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Should the Washington Redskins change their name?
Cultural stereotypes have always existed and while they may have been acceptable to society in the past, that does not compel us to accept them in today’s society. One such stereotype which is used is that of Native American names and imagery for sports teams and in particular The Washington Redskins of the National Football league. While for many people, this is an argument that has just recently arisen, in actuality, the debate over the use of native names and images has been an ongoing issue for over 50 years. The subject of the Washington Redskins name has been debated across politics, media, academia, religious backgrounds and in the public square for many years.
The debate is divided into two sides. Those opposed to the use of Redskins and all Native American names in sports, and perceive the use of such terms and imagery as racist and derogatory towards Native Americans and those for keeping the name who cite the history of the team, its links to Native American players and coaches who were part of the team when it was create...
The dispute over whether Native American mascots should be used as a team symbol dates back to the 1970’s (Price 2). People differ on the basic issue, but there is a more important underlying principle. It is called freedom. Determining whether or not someone is harmed by a practice can reveal whether that practice can or should be morally justified. Wherein lies the truth about exercising the use of American Indian mascots? The reality is that they cannot be morally justified. The certainty is not ascertainable by way of any comparison to other similar phenomena. No such comparison can be made as none exits. Then, are not the only relevant voices those of the Indians themselves? If so, the truth regarding this imagery can only be discovered by conferring with the groups that are depicted. Only those portrayed should have a voice. Or at the very least, be heard louder and more clearly than those who are not mirrored in the representations.
The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL was founded in 1920s and ever since then has been a representative of the "All-American, Family Entertainment, Sport". Football is played from kids starting at age five to adulthood and is very popular throughout different races and social classes. With the increase of people playing football, came the increase of the sports related injuries.
In the late 80s to mid-2000s, steroids changed the way baseball was played. It became known as “The Steroid Era,” and it is a part of history that baseball wants to forget. The players during this time did some of the greatest things to ever happen to baseball such as Barry Bonds breaking the single season homerun record with 73, and Roger Clemens winning his record seventh Cy Young Award (Ortiz). These are Hall of Fame worthy stats, but they have a very slim chance of ever getting into the Hall of Fame because they are linked to using Performance Enhancement Drugs. These players should be allowed into the Hall of Fame because of their accomplishments, but they need to have a wing dedicated to “The Steroid Era” players because conditions change so dramatically in different eras that it is hard to compare them to players now (Ringolsby). Even though PED users cheated the game, they should be allowed into the Hall of Fame if they have their own wing. They played in a different era than the players now, and it is hard to compare the different eras.
When managers seek to improve their sport organization often times they refer to SWOT. SWOT is an acronym which stands for strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat. These four areas are tools used to address and fix any issue that an organization may have internally or externally. The Dallas Cowboys are an NFL team that uses these four categories to address any issues they may have in order to improve any imperfections for the betterment of their Franchise.
Playing football comes with several risks factors that players’ acknowledge prior to playing the game starting a young age. Regardless, these players still chose to play the game, which they end up loving and cherishing despite all the risks accompanied with it. Football is one of the toughest sports in the world; it takes a certain amount of strength, speed, and aggressiveness to play 48 minutes of hard-nosed football. However, the National Football League (NFL) is in the midst of a controversial issue. Is the NFL getting soft? This has been a debatable issue for several years. While some believe that implementing all these rules in the NFL is progressively turning the game soft, others say that the NFL is not getting soft; it is just trying to make the game safer for its players.
The opposition states that it would be considered racist to call a team the blacks, but they can have a team called the Redskins. The arguments for the opposition are thin, but bring up valid points.
Recently, the use of controversial words has become a heavily debated topic, as seemingly truthful statements to some, cause insult to others. The Times article "Why 'Redskins' Is a Bad Word", by acclaimed linguist and professor John McWhorter, was published in 2015, around when the use of the word "Redskins" was being debated in Californian public schools through Bill AB-30 (2015). In the article, McWhorter aims to clarify the condemnation of the word "Redskins" (McWhorter,2015, para. 1), by suggesting the offence does not stem from the literal definition of such words, but instead the negative and often derogatory connotations the words have. McWhorter begins by introducing the recent discussions surrounding the use of the word "Redskins" (McWhorter,2015, para. 1). He informs readers of the emotions attached to controversial words in the examples and describes how words continue to evolve as time goes on. Alongside his reputation as a credible person, a quote from a distinguished professor, and anecdotal story, McWhorter provokes an emotional connection with the readers
To the naked eye, Redskins, Braves, Indians, Blackhawks and the other 900 spots teams named after Native Americans, is all normal. It seems ordinary, sports franchises perceive it as innocent. However, American Indians are still, very much, alive and take offense to the nicknames of Indian descent in sports. Some Native Americans refer to the term “redskin” as the R-word and they even compare it to the N-word. Suzan Shown Harjo, president of Morning Star Institute, a national Native American rights organization, says “The most offensive example of a mascot is the one used by Washington’s football team….
