Daniel Snyder. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
Lately, the debate over the whether or not the Washington football team should change their racist name and mascot has reached a boiling point. The Oneida Indian Nation launched a massive campaign, with national radio spots, symposiums, and protests urging team owner Dan Snyder and the NFL to change the name. Numerous publications have come out and said they’ll stop using the name, and even President Barack Obama said he’d “consider changing the name” if he were the owner.
But one person who’s been pretty mum on the whole issue lately: Dan Snyder himself.
Back in May, Snyder told USA Today that he’ll “NEVER” change the name. Now in a letter to season ticket holders, that the Post has published, Snyder says that, because of the controversy, he’s finally going to look into changing the team’s name.
Just kidding!
Of course, he’s not going to change it. In his letter he actually outlines the reasons why he’ll “NEVER” change it, highlighting the history of the team’s name and what it represents, saying that “our past isn’t just where we came from — it’s who we are.”
Snyder says that he’s followed the team’s name controversy closely and, while he respects both sides of the debate, he hopes people will “try to respect what the name means,” or whatever:
I’ve listened carefully to the commentary and perspectives on all sides, and I respect the feelings of those who are offended by the team name. But I hope such individuals also try to respect what the name means, not only for all of us in the extended Washington Redskins family, but among Native Americans too.
I get that and I hear what Snyder is saying, but in that request, he highlights exactly why people want the name changed: Because to some Native Americans, it is an offensive, racist slang term.
Anyway, the bottom line is, Snyder isn’t going to change the team name anytime soon. Still, you can count on more and more people and organizations speaking up in favor of a name change.
Update: Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter, who led a symposium on the name this week in D.C., said in a statement he’s glad to see Snyder is listening. However:
In his letter, Mr. Snyder made mention of his team’s history. He opted to omit from his letter, however, that the original owner who gave the team its current name was an avowed segregationist. That suggests the team’s name was deliberately designed to denigrate people of color. Unfortunately that ploy was successful. The marketing of this racial slur has had – and continues to have – very serious cultural, political, and public health consequences for my people and Native Americans everywhere.
It is clear from Mr. Snyder’s letter that he does not understand those consequences. So in the spirit of the dialogue that Mr. Snyder says he is willing to engage in, we are inviting him to join the NFL delegation in its upcoming meeting at our Homelands. During his visit, we will organize a special meeting of Oneida Nation families where Mr. Snyder can personally explain to them why he believes they deserve to be called “redskins.” He can then hear directly from them why that term is so painful.
