First, read the following articles on the Washington Redskins team name debate:
Change It:
President Obama urges name change:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000256458/article/president-obama-open-to-washington-redskins-name-change
NBC Sports' Bob Costas refers to the team name as a "slur":
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/10/14/nbc-host-bob-costas-washington-redskins-nickname-insult-slur/
Keep It:
Team owner Daniel Snyder pens an open letter explaining why he is against changing the name:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/us/washington-redskins-name/index.html
2004 Annenberg Study cites that 90% of Native Americans are not offended by the name:
http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/redskins-question-in-2004-annenberg-study-cited-anew-in-controversy/
PROMPT:
Do you feel that the Washington Redskins franchise should change the name of their team? Read the pro and con articles above and then craft a three paragraph reply that features the following:
- Introductory paragraph discussing the issue and concluding with a clear thesis statement.
- Body Paragraph #1 that argues in support of the thesis.
- Body Paragraph #1 that argues in support of the thesis.
Please note that a significant percentage of your grade for this blog will be determined by how well you incorporate information from the attached articles.
DUE: MONDAY, OCT. 21st by 4:30pm
Yellow skin.white skin.Red skin.Do you think any of these names will be good for a team?.I believe that using any racial name like the "Washington Redskin" for a football team is not appropriate because 1 of 10 Native Americans are offended by this name.Even if it's not many we have to see that they are still offended.It might not seem wrong but colleges and Universities have changed names that reference Native Americans.
ReplyDeletePresident Barack Obama has said he does not think Washington football teams are purposely trying to offend American Indians ."i don't want to detract from the wonderful Redskin fan that are here.They love their team and rightly so ,"But he also said himself that he would think about changing the name if he owned the team.This is showing that even thought the team does not mean it in a racial way it still does look wrong calling these Native Americans Redskins.
Moreover, there are Colleges and Universities that have changed names that reference Native Americans.St.John's changed its mascot from Redmen to the Red Storm.Like these 1 percent of Native Americans who care of the Indian names being used they have been seeking to block the team from having federal trademark protection .Also,Congressional lawmakers have introduced a bill seeking the same unlikely it hasn't been passed.
-Radhalcely Morel
I think the "Washington Redskins" franchise should change their name because it is a racial slur. It is not appropriate to use a racial name like the "Washington Redskins" especially for a football team. I believe that it is just wrong that they are still using this name. Even though most Native Americans do not care about it; one percent of them still do. I am positive that some Native Americans are offended by this name and they really do want it to be changed.
ReplyDeleteIn the second article President Barack Obama basically says that If he was in that situation he would change the name. Even though the Redskins are not trying to purposely offend the Native Americans with the name. For example in the article it states "But the president appeared to come down on the side of those who have sharply criticized the football team's name". This means that the President is on the side that wants the Redskins to change their name because he feels the same way others feel about this racial name. It is still a racial slur no matter what even though the team does not want it to be offensive.
Also, there are colleges that even changed their mascots name because it was offensive to Native Americans. For example Stanford switched their name from the Indians to the Cardinals. This situation with the Redskins name has caused lots of controversy. A majority of the Native American are still feel offended by it. That is why it should be changed as soon as possible.
Racial slurs and comments has been around for along time and it has created many problems with different types of people.Now the Washington Redskins has this problem with the Native Americans about changing the team's name.It is becoming a big problem involving the Native Americans,Daniel Snyder the owner of the Redskins,and the president of the US Barack Obama.It is becoming a big debate on whether the name should change or not.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the name should not be change because I feel that it is not racist.If a professional sport team is named after my race I would feel proud that my race is on a sport team.For Daniel Snyder he feels that the name should not change because he said'' Our franchise has a great history,and legacy representing representing our proud alumni and literally tens of millions of loyal fans worldwide," Snyder wrote. "We are proud of our team and the passion of our loyal fans. Our fans sing 'Hail to the Redskins' in celebration at every Redskins game. They speak proudly of 'Redskins Nation' in honor of a sports team they love."He feels that since he was born and raised as a Redskin fan he doesn't want to change the name.He says that the name stands for tradition and pride and he wants to share what the name symbolizes.