The ban of the word “Redskins” is starting to become a trend throughout the United States, according to M. Johnson’s California Becomes First State to Ban ‘Redskins’ Nickname. A law just signed states California can no longer use the word “Redskins” in any school team name or mascot. President Obama seems to agree with the trend as he ordered the NFL team, the Washington Redskins, to change their name to move stadiums. This movement is starting to catch the eye of people everywhere including the National Congress of American Indians. “They have set a shining example for other states across the country, and for the next generation, by demonstrating a commitment to the American ideals of inclusion and mutual respect,”
Should the Washington Redskins change their name was a major question that came up during much of 2014, 2015 and 2016 NFL season. In fact the issue was so large that the U.S. Supreme court was even involved at the time. Having discussed this topic many times with friends, adults and teacher I have been told that I don’t really have much of a say in this matter for I was born into “The Lucky Gene Pool” and don’t know what it's like to be discriminated against. Being a middle class white boy living in a very nice town and going to a very nice school I can easily see that this statement is true, I have never been shouted at with racial slurs, given a dirty look because of my skin color or frightened mere strangers because of my ethnicity. So before I proceed I would like to say that I don’t mean to offend anybody and ruffle any feathers, I am only speaking out about this topic because my opinion on whether the Redskins should change their name or not comes from me simply being an avid Washington Redskins fan.
Privilege is thinking something is not a problem because it’s not a problem to someone personally. It’s difficult to see a situation for what it is when it’s not specifically affecting a person. In the article “Indian mascots — you’re out,” author Jack Shakely discusses that the cultural appropriation of Native American mascots in college and professional sports teams is treated like a minuscule matter, but removing the mascots would be “the right thing to do.” Shakely expounds his first experience of conflict with his background and supporting the Cleveland Indians. The article is an opinion piece from Los Angeles Times, published on August 25, 2011. Although it isn’t recent, it’s indubitably timely. The appropriation of Native American culture
The main topic of the second article looks at how the Warrior Motif functions in depictions of Native American athletes. The two main depictions that are analyzed includes the depiction of Native American high school basketball players in a 1991 article and Phil Jackson’s usage of the Warrior motif in his book 1995 Sacred Hoops and in a 1999 ESPN television profile.
Redskins, Seminoles, Tribe, Indians, what do they all have in common? They are all athletic team names under scrutiny by people who deem them as being racist. For years, people have argued over the fact that these names and/or mascots are being used in a negative way. Some have been changed while others are still being argued over. Teams with these mascots should not be forced to change their names because the majority of Native Americans are not even bothered by these sports names.
The article “The problems with Native American Mascots” written by Laurel R. Davis covers many arguments regarding the use of Native American names and images for sports teams’ mascots. Rather or not sports teams should be able to continue using Native American names for their teams and images for their mascots is a highly controversial topic. Opinions will vary, especially when a person of Native American heritage is being asked opposed to a person of non-Native American heritage. Native American images should not be used for sports teams’ mascots as their use stereotypes the group, misrepresents many aspects of the Native American culture, as well as negatively impacting the lives of those that come from Native American heritage.
After all the relentless efforts to bring awareness for the racially diverse, this failed attempt had brought so much misfortunate remarks and complaints about the 49ers quarterback. Though besides the seemingly meaningless efforts of Kaepernick, many sports writers have confronted about the philosophy of the American flag and the National Anthem. Just like how the second article explained, “Unfortunately for Calcaterra, saluting the flag is not as political as turning one’s back on it, because the flag itself isn’t political. Rather, the flag stands for the American ideal, and while we can all disagree about how well we have lived up to the principles comprising that ideal, only extremists would decry the principles themselves.” (Smith 4). Comparing the second article to the first, the second one not only confronts about Kaepernick’s failed attempt of promoting racial equality. The second piece of writing had ended the paragraphs with a much more thought provoking philosophy about the history and facts of the American flag. The piece of writing not only had try to become open-minded about the angry public’s opinion and reaction of the failed protest, but also still acknowledging the concept of the refusal to stand for the National Anthem. The contrast of