Smithsonian Museum - yet another thread on team name

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by Leader In Sports

At this point I am going to bow out of this conversation, especially since I legitimately see both points, but am sort of in a position to only debate from the one side. I will close with this.

I grew up out West (the town RG3 is from for a time and then the Phoenix area for a majority of my childhood). I am old enough to remember the Indian school in Phoenix where children were essentially forceably removed from their parents to assimilate the future generations into our culture. The children were also then "hired out" to local families as house keepers, babysitters etc.

As strongly as most of the diehard fans feel about the issue on this site feel, even stronger are the people objecting because of real life issues. Just try to look at things from the other side and while your position might not change, your feelings towards their efforts might.

I don't see how the name of a football team has anything to do with any of that. The key facts are this:

1. The name redskin was coined by native Americans to refer to themselves. It had no derogatory usage at the time.

2. When the name was chosen for the team, it was still not pejorative.

3. LATER, SOME people may have used the word in a pejorative way.

4. Today, the word is not used in a derogatory way. When the name redskin is used, people universally think of the team.