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The Federal Communications Commission announced last week it would consider punishing commentators who use the word “Redskins” on the air due to the offensive nature of the NFL team’s name.
Oklahoma Christian University sophomore Brandon Little Axe, a member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, said he wasn’t particularly offended by the word, but he could understand why people are.
“It’s just not something I prefer,” Little Axe said. “I don’t like to speak for a lot of people, but I can’t see a lot of Native Americans liking that label either.”
Several Native American groups have already voiced disapproval of Washington’s nickname. On Sept. 23, the Osage Nation urged employees of its tribe and Native Americans everywhere to boycott FedEx, which owns naming rights to Washington’s stadium.
On June 24, the National Congress of American Indians sent a letter to FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith urging him to use his position to encourage the team to change its name.
Oklahoma Christian sophomore Tyler Ford, an assistant football coach at Oklahoma Christian Schools in Edmond, said the Redskins’ name is not the only aspect of the organization that should be in question.
“I think that the Redskins’ name is offensive and racist in origin,” Ford said. “However, I would say that the logo and mascot are equally offensive, as the stereotypes they are presenting are the only exposure to Native Americans that a lot of people will get.”
According to a Sports Illustrated poll published last week, 79 percent of people surveyed said they did not consider Redskins to be an offensive word and only 25 percent of NFL fans think Washington should change its name.
The controversy originally gained national attention on Oct. 13, 2013 when NBC Sports host Bob Costas gave his opinion of the offensive nature of the word during the halftime show of the Dallas Cowboys versus Washington Redskins game.
Many were quick to criticize Costas, but multiple public figures defended his statements, calling for a change in the moniker immediately.
But Redskins owner Dan Snyder insists that the name is not demeaning, but honors Native Americans and the team’s history, leaving no reason to alter it.
“We’ll never change the name,” Snyder said in a 2013 interview with USA Today. “It’s that simple. NEVER – you can use caps.”
But pressure for a name-change continues to rise. In June 2014, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office dropped Washington’s trademark registration after ruling the name and logo racist.
Fifty U.S. senators endorsed a petition urging NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to use executive authority to make the team change its name.
Washington state senator Maria Cantwell introduced legislation in September that would eliminate the NFL’s tax exemption because of the league’s continual refusal to intervene in the matter.
Until now, the NFL and the FCC have avoided acting on the controversial issue, but that will change if the FCC decides to restrict the use of “Redskins” in television and radio broadcasts.
Ford said that both organizations should have the right to directly or indirectly make the team change its name.
“I think that the FCC and NFL have the authority to force the name change for the Redskins,” Ford said. “The FCC has the authority to keep anything related to the Redskins off of TV if it deems the term offensive. The NFL also has the authority, as it oversees literally everything that all 32 teams do.”
According to Little Axe, a moniker alteration could be seen as a measure of goodwill towards all races.
“If they changed the name, that would show that the FCC or NFL respect the nature of all ethnicities and are willing to be against any kind of racist terms,” Little Axe said.
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