A group calling itself TheOneida fired another salvo in the Redskins name controversy with a “Change the Name, Take It Away” ad on YouTube.
The clip shows Robert Griffin III’s 2012 76-yard touchdown run against the Vikings without the Redskins helmet logo. TheOneida showed a white blob in its place. Here’s the video.
The clip inadvertently shows the difficulty with the issue — finding a new name that won’t offend somebody. Football teams are not named for flowers and butterflies.
The controversy is not about how the Redskins have used the brand to sell football entertainment. It is about how the brand makes an uninvolved community feel. Someone could see the absence of color in this ad as a statement of white supremacy and take offense.
TheOneida likely had no such intent, but the name changers rest their case on how the brand makes others feel. That should trump everything, they say.
A super-majority of everyday sports fans disagree.
The Redskins name means what the brand owner says it means. Daniel Snyder grew up a Redskins fan. He reveres to name too much to use it as a slur. The 83-year old franchise has never done so. Snyder vows never to change it. He is obstinate enough to mean it.
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