For people who want to change the name Obama stated that if it was him he would consider changing the name. He said that ''I don't know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things.''He feels that should our love for something effect a particular problem that has a lot of concern for some people.But there has been a survey done asking the Native Americans if they think that the name for the Washington Redskins was a racial slur.90% of the Native Americans said that the name is not a racial slur to them.For that reason Daniel Snyder said “The highly respected Annenberg Public Policy Center polled nearly 1,000 self-identified Native Americans from across the continental U.S. and found that 90% of Native Americans did not find the team name ‘Washington Redskins’ to be ‘offensive.'' So that help him support his cause of not changing his team's name.
In our society, “Race” is one of the biggest issues that we are facing right now. In this article, the issue is that some people feel Washington Redskin is a racial name and should be changed but some don’t even care about it. This issue occurred along time ago but it gets serious when President Obama urged that the name should be changed.
ReplyDeleteI think Washington Redskin is not appropriate to use as a football team because it refer to the Native people. President Barack Obama said he would think about changing the name if he owned the team. He also stated the name “redskin” offended a sizable group of people. This mean the leader of this country also feel that something is not quite right with Washington redskin.
NBC host Bob Costas said the name of Washington Redskin is a slur. He also said the name insulted to the Indians. I feel the same way he felt. This is a racial name and need to be changed. If they don’t see the Washington Redskin as a racial name, we may probably see a team name like Black skin, White skin or Yellow skin in the future. So, I think the Washington Redskin should change the name as soon as possible.
THAWM
The Washington Redskins
ReplyDeleteThere are many different arguments whether the Professional; Football Team “Washington Redskins” should change their team name. There are many with a point of view including President Obama and Bob Costas. Obama states that if he owned the team he “might” consider changing the team’s name. He continues by stating that he does not want to “detract” from the support the wonderful fans of Washington give to the Redskins. Bob Costas stated, “cant it be considered a neutral term”. He also stated that it was an insult and a slur. He asked us to consider what the equivalent would be if directed at any other ethnic group.
The National Annenberg Election Survey, which was established in 2004, gave out surveys on whether the name Washington Redskins is offensive to Native Americans. It surveyed 1,000 self-identified Native Americans from across the continental U.S. The results were that 90% of the respondents stated that they did not find the name offensive.A Redskins fan, Dan Snyder, stated, “we are proud of our team and the passion of our loyal fans”. He continues to point out that he doesn’t want the name to change.
I strongly feel that the Redskin’s name is an issue. People like Obama and Costas have their views and surveys give us another point of view, but we need to go deeper and understand that in today’s world it may be considered an insult and it also decreases the long rich history of our native brothers. As a test, replace the Redskin name with “wetbacks”, “gooks”, “spicks”, etc. How far can we go? Or how far should we be allowed to go.
I believe the Washington redskins name should not be changed. I believe this is just something blown out of proportion because why wait so long to start a debate over the Washington redskins name. This name has great legacy to the organization and means a lot to the fans. I believe the name is not offensive in any means and shouldn't be changed.
ReplyDeleteWashington redskins owner Dan Snyder stated that the fans love the name. During each game the fans sing hail to the redskins in celebration of the redskins. This to me sounds like they are paying respect to the native people, this does not sound like disrespect or anything like that. The fans and organization are remembering and honoring the native people.
An article showed results of a poll that was taken given to the native and Indian people in his they felt about the Washington redskins name. Throughout the results it should that 90 percent of the people it was given to did not at all find it offensive. They did not see it as disrespect or dishonoring them they just seen it as a name. So if they didn't seem as concerned about the name why are people making such a big deal out of something so small. It makes no sense to wait so long and try to find reasons why the name is wrong, it is one of the greatest names in football and should stay
In conclusion this name is nothing more than just a name. It means nothing to try to hurt native people or put them down. It is a name that honors them and respects . this name is not hurting anyone, it's just a name that was picked for a team like the rest of the teams in the league.
Yes, the Washington Redskins team name is a racial slur, even if it doesn’t offend most of the Native Americans. The name should be changed because it’s starting to become a problem. We want to fix it before it becomes a major conflict and cause a chaotic protest.
ReplyDeleteEven though the name doesn’t offend 90% of the Native Americans, but what about the 10%? Does their opinion not count? If they feel offended by the name it should be changed. I don’t think that 90% of the people who said the name, “Redskins,” wasn’t offensive would care if the name was change or not. So, they should just go ahead and change the name.
If they don’t change the name now; the issue would only increase. The people whom find it offensive will probably create a protest. The only simple solution to this problem is to simply change its name.
Racism is one of the biggest issues in our society. I believe that "Washington Redskins" should not be changed because it states that Redskins respects everyone & so many fans got attached to this name. This name made history to America by making so many fans proud. I mean I know that redskins might should offensive but it's not because all the team players, & the owner have love for their fans & the people in the USA & their intention is not to hurt anyone or the Native American. Yet, The owner of "Washington Redskins" Dan Snyder stated that he vowed to never abandon the name. & he stated that everyone in the team loves their fans & everyone else.
ReplyDeleteAlso So many of the fans got attached to this name meaning they don't find it offensive. Some people might find it but changing the name is not the solution. The solution is understanding the love the redskins have for their fans & everyone else & realizing that their intention is to only gain love & respect among others.
It's written in the article that 9 out of 10 Native Americans said they were not bothers by the name the "Washington Redskins" & 8 out of 10 of all Americans in a national sample don't think the "Washington Redskins" should be changed. I mean you already took vote & survey & got your answer that the name shouldn't be changed. So what if president Obama said that he will think about changing the name if he was the owner. Snyder said that him & his team loves their fans & doesn't want to hurt anyone by not changing the name. The name "Washington Redskins" is 80 years old - it's history & legacy & tradition made the fans sing " Hail to the Redskins". Who ever thinks Redskins is an offensive name, where were for the past 80 years when redskins still had the name & it didn't bothered anyone?? For past 80 years it didn't bother anyone then how come this year it's bothering someone? It's nonsense.
Changing the name of the Redskins, is like changing other people's name. The name Redskin is passed down from generations to generations. It is a tradition per se, that's where they came from, who they are, and who they want to be. Some people find the name offensive, but they should welcome it with warming hearts. It's how people look at it, the positive way or the negative way. The word gay for example, most people thinks towards the negative side as homosexual, but some people viewed it as a definition of happy. I only look at it s a positive side, the true meaning of the Redskin.
ReplyDeleteCurrent owner Dan Snyder does not want to change the name because it has a meaning to him. He said "I respect the feelings of those who are offended by the team name. But I hope such individuals also try to respect the name means, not only for all of us in the extended Washington Redskins family, but among Native Americans too," What he is trying to say is, respect the team's name as Native Americans and the true meaning. Knowing what it really means, will understand why he has this adamant choice.
According to the poll, nine percent Native Americans said the name is offensive, but ninety-one percent find it not baleful. So majority of the Native Americans condone the name. The small percentage of antagonists did not look at the name in the positive way. Therefore, spreading the words about the true meaning will augment the numbers who truly understand.
Well you see what happened was I wrote so much it said I only could do 4,096 characters max so here's the link on what I wrote yeahh....
ReplyDeletehttps://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q71/s720x720/1378044_228947363934345_1360287575_n.jpg
~Andrew White e.o
Race is always a problem in our world. In this world it's all about color. If you are a different color from others they start discriminating you. I don't think it's fair. All the people are equal no matter what color. So the name of the "Red Skins" for me it's racial.
ReplyDelete"Red Skins" what kind of football team have such a name. I think it's disrespectful and racial. The way it says Red Skins and the logo it's a Native American Indian. It's racial to me because it's like they are discriminating or making fun of. A lot pf people around the US are thinking it's a racial name.
I really think that the name should change to one that is appropriate. The President has an urge to change it because he knows that a lot of people are getting mad because of the name. I know the president can't do anything because he is not the owner of the title but he owner can sure change it. If it changes it will be the better for the team and for the people that think it's not a good name for the football team
No one can change the team name except for the team owner wich is daniel Snyder, But Snyder was born and raised a Redskins fan he has remained resolute in his opposition to a new name.
ReplyDelete"When I consider the Washington Redskins name, I think of what it stands for. I think of the Washington Redskins traditions and pride I want to share with my three children, just as my father shared with me and just as you have shared with your family and friends," Snyder said , but on the other side Obama said if he was the owner of the team he will change the name.
