Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images.
I hope the Washington football team’s public relations department gets paid overtime, because they’ve certainly got their work cut out for them this week.
The debate over the team’s name and mascot is still as complicated and contentious as it’s ever been, but a similar debate at a Lancaster, NY. high school isn’t. Last night, the Lancaster Central School District Board unanimously voted ban “R*dskins” as the Lancaster High School’s mascot.
Much like the Washington football team’s owner, Dan Snyder, Lancaster Superintendent Michael Vallely said that the mascot “has been part of Lancaster High School’s ‘proud heritage’ some 60 years,” the Post reports. But unlike the Washington football team’s owner, Vallely was well aware that the mascot name has become a “symbol of ethnic stereotyping.” As a reminder, the term “r*dskins” is a dictionary-defined racial slur.
Since the debate over the appropriateness of the Washington football team’s name flared back up in the past few years, numerous schools bearing the same name and mascot have reevaluated the situation, especially after the Washington team pointed out all the high schools that also use the name.
In a statement, National Congress of American Indians Executive Director Jackie Pata and Oneida Nation spokesman Ray Halbritter—two organizations that have led the campaign urging the Washington football team to change their name—praised the Lancaster Central School District Board.
“Tonight the people entrusted to teach our children stood up for what is right,” they said. “They listened to all sides of the debate and arrived at a fair decision that demonstrates tolerance and respect, and embodies the values that we as Americans hold dear.”
But of course the Washington football team’s troubles don’t stop there. Former Washington City Paper columnist—and target of Snyder’s lawsuit against the paper—has a fascinating read on Deadspin about how Jason Reid’s new radio show on ESPN 980 was killed before it even began because of the team.
Reid recently left his job at the Post as a sports beat writer and columnist to host a new show for the cherished local radio station called “The Man Cave.” Reid’s been known to be a harsh critic of the Washington football team, especially team president and general manager Bruce Allen. Unfortunately, Snyder has a controlling stake of Red Zebra Broadcasting, the media company that owns ESPN 980.
As McKenna writes, when Snyder learned one of his most vocal critics was to be hosting a show on a station he essentially owns, he scrapped the whole thing. Right before it was about to air. From Deadspin:
Wised-up types circulated conspiracy theories alleging that Snyder had orchestrated Reid’s hiring just to get him out of the Washington Post, but that gives the owner far too much credit as a tactician, say two sources familiar with the situation. Instead, the sources claim, Reid got bounced from his radio gig at the 11th hour because Snyder only recently found out that he’d been hired.
It’s only Tuesday and the team’s already got enough bad publicity to keep their PR department on their toes for months, but alas, I’m sure they’ll think of something.
