This should be fun.
When the Redskins take the field in Green Bay Sunday, they'll have to contend with more than a stadium full of Packers fans. Members of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin will also be on hand to protest the team name, according to the Green Bay Gazette
“We support effectively removing all race-based stereotypes,” said Barb Munson, a member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin.
Committee member Brandon Stevens says the tribe opposes any characters, mascots, or images portraying Native Americans in a disrespectful manner, and that includes the Redskins name and logo.
“We're actively and proactively creating an avenue of education and seeking out remedies to see how we can come to an understanding where the offender isn't the one dictating what the intent of the mascot is,” Stevens said.
Nine-hundred miles to the east, the Wisconsin tribe's upstate New York counterparts launched a radio campaign calling for the Redskins to change their name.
“We do not deserve to be called Redskins,” an Oneida leader says in the ad. “We deserve to be treated as what we are -- Americans.”
This latest development comes five months after an Associated Press poll found that 79 percent of the 1,004 respondents favored the Redskins keeping their name.
Whether the protests or poll results would have had any bearing on owner Dan Snyder's feelings on the matter is up for debate. But this much is not: The Redskins name is staying put. Forever.
"We will never change the name of the team," Snyder said in May. "As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season."
Even in the face of a federal trademark lawsuit against the team, Snyder remained resolute in his stance. "We'll never change the name," he reiterated. "It's that simple. NEVER -- you can use caps."
Meanwhile, in an email to the AP, the NFL said it “respect(s) that reasonable people may have differing views. The name from its origin has always intended to be positive and has always been used by the team in a highly respectful manner."
Wisconsin tribe to protest Redskins name before Packers game - CBSSports.com
So, the Redskins visit the only NFL city with a significant local Indian presence. The owner, Dan Snyder, won't care, he hasn't been face to face with an American of any race in decades, and he won't be on Sunday. He'll helicopter from the airport to the stadium and back.
Still, this is how it should be. Private actors in the free market. No government coercion.
It's all good.
When the Redskins take the field in Green Bay Sunday, they'll have to contend with more than a stadium full of Packers fans. Members of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin will also be on hand to protest the team name, according to the Green Bay Gazette
“We support effectively removing all race-based stereotypes,” said Barb Munson, a member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin.
Committee member Brandon Stevens says the tribe opposes any characters, mascots, or images portraying Native Americans in a disrespectful manner, and that includes the Redskins name and logo.
“We're actively and proactively creating an avenue of education and seeking out remedies to see how we can come to an understanding where the offender isn't the one dictating what the intent of the mascot is,” Stevens said.
Nine-hundred miles to the east, the Wisconsin tribe's upstate New York counterparts launched a radio campaign calling for the Redskins to change their name.
“We do not deserve to be called Redskins,” an Oneida leader says in the ad. “We deserve to be treated as what we are -- Americans.”
This latest development comes five months after an Associated Press poll found that 79 percent of the 1,004 respondents favored the Redskins keeping their name.
Whether the protests or poll results would have had any bearing on owner Dan Snyder's feelings on the matter is up for debate. But this much is not: The Redskins name is staying put. Forever.
"We will never change the name of the team," Snyder said in May. "As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season."
Even in the face of a federal trademark lawsuit against the team, Snyder remained resolute in his stance. "We'll never change the name," he reiterated. "It's that simple. NEVER -- you can use caps."
Meanwhile, in an email to the AP, the NFL said it “respect(s) that reasonable people may have differing views. The name from its origin has always intended to be positive and has always been used by the team in a highly respectful manner."
Wisconsin tribe to protest Redskins name before Packers game - CBSSports.com
So, the Redskins visit the only NFL city with a significant local Indian presence. The owner, Dan Snyder, won't care, he hasn't been face to face with an American of any race in decades, and he won't be on Sunday. He'll helicopter from the airport to the stadium and back.
Still, this is how it should be. Private actors in the free market. No government coercion.
It's all good.