In my opinion i dont think the red skins should change the name of that team. first of all 90% of the native American dont want to change the name of the team which means 9/10 people dont have a problem with that name and I'm not native American so why should i worry about the name, i dont even find it derogatory to call them the red skins.
I do believe the name should be changed. Even though the name has history and sentimental value, that doesn't change the fact the name can be taken as offensive. But I do believe, as Obama had said, that they don't mean to offend Native Americans. But still, the fact that it's a racial slur should be reason enough to change the name. What if that football teams name was a racial slur that was pointed towards Caucasians, Asians, or African Americans? You don't see any other football teams with offensive name. Although 90% percent of Native Americans don't take offense, it doesn't change the fact that that name in general has a negative connotation.
ReplyDeleteThe president Barack Obama said that if he owned the Washington redskins football team, he would think about changing its name because many people think that it's racist. The name controversy was between its owners, fans, and certain Native American groups, and the government of the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThere is much a debate whether the use of the word"Redskin" is acceptable as a name for a sports team.
After all, how would we react if the team was named the Washington Negroes?
I guess that the owner of the team Dan Snyder would die if the name of the team was named like that.
I understand that some native Americans accepts it and they think that the name is a positive reference to their culture, but some people don't and we have to respect them.
In the first website "http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000256458/article/president-obama-open-to-washington-redskins-name-change"they said :"Despite the controversy, an AP-GfK poll conducted in April showed that nationally, "Redskins" still enjoys wide support. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans don't think the team should change its name, the survey found. Only 11 percent think it should be changed, while 8 percent weren't sure and 2 percent didn't answer."
That means that they are considering all the Americans opinions but it doesn't offend any of us but the Native Americans. What i mean is that they should see the results of just the Native Americans voting.
I really think that the Washington Redskins football team should be changed but i feel that just the opinion of the Native Americans should be considered.
DeleteI think the name shouldn't be changed at all, I mean why should it, I don't understand how its racism. According to Google racism "the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races mean " . Redskin, its racism, Americans are just being sensitive and creating a mountain out of molehill, I mean lately everything is a big deal and racism. The Native American don't even think it's that big of a deal. Instead of always trying to solve things that isn't that big of a deal, Obama should focus on bigger issues. The name has history and what does it even matter the media use offensive words in almost all of their work, such as rappers and their music, so why is it a big deal that a football team is call the Redskin. The n word is use in almost all of our daily sentences so seriously. Even when we think of The Redskin we don't think about it being racism or anything we just think of its as a football team. So grow up America and how can you expect for a football team to change its name when us Americans can't even change our judgement.
ReplyDelete- Emily Nguyen
new york was named after the city of york, which is well know to the rest of the world at the time when the city was created. Today in 21st century new york is one of the largest city in the world, way surpass the city of york in Britain. A words meaning will always change, new words being invented, or words being combined. Redskin is only a simply name, just because people don't like the name who ever is apart from it don't have to change it.
ReplyDeleteBy just looking a problem from the surface its not a long term solution. Redskin was indeed a term once referred to native Americans, but today native Americans is no longer is at war with the government so the word redskin did not disappear, but its meaning can be different such as the Washington redskins a football team. Its use of the name date back to the 1930s, as it survived years of criticizing and still many refer the name redskin is a slang and may sound bad for the football team. Its not the word that is important, but the meaning behind the word.
The reason for most statement trying to change the name for the Washington redskins, is because its offensive to native Americans. A study by Annenberg show only 10 percent of native Americans is some what angry about the name, so there is not really a big reason for the proposal to change the name of the Washington redskins. Plus if the team do change the name there is a cost to it, like the products. In the conclusion change the name redskin to some thing will loss too much and gain too little for the team
hanlin yang
I agree with Emily. First of all this is football, I don't hear any actual red skins saying "OMG that is very racist and rude to the point that we need the president to change it " This is pointless, idiotic. and disgraceful. I understand that football is an American tradition and a great deal to our people but it is useless to bring a powerful political figure up just to settle it. If other countries hear about this i would be embarrassed, because this isn't even a big deal. America is being shallow minded and blind. Focus on bigger things and put them in front of the line, Safety and Comfort of our people should come first such as obamacare, entertainment can come after that. And as for the racism thing, I don't quite understand this because many whites has said the word "nigger" is SOOOOO disrespectful to our Society and yet many blacks has abused that word more than miley cyrus licks every item that exist in this universe, including oxygen. sooo yeah .
