Introducing the Washington Football Team

Photo Courtesy of Washington Football Team/Twitter

Finally! The former NFL Washington R******* change their team name after constant backlash and criticism for using a racial slur against the Native American population. After changing the team name back in 1933, on July 13th 2020 the team announced they would finally part ways with their offensive team name and would be getting a new logo as well. For the 2020-2021 season, they will be named the Washington Football Team as they haven't decided on a new name yet and don't want to rush their decision.

However, this decision didn't come from the notion of doing the right and just thing, it happened because sponsors were threatening to drop the team and stores began to discontinue their team merchandise. This is rather disheartening (as Native Americans and their allies have been pushing for this change for since 1968) that it took a monetary threat to make social change.

The Navajo Nation wrote the following response to the name change announcement.

"July 13, 2020 is now a historic day for all Indigenous peoples around the world as the NFL Washington-based team officially announced the retirement of the racist and disparaging "Redskins" team name and logo. This change did not come about willingly by the team's owners, but by the mounting pressure and advocacy of Indigenous peoples such as Amanda Blackhorse, and many other warriors who fought long and hard for this change" (via ABC News 11).

The Navajo Nation also described why the word is so offensive to the Native American Community.

"For generations, this team name and logo has misrepresented the true history and events that define the term "redskins." History tells us that the term "redskins" derived from bounty hunters, which identified Indigenous peoples by the color of their skin. Bounties were offered for the murder of Native Americans. Bounty hunters killed Native Americans, referenced as "redskins," and brought to the market the stained bloodied scalps in exchange for payment. This is the tragic and disgusting history that the world is not often told.

We must continue to work together to correct these issues and to shed light on the historical and current injustices that affect all Indigenous people. One of those remedies is to cease the use of the disparaging terms and logos among all teams and organizations. We must stand united in correcting our storied history. It is our responsibility to ensure that our children and their children have the benefit of historical facts." (via ABC News 11).

Just to give you a scope of how long this battle has been, take a look at this timeline that breaks it down.

Here is the team's official statement.

Courtesy of the Washington Football Team/Twitter

Ummm, yeah. This is problematic. Not only is the now former logo prominently displayed, the racial slur is mentioned SIX times! This statement couldn't be anymore insensitive to the Native American community. Not only does this statement highlight the importance of sponsors over fans and Native Americans, it is extremely brief and rather empty and never addresses the true issue with the name. Overall, I am disappointed with how they went about this. At a minimum, they should have at least apologized for inflicting hate on the Native American population.

All of that aside, this is such a positive change in promoting inclusion and equality in sports and in the world. Although Native Americans had to suffer for too long while a pro football team profited off of their pain, I'm glad the change was finally made.

Update to come following the 2020-2021 season.