Championships, three Super Bowls and seven NFC East titles with the name. If there's a hex over us, it sure took its time to get here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 This team is run by a bunch of idiots. That's not a reason to change the name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 If they change the name, then they need to change everything. Don't try and figuratively flip the bird by changing only the name, and leaving everything else, as if to mock people, and go by "Warriors" or something else dumb, and pretend to still "Honor" native americans, desperately holding on past the point of ridiculousnes. If you're going to change it, then be completely free of it. Let it go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s0crates Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Yet, we won six pre-merger division titles, two NFL Championships, five NFC Championships, three Super Bowls and seven NFC East titles with the name. If there's a hex over us, it sure took its time to get here. Hex started in 1999, when Snyder won a law suit over the name.First hit on a botched field goal against Tampa in the playoffs, maybe you remember it. We have had two good teams since then. One lost its best player tragically. The other saw its best player suffer a career threatening injury. Edit: brain fart redacted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 First hit on a botched field goal against Tampa at home in the playoffs, maybe you remember it. No, I remember a botched FG in Tampa, but the one at home escapes my memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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