Two takes, or takedowns, on 'Redskins'

I heard from a former editor that the name Redskins was given to the team because one of their first coaches was a Native American whose nickname was Redskin.

 

Both are partially correct. From The American Prospect on the subject:

 

But...but...I thought all Native Americans had no problem with the name.

Damn, it drives me nuts when people argue that. Some have a problem with it. Some don't. There is a fairly diverse group of cultural backgrounds lumped together under the label of Native American, so they are not all in agreement on such things.

It offends some of them, which is enough for me. Not that I ever expect it to change, but it should.

 

I agree that the name should be changed. It shouldn't have to take a court order to do it.

What SHOULD happen is that the team's owner should announce that he is changing the name in recognition of its offensive nature. I'm finally going to agree with an old Tony Kornheiser column. They shouldn't do it to be politically correct. They should do it to be correct, period.

However, doing the right thing is as foreign to Daniel Fucking Snyder as a Super Bowl appearance.

 

Exactly right on all counts. Sometimes I forget how sharp Kornheiser can be as he rambles on about ridiculous crap.