NFL name change

senior chef

senior chef

Senior Member
The Washington Redskins have officially changed their name to THE COMMANDERS.
That's going to take some time to get used to that.
I know that they were forced into it because Native Americans put pressure on Washington for many, many years. They felt that the name, Redskins, was racist. However, I disagree. I certainly never thought of Native Americans as "less than".
 

It seems to be offensive and frankly, I have never met a real native American that had "red" skin, unless sunburnt. Of course, I may very well have never met a full blooded native American. There was a phase where many lily whites were scrounging through their ancestry, hoping for a connection. The importance of the connection... being for minority enterprise considerations.

A couple actually achieved that consideration. Which seemed to me as being proof positive that Erik the Red comingled with Native Americans back in the day. (They are blindingly white!)
 
A story told to me from a friend who is Native explains the "red skin" issue. Seems that, as the government tried to eradicate the
"Indians" from the land, they offered bounty for the number of kills. A hunter didn't have to bring in a body - just a skin. Well, when you skin a person, it turns pretty bloody and red. Thus, "red skin." Yes, pretty offensive - even if it no longer holds that meaning for football fans.

That said, I think "Commanders" is a STUPID name! We are long term fans and that is just AWFUL! The Snyders have been TERRIBLE owners. I hope they sell the team!

Go PATS!
 

I never thought of it as racist or derogatory. However I would defer to the Native Americans on this one, if they, or a lot of them anyway feel like its a derogatory word then I say change it. It is a bit different that the term Indian, which may be a 500 year old mistake, but I don't think it ever was derogatory.

Where did the word "redskin" come from? Many dictionaries and history books say the term came about in reference to the Beothuk tribe of what is now Newfoundland, Canada. The Beothuk were said to paint their bodies with red ochre, leading white settlers to refer to them as "red men."

According to Smithsonian historian Ives Goddard, early historical records indicate that "Redskin" was used as a self-identifier by Native Americans to differentiate between the two races. Goddard found that the first use of the word "redskin" came in 1769, in negotiations between the Piankashaws and Col. John Wilkins. Throughout the 1800s, the word was frequently used by Native Americans as they negotiated with the French and later the Americans. The phrase gained widespread usage among whites when James Fenimore Cooper used it in his 1823 novel The Pioneers. In the book, Cooper has a dying Indian character lament, "There will soon be no red-skin in the country."

From:

Are You Ready For Some Controversy? The History Of 'Redskin'​

 
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Grampa Don said:
The word Redskin has probably been used mostly in cowboy movies and novels, and seldom in a favorable way. It's usage has made it offensive to those it refers to. It carries a negative connotation.
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Hmm. I had not thought about it's usage in movies. You are probably right.
I, however, would have proffered some name that implies American Indian. Since Chiefs, Braves and Indians are already in use, perhaps the name of a local tribe ?
 
senior chef said:
The Washington Redskins have officially changed their name to THE COMMANDERS.
That's going to take some time to get used to that.
I know that they were forced into it because Native Americans put pressure on Washington for many, many years. They felt that the name, Redskins, was racist. However, I disagree. I certainly never thought of Native Americans as "less than".
Click to expand...
Didn't they change their name way back in February?
 
Sorry, they'll always be the Redskins...
Moving/coming to the D.C. area, went to the games..
Sang Starting Song.."Hail, to the Redskins..."

Sonny, Joe Theisman, The hogs.....

Those were the days.....

Yes, owners are jerks..but aren't they ALL...
....back then it was Jack Kent Cook.

If, anything, they should have left it...The Washington Team...as they were calling it till they came up with it's now ridiculous name!!
 
I thought the Potomacs (as in the Potomac River) would have been a good name, which is probably the name of a Native American tribe but probably wouldn't be construed as derogatory, although in this day and age, you never know.
 
senior chef said:
The Washington Redskins have officially changed their name to THE COMMANDERS.
That's going to take some time to get used to that.
I know that they were forced into it because Native Americans put pressure on Washington for many, many years. They felt that the name, Redskins, was racist. However, I disagree. I certainly never thought of Native Americans as "less than".
Click to expand...
I watched the highlights of their game and I knew it was Washington but every time they called "Commanders" I didn't know who they were taking about. I hadn't heard about the name change. I have been watching the Redskins play for 60 years, it was a bit shocking to feel that "regular" name disappear to the "word eaters". :mad:
 
senior chef said:
The Washington Redskins have officially changed their name to THE COMMANDERS.
That's going to take some time to get used to that.
I know that they were forced into it because Native Americans put pressure on Washington for many, many years. They felt that the name, Redskins, was racist. However, I disagree. I certainly never thought of Native Americans as "less than".
Click to expand...
What planet are you living on? early in American history money was paid for[Redskin]scalps.
 
Tempsontime65 said:
What planet are you living on? early in American history money was paid for[Redskin]scalps.
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Yes, scalping did take place throughout much of early American history , but I fail to see what scalping has to do with a simple name of Redskins ? In my opinion, the name "Redskins" is not a negative term. Native Americans were the VICTIMS of White and Hispanic conquerors. Anyone with the slightest education should know that. The name "Redskins" is no more a negative word than "Blacks" or "Whites".
 
Myquest55 said:
A story told to me from a friend who is Native explains the "red skin" issue. Seems that, as the government tried to eradicate the
"Indians" from the land, they offered bounty for the number of kills. A hunter didn't have to bring in a body - just a skin. Well, when you skin a person, it turns pretty bloody and red. Thus, "red skin." Yes, pretty offensive - even if it no longer holds that meaning for football fans.
Click to expand...
Wikipedia has a good discussion of the origins of the term "redskin" in referring to Native Americans. They address this bloody skin or scalp theory and say there is no evidence to support it. And they point out that there is evidence some Native Americans used the term in pre Columbian times, long before the bounties were offered.

In the end I think this should come down to how many or most Native Americans feel about it. If they consider it offensive, I say don't use it. If not, no big deal.

Apparently the Washington name has changed, and I don't see it going back no matter what any of us thinks...
 
I was in favor of the Washington Redskins on changing their nickname. It's always been flat out racist. But I was against the Cleveland Indians changing their team's name. I hate changes in baseball, since that has always been my favorite sport. Herb Score, Jim Thome, Rocky Colavito, Bob Lemon, all played for the Cleveland Indians, not the Cleveland Guardians!
 
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