In just 30 seconds, a new video powerfully states its case for changing the controversial nickname of the NFL's Washington Redskins -- and banning it from television and radio. The video, produced by Red Circle Agency in association with the National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media, takes aim at the different treatment that "redskin" receives relative to other racial and ethnic slurs. It begins with several people using various racial epithets to refer to themselves. Those offensive words are obscured by bleeps, whereas the final mention of "redskin" is heard clearly, just as it is during broadcasts of Washington's games.
“I was tired of people avoiding what I think is the real issue. There is no word in the American lexicon that is more hurtful to the Native American,” said Chad Germann, owner of Red Circle Ad Agency and member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, in a statement obtained by USA Today Sports.
Entitled "No Honor In Racism," the video uploaded to YouTube is just the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between opponents of the team's name and its defenders. Prominent among those defenders is Washington owner Daniel Snyder, who seems to comprehend the dictionary-defined offensive term only in the context of his football team.
"A Redskin is a football player. A Redskin is our fans," Snyder told ESPN in August when asked to define the term. "The Washington Redskins fan base represents honor, represents respect, represents pride. Hopefully winning. And, and, it, it's a positive. Taken out of context, you can take things out of context all over the place. But in this particular case, it is what it is. It's very obvious."
Related
Before You Go
