Wednesday, October 01, 2003

Black, White and Red All Over

This morning, a federal judge ruled that the Washington Redskins can keep their name. While the judge didn't deny the fact that "redskins" might be offensive, she said Native American activists significantly weakened their case by waiting until 1992 to sue.

Will someone please start a team named the Tighty Whities? Oh, someone actually has. Or at least, it's close enough. To point out the ridiculous stereotyping used in sports logos, a group of Native Americans and sympathetic non-Indians at the University of Northern Colorado started an intramural basketball team named the Fighting Whites.

Read an example of the amazing insight demonstrated by the NFL attorneys who admit that Anglo and Native Americans don't have the best relations but hey, the name of their team was promoting mutual understanding because "in the 21st century, the beloved hometown team has changed the connotation of the word 'Redskins' to one that is 'powerfully positive' -- associated more with touchdowns than tomahawks."

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