In spite of public opinion overwhelmingly against them, it's like they just won't give up. No, this isn't about ISIS or even the tea-partiers. It concerns a growing, if misguided, army of extremists that continue to threaten our way of life. Indeed, they have already changed it in many ways. Even the very language we speak has been altered. There are no bald, fat, or short people anymore. They are follicly, dietarily, or altitudinally challenged, respectively. And forget the ethnic "tags" that used to be everywhere. They have been abolished, though this honkie has a question. I have a long time friend of Italian heritage that has proudly called himself Dago for decades. Is he still allowed to do that? Will somebody sue him for defamation of his own character? Beats me, but that brings me to....
The politically correct zealots, particularly those that are offended by the name of the NFL football franchise located in our nation's capital. The Washington Redskins.
Once again, with the media gladly pouring fuel on a few embers hoping to turn it into a full-blown national forest fire (see hot story), a small group of PC radicals has made their way back into the news. They want the name changed because they find it offensive. So the question becomes, what percentage of people think the name Washington Redskins is truly offensive?
Turns out, not many. Poll after poll have shown overwhelming support for the Skins to keep their name as is. And that's not just amongst the old-schoolers. It's across the board. It would appear the PCers have several problems to overcome.
First, owner Daniel Snyder has vowed not to change the name. Further, there's likely little the NFL itself could do to force him to do it. When presented with the question, the almighty himself, commissioner Roger GOoDell admitted that of all the polls he had seen, none had come in at less than 79% supportive of the Redskins retaining their name. As polls go, 79% is beyond a landslide. Few, if any, politicians or causes come anywhere near garnering that sort of support.
Further yet, Snyder has been pro-active and surveyed various native American tribes around the country asking them what they thought of his team's name. Somewhat surprisingly, the vast majority of them support it as well. Like Snyder maintains, the indigenous peoples also consider it a badge of honor.
So if 4 out of 5 people agree, including the very people the name Washington Redskins is supposed to offend the most -- then what exactly is the problem?
The only way that name changes is for Daniel Snyder to do it -- and that's not going to happen. Even if all the other NFL franchise owners ganged up on him with the support of Goodell, it's still unclear if they could force him to do it. It's his team. He shelled out big bucks for it. At that, they've been called the Washington Redskins since the 1930's.
Ah, but there might be a loophole for the PCers in the future to continue their quest. There are rumblings that Snyder wants a new stadium built to house his Redskins. If he wants to keep up with the Jones's, particularly his yee-hah rival down in Big D, the cost of such a new stadium would likely approach $2 billion dollars. But Snyder can't, or more properly put, won't cut that check all by himself. He would need/want public support -- as in government funds/taxpayer money to build such a palace.
And if/when the politicians get involved in such an undertaking -- good luck guessing what kind of rules and mandates they may hand down as conditions to cough up serious bucks for a new stadium.
Pressured by the PCers (and the media would be in warp drive covering the story), one of them might well be changing the team's name. That would put Daniel Snyder in a bit of a dilemma. Would he bail on his principles (and overwhelming public opinion) to get the dough? Or would he stand fast against the minority of zealots that keep trying to have their way and be content to have his team keep playing in the same stadium? It's not like it's going to fall down any year soon but, still, billionaires have a way of wanting to keep up with their competition when it comes to showing off their goodies. Especially when the public has to pick up a large share of the tab.
The name Washington Redskins will likely stay for the next few years. As well it should. 79% approval is 79% approval. Case closed. But if and when a new stadium, the PC radicals, and politicians get involved -- fueled again by the media -- it's probably a fair statement to say there will be sequels to this movie.
Who will win the final battle remains to be seen.......
No comments:
Post a Comment