President Obama thinks the Washington Redskins should change their name

[pwaldo]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ange-name.html

President Barack Obama says that if he owned the Washington Redskins, he would 'think about changing' the team name, wading into the controversy over a football nickname that many people deem offensive to Native Americans.

Obama, in an interview with The Associated Press, said team names like the Redskins offend 'a sizable group of people.'

He said that while fans get attached to the nicknames, nostalgia may not be a good enough reason to keep them in place.

'I don't know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things,' he said in the interview, which was conducted Friday.

An avid sports fan, Obama said he doesn't think Washington football fans are purposely trying to offend American Indians.

'I don't want to detract from the wonderful Redskins fans that are here. They love their team and rightly so,' he said.

But the president appeared to come down on the side of those who have sharply criticized the football team's name, noting that Indians 'feel pretty strongly' about mascots and team names that depict negative stereotypes about their heritage.

The name is the subject of a long-running legal challenge from a group of American Indians seeking to block the team from having federal trademark protection.

Congressional lawmakers have introduced a bill seeking the same goal, though it appears unlikely to pass.

Despite the controversy, an AP-GfK poll conducted in April showed that nationally, 'Redskins' still enjoys wide support.

Nearly 4 in 5 Americans don't think the team should change its name, the survey found. Only 11 percent think it should be changed, while 8 percent weren't sure and 2 percent didn't answer.

[Wickabee]

"Indians"? Really?

[Zimbow]

"Indians"? Really?

Haha. Personally I was thinking the Washington Natives.

[SLNoble13]

At a time like this our POTUS is more worried about a mascot than our economy and what is going on with the shutdown. What respect he has for our country.

[GroundSupport]

At a time like this our POTUS is more worried about a mascot than our economy and what is going on with the shutdown. What respect he has for our country.

Exactly......

[Wickabee]

I don't know, was he asked directly?

I mean, the article says one thing, the headline says something much worse. It wouldn't be out of line to think he was asked and whoever wrote this omitted it. It's not a great article to begin with.

[Star_Cards]

to the guys wondering why the president is commenting on this sort of thing... it was an interview so my guess is that he was directly asked about the topic. It's not like he called to block off time during prime time to give his unsolicited opinions on the Redskin team name debate.

As for the actual topic... He actually said that he would "think about changing" the name. I tend to think that the name should be changed. If you look at the name outside of the context of being tied to a football team, which is how so many of us view it, it's pretty insulting that a name like that is still being used as a team name. What's more odd is that the Wizards changed their name from the bullets due to violence within the DC area but yet a team name that is derogatory to a race of people seems to have little support for eliminating. I know that the team has the actual say in changing the name or not, but I don't think that history or team pride or nostalgia trump the offensiveness of the name. As a Football fan I can see the attachment to a team name, but not to the degree of not changing a name that offends a race of people.

[Wickabee]

As for the actual topic... He actually said that he would "think about changing" the name. I tend to think that the name should be changed. If you look at the name outside of the context of being tied to a football team, which is how so many of us view it, it's pretty insulting that a name like that is still being used as a team name. What's more odd is that the Wizards changed their name from the bullets due to violence within the DC area but yet a team name that is derogatory to a race of people seems to have little support for eliminating. I know that the team has the actual say in changing the name or not, but I don't think that history or team pride or nostalgia trump the offensiveness of the name. As a Football fan I can see the attachment to a team name, but not to the degree of not changing a name that offends a race of people.

I agree. Honestly, one could argue "Redskin" refers to the ball, until there's a Native face on their helmets. Ultimately, I think Redskins should be changed, as well as the Cleveland Indians. Where I draw the line, though, is a name like "Chiefs" or "Braves". Those refer to a position or title, not a people. I also don't see a problem with Native imagery surrounding those names. In my mind, a team name is an identity that all players, management, fans and even community members make themselves a part of, which is a major form of respect. At the same time, when a team name is, as you say, flat out derogatory, as Redskins, or even just wrong, as Indians, then something should be done.

[habsheaven]

At a time like this our POTUS is more worried about a mascot than our economy and what is going on with the shutdown. What respect he has for our country.

Who is suggesting the POTUS is "more worried" about a mascot? Should he decline to answer any questions from now on that do not address the most pressing issue of the day for fear he will be accused of "not caring about America"? Hogwash.

[centrehice]

At a time like this our POTUS is more worried about a mascot than our economy and what is going on with the shutdown. What respect he has for our country.

Um ...no, that is just a statement that you happened to pull out of your own arse.