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The