The Washington Redskins name change debate has become increasingly political lately, with native American groups teaming up with Democrats to put pressure on the NFL team to change their mascot. Mike Ditka famously called the whole debate “stupid” recently, but it turns out many native Americans feel they have more important things to worry about than the Redskins name change.
In a recent report by The Inquisitr , Ditka made his Redskins remarks during an interview with Redskins Historian and he explained his thoughts to Mike Richman.
“What’s all the stink over the Redskin name?” Ditka said. “It’s so much [expletive] it’s incredible. We’re going to let the liberals of the world run this world. It was said out of reverence, out of pride to the American Indian. Even though it was called a Redskin, what are you going to call them, a Brownskin? This is so stupid it’s appalling, and I hope that owner keeps fighting for it and never changes it, because the Redskins are part of an American football history, and it should never be anything but the Washington Redskins. That’s the way it is. It’s all the political correct idiots in America, that’s all it is.”
Of course not everyone in the sports world agrees. Former NFL referee Mike Carey also believes a Redskins name change is necessary and believes the mascot is disrespectful. It’s also believed that ESPN may take action against Mike Ditka for his politically incorrect viewpoint, which had Sarah Palin jumping to his defense on her Facebook .
“Nothing should surprise us lately; but when the Politically Correct Police bust Ditka, they hope the silent majority will cower under leftist control. My goodness, Ditka merely spoke his mind,” Palin said. “The government’s intent to force any owner of anything, in this case an NFL entity, to change a name is the antithesis of the American way of working through differences.”
The Washington Redskins name change debate has caused an organization composed of former Washington Redskins players and fans called Redskins Facts to put together a video of native American Redskins fans, including descendants of the native American who designed the logo, explaining why they are in fact honored by the Redskins name.
Mike Ditka may be amused to find out there is even a native American high school where the football team is called the Red Mesa Redskins. According to CBS , Tommy Yazzie, superintendent of the Red Mesa school district, believes the Redskins name does not necessarily need to be seen as a racial slur.
“We just don’t think that (name) is an issue,” Yazzie said. “There are more important things like busing our kids to school, the water settlement, the land quality, the air that surrounds us. Those are issues we can take sides on. Society, they think it’s more derogatory because of the recent discussions. In its pure form, a lot of Native American men, you go into the sweat lodge with what you’ve got — your skin. I don’t see it as derogatory.”
Some reports claim that 90 percent of native Americans do not find the term Redskins offensive, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell one said, “If we are offending one person we need to be listening.” Do you agree with Mike Ditka about the Washington Redskins name change debate?