Time for Redskins and Indians to Go

Let's play a game.  We are going to pretend I was Zuckerberg's Harvard roommate, the one who set him up with the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  As a shout out, I got 5% of Facebook.  As of Friday, I am now a verified Billionaire. Now that I am loaded, I have decided to spend my hard earned cash on an NFL and MLB team.

One of the first decisions that someone in this endeavor would have to make is what to name my team.  In this regard, I am going to pay homage to the locals in the community by bringing in a civic pride name that people can get behind.  In that regard, I am debating about starting a team in Wisconsin and calling them the "Whitebread Honkey Crackers", or bringing the first pro team to Alabama, and I am naming them simply "Blackface".  For the Whitebreads, I am bringing out a mascot that is a piece of white bread with a huge toothy grin that dresses like a J. Crew model and dances with no rhythm.  For the Blackface, think of a logo that looks like Billy Crystal doing Sammy Davis Jr.

What did you say?  Why would I blatantly deride a particular ethnic group for a substantial profit from the sale of merchandise with an offensive logo on it?  Because I am following the model of the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins, that's why.

In all seriousness, it is time to stop pretending these names and images aren't racist and way past due for change.  Redskins is the NFL team of OUR NATION'S CAPITAL for crying out loud.  How, in 2012, can this still be the name of a team in America?  What is the possible defense of this name?  Really, I googled a lot of different terms to try to find the argument that Dan Snyder, owner of the "Redskins", uses to challenge the assertion that his team name is racist, degrading, and a mockery of 5.2 Million Americans.  I couldn't find it.  If you have his or any other justification, I would love to know.

For the Indians, they go for the more acceptable team term (still inappropriate, but far less brash about it), then follow it up with a caricature of a mascot and name him Chief Wahoo.  Let me say that again - a red face mascot named Chief Wahoo.  Can someone explain to me how this mascot is any different than the "Sambo" or "Mammy" impressions that have been decried as racist and long overdue for removal?  Would anyone be okay paying $20 for a hat that was affiliated with a team called the "Asians" with a picture of the "slant-eyed, buck-tooth, no speaky engrish" racist drawings of the past.  No, they wouldn't.  So why is Chief Wahoo still generating big profit dollars for Major League Baseball?

What I can't figure out is how a culture that has become so touchy on the subject of race treats these images with such apathy.  Oh yes I do, because the NFL and MLB have substantial sums of money while the group in question has the least amount of political influence and is consistently among the forgotten people of the United States.  It's true.  Why else would this ever be allowed to stand?

Do either of these images, even if not blatantly offensive to some, really scream tolerance?  Are color labels really where we want to stay?  I will admit, I still use black as a term for African Americans.  I do so with the possibly limited justification that it seems that the African Americans that I know and/or follow have taken to the "black" moniker as a source of pride.  However, would I ever call an Asian "Yellow" or a Hispanic "Brown"?  Absolutely not.  Also, if someone I knew that was African American told me it was offensive for me to call them black, I probably wouldn't do it anymore.  In regard to the team in Washington, they are protested EVERY YEAR by Native Americans and not only do they continue to use it, they continue to make a profit on its use.  How is this okay?

I didn't always think like this.  I used to own products from these teams and several of the college teams that have Native American logos.  I used to feel that wearing these gave a source of "I am one, so it's okay" kind of pride and the thought that at least those items gave some recognition to the Native community.  I now feel differently.  Supporting these teams with my dollars validates their status quo as the profit derived is the only reason I see for billionaire owners to keep these names intact.  Money is the largest concern of these institutions and my guess is that "social change" would be far faster if it was facilitated by economic impact.

Look, I know that changing these names won't solve the problems that Native Americans face, many of which are self inflicted.  I know there are deep seated issues of education, drugs, poverty, health care, and crime that won't change overnight if Washington and Cleveland wise up.  I am well aware of this.  However, can't we agree that social acceptance of degrading names and logos gives an impression of ignorance and profit from racism shouldn't really be a part of 2 high profile, major league organizations?  If we can agree on that, then maybe - just maybe - we can affect a small change that will show that at least someone is in the corner of the little guy here.

To do my small part, I am writing this blog post and attaching a petition on change.org that I have started as well. I will be forwarding this blog to persons affiliated with professional organizations and to community leaders in various government organizations.  It is what I feel I can do and we will see where it goes.  If you wish to support this action, feel free to sign the petition and forward this post.  If you have an opposing view, I am always open to the fact that I might be missing something.  Please include it in the comments section of my blog or on the petition itself.  Thanks.

Petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-national-football-league-and-major-league-baseball-remove-redskins-and-indians-from-nfl-and-mlb-names-and-logos#

JB3