Raven Ziegler from Minneapolis protests the name nickname of the Washington team. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
The racist remarks by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, which led to a lifetime ban from the NBA and a $2.5 million fine from NBA commissioner Adam Silver, have led many to question the racist connotations from a different team in professional sports: the Washington football team.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-California) is urging the Committee on Energy and Commerce to hold a hearing to examine the racial insensitivity of the team’s name in light of the actions taken against Sterling.
The team’s derogatory name has been a source of controversy for decades, and has heated up in recent years because of several high-profile Change the Name campaigns, most notably the one launched last year by the Native American group Oneida Indian Nation. In a letter to Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who chairs the Committee, Waxman writes that “in the case of the Washington football team, the offensive conduct is public, not private…but is being condoned and defended by the National Football League.”
Despite the fact that the NFL is a private league, Waxman says it “enjoys many public advantages,” which is why Congress has the right to step in on the matter. He also mentions how Washington was the last segregated franchise in the NFL, and it took public pressure from the federal government to get then-owner George Marshall to integrate the team.
“As the Committee with primary jurisdiction over sports, we could play a constructive role in challenging racism by asking Mr. [Dan] Snyder and Mr. [Roger] Goodell,” Waxman writes, “to explain in a public hearing how their actions are consistent with the public interest.”
You can read the full letter below:
