The Washington Redskins have seen the news of the apparel company adidas' intentions to aid high schools across the country in the transition away from Native American-based mascots, and they don't like it. Nope. Not one bit.
The NFL's Washington-based franchise responded to adidas' efforts with a strongly worded statement - similar to the manner in which they recently attacked opposition to their trademarks by citing a long list of other offensive trademarks.
"The hypocrisy of changing names at the high school level of play and continuing to profit off of professional like-named teams is absurd," Washington spokesman Maury Lane said in a statement., via Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports. "Adidas make hundreds of millions of dollars selling uniforms to teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and the Golden State Warriors, while profiting off sales of fan apparel for the Cleveland Indians, Florida State Seminoles, Atlanta Braves and many other like-named teams."
Washington, led by owner Dan Snyder, has been vehement in their defense of the Redskins name, despite mounting opposition from Native American groups. This isn't the first time that this issue has been raised and its also not the first time that at least a portion of the franchise's trademarks have been cancelled.
It seems, in all likelihood and based on historical precedent, that the team will continue to be able to operate as the Redskins going forward. But that doesn't make the choices and statements by Snyder and Co. in defense of the name any less ridiculous and/or abhorrent.
"Because that's the way it's always been," is a lame excuse. Compounding that by suggesting that because other terrible and offensive names continue to exist, so should theirs is comical.
Attempting to lump the term "Redskins" - which has long been considered a racially-motivated invective against Native Americans - with names like "Blackhawks" and "Braves" - the name of a leader of the Sauk tribe and a term for a young warrior, respectively - is tone-deaf and, seemingly, willfully ignorant.