ReplyDelete- Dave Halo.
I believe that the name "Washington Redskin" for a football team should be changed, because Native Americans are offended by this name even though it's only a few amount of them. We must care about the minorities that are offended.It might not seem wrong but many buildings, schools have changed names that reference Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteThe owner of this team does not want to change its name!!! President Barack Obama said that if he owned the Washington redskins football team, he would think about changing its name because many people think that it's racist. I strongly believe that the owner should listen to what the president and most people said.
I strongly feel that the Redskin should change their name. Surveys give us the answer, most people agree that they should change their name, I feel so sorry for Redskin fans if this offended them. They should not just think about a team or the team's fans, but for an entire race that existed long time ago!!
The NFL team name for Washington are the Redskins. There has been a heated debate for some time about changing the team's name because it is a racial slur towards American-Indians. This has been an issue for some time, but this is the first time our president has joined the debate. The owner of the team refuses to change the name but the president said he would change the name, if he owned the team.
ReplyDeleteNow the owner of the Redskins team says that there has been a long and vibrant history with the team name and he has no thought of changing the name. Tied to this was a survey done in 2004 showing how many Native Americans took the name as offensive and surprisingly only 9% of those who took the survey said it was offensive to them. Although, the president is on the side of those who feel criticized from the name. A bill was even passed to change the name but as stated in the article from www.nfl.com "it appears unlikely to pass".
With all the controversy surrounding the Redskins name, it appears to me that it is highly unlikely the name will change. Other football teams in the NCAA has changed their name for the same exact reason, but I don't see this name going anywhere. It may be an offensive slur to some native Americans but the team name has been the Redskins for many, many years. Unless a new owner takes over the team, or Dan Snyder who is the owner changes his mind I don't think it'll change.
-Hunter Sankar
I think they should change their teams' name. It's kinda racist to has name "Redskin" with a picture of Native American for football team Eventhought they didn't meant to. But, some people might think in a different way.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people think it's a racial name. Obama also thought they should change their teams' name. He said that while fans get attached to the names, nostalgia might not be a good enough reason to keep them in place.
Many colleges and universities and other football teams changed their names and mascots from indian names and mascots into something different than indians. But still, we can't force someone to change their name if they don't want to. And because of 8 out of 10 Americans don't think the Washington Redskins should change their name.
Tandi
Me personal dont think it its matter but there are two sides to each story that the Washington Redskins name is that big of a deal.If president Obama says he would "think about changing the Washington redskins name if he owned the football team"; but the fact of the matter is that the name is offensive to Native Americans. 4 out of 5 Americans dont think the team should change the name. Survey's found only 11 percent think it should be changing, 8 percent of Americans arent sure, and 2 percent didnt have and answer this goes to show that its not a problem that many people take into consideration. 9 out of 10 native Americans said they were not bothered by the name the Washington Redskins.
DeleteThere has been a debate about whether or not the Washington Redskins should change their name, because many think it is a racist slur towards Native Americans. I personally don't care but I don't feel as though they should change their name.
ReplyDeleteAs the owner explained why he wouldn't change the name I agreed. "When I consider the Washington Redskins name, I think of what it stands for. I think of the Washington Redskins traditions and pride I want to share with my three children, just as my father shared with me and just as you have shared with your family and friends," Snyder said. Snyder is the owner and what the owner says goes, despite what others say I feel as though he should stand his ground.
I also don't think the name should change, because If the People were really offended by the name when the polls were out, the results should of came back higher than a miserable 9%. If they really cared about the name they would've spoke up.
Purple skin blue skin orange skin does it really matter what they are called. Like i was told sticks and stones may break your bones but words ma never hurt.
ReplyDeleteThey need to find a way to compromise with people instead of taking things to heart.
I believe that the Washington redskins should not have to change their name because you can't go changing thing that have been that way for so long just to please someone.Besides we have the patriots and you don't hear Europeans(the English) complaining about that. It's just unnecessary. They should be flattered if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, who cares? I know it may seem racists to some Indians, but I'm Indian and I really don't care. If others have a problem with it, it should have been brought up in the past years, but no, it is being brought up now and it is stupid and pointless.
ReplyDelete