“Hail to the Redskins!

Hail Victory! 

Braves on the Warpath!

Fight for old D.C.!” goes the fight song that 80 thousand Redskins fans shout at the top of their lungs during each and every game. Despite the storied history of the team, and its consistently winning culture and attitude, controversy over the Washington Redskins’ name has been boiling for the past few months, because it has been brought to the attention that the name, Redskins, might be offensive to some Native Americans.

Brought into the national spotlight, particularly by Bob Costas, the name has been under political fire from Native Americans, Caucasians, and African Americans alike. 

Not to disrespect anybody, but if the name is such a big deal, why hasn’t it been brought up in the last 81 years? The team has been playing in our nation’s capital for almost 100 years. During that time it always was, always has, and will most likely always be called the Redskins.

The name has never seemed like it was disrespectful to the Native American race or culture to me. If anything, it increased my respect for the culture altogether.

Never once has the organization or ownership been disrespectful, or purposefully hurtful toward the Native American culture. If the football team was bad, maybe I could see it being offensive, but the Washington D.C.-based organization has done nothing but build a strong, long lasting, proud, and fierce reputation for the Redskins, winning three Super Bowls, and eight NFC championships.

What about Major League Baseball teams, like the Atlanta Braves, and the Cleveland Indians, or the other NFL team from Kansas City, the Chiefs? If Redskins is offensive, then I don’t see why the Braves, Chiefs, or Indians aren’t. 

If Redskins is offensive, then I guess we’ll have to change the New England Patriots’ name as well, not to mention the Minnesota Vikings, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Houston Texans; all NFL teams will have to have their names changed. In Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the San Diego Padres will have to all change their names as well.

Having a sports team named after your history, heritage, culture, or lifestyle is something to be embraced, not rejected, especially if the team is a legitimate contender to win a major sports title. People should be taking pride in the fact that they’re rooting for a team that is named for themselves. Fans and spectators need to unite over these teams, not weed out unnecessary controversy.

So until the day the ‘Skins change their name (trust me, it won’t happen), “Hail to the Redskins, Hail victory. Make way for the Braves on the warpath. Fight for old D.C.!”