The opening lines of the fight song of the Washington Redskins go: “Hail to the Redskins ⁄Hail to Victory ⁄ Braves on the Warpath ⁄ Fight for old D.C.” According to many fans, the team name and the song pay homage to Native Americans. However, many Native Americans find the term highly offensive.
In 1932, the Boston Braves joined the National Football League and one year later, the team changed its name to the Redskins to honor then– head coach William “Lone Star” Dietz, who was part–Sioux. By 1937, the team relocated to Washington, D.C. Frank Deford, a writer and political commentator, explained in an interview on NPR’s All Things Considered that the term “‘redskin’ was a scalp taken by Americans as bounty. The red in ‘redskin’ is blood red.” From this definition, it's clear the nickname is not a term of endearment.
Even though the Washington Redskins refuse to change their name, many other teams are. In 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced schools with offensive Native Americans would be barred from participating in postseason events if they didn’t change. And in a recent article in the Washington Post, Mike Wise reports there were over 3,000 Native American nicknames throughout high schools, colleges and professional teams in 1970. By 2009, less than a 1,000 nicknames remained.
Despite the decrease of offensive Native American nicknames, many highly–visible professional sports franchises have rejected overtures to change their nicknames. Including the Redskins, the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians and Golden State Warriors continue to operate while using out–dated terminology.
It’s time to honor the wishes of Native Americans and remove offensive language from sport’s teams.
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