Why The Washington Redskins' Name Should Always Remain

By: Tatumn Vaught on April 21, 2020

I've been a Redskins' fan since my parents bred me into the lifestyle when I was a young girl. We went to tailgates and games at FedEx field where I learned the words to HTTR, and suffered through the disappointment of missing the playoffs yet again almost every season.

My early memories of the Redskins included the controversy that came along with their, "racist," name and logo that I always heard about. While I did my research about the team name and developed my own opinions on why the name should stay, I still was never fully convinced my opinion was truly valid for one reason...I'm white.

There have been so many surveys and polls taken in the past decade about this controversy, with statistics that continue to prove that Native American's don't find the name offensive, according to numbers.

The Washinton Post's 2016 article found that 9 out of 10 Native Americans don't find the name offensive. 504 people from a variety of backgrounds and states were surveyed for the poll, and the results were conclusive. The findings included a graphic about the percentage of people who were not bothered by the name, for reference.

However, there are not many articles that dive into why they are not offended by the name and why it should stay. The Post published another article in 2019 titled, "A survey explores how Native Americans feel about the name Washington Redskins. No, it’s not that survey. This one is new," by Theresa Vargas. She reiterated the statistics to show readers what people have been saying for years, however, she also included the why, what everyone's been asking for.

"Some of the most interesting results, though, came when people were allowed to move beyond the word 'offended,'" Vargas said. "The survey presented respondents with more than 40 emotions and asked them to indicate whether each represented how they felt about the team’s name. The word picked most was “proud.” That might comfort some people who have supported the team keeping its name, but a closer look at the results shows that while most of the survey’s respondents felt that way, many did not."

Self-identified Native American survey takers explained that they have been called other racial slurs that hurt more such as, "Pocahontas," and think the team's name is just that, a name. It has no prior or other connections that misrepresent their heritage. This goes along with Washington's logo, depicting a Native American with a traditional headdress feather.

“We are gratified by this overwhelming support from the Native American community, and the team will proudly carry the Redskins name,” team owner Dan Snyder commented about the results.

While this is just one example of evidence on why it's time for the Washington Redskins name controversy to come to an end, it's one of the best. Therefore, I think this is a great example to follow for all journalists who focus more on evidence and statistics rather than people's true feelings.

"I'm tired of seeing this issue keep coming up in the media. It's not offensive and people just need to put it to rest," longtime NFL fan, Cole Reitnauer, said.

There will always be issues in sport. Some that cause more arguments and chaos than others, but it's important to remember how important emotions and people's true feelings are when talking about them to the public. To me, the Redskins should always be the Redskins. It's tradition and would affect the city of Washington in many ways, including branding the economics of the team that surrounds a name change. Now, I'm even more convinced than I was, since those who are most affected by this concept and name are now putting into light the fallacy of this rumor.

So I'll be continuing to sing, "Hail to the Redskins," after each touchdown they score and I know my fellow Skins fans will be doing the same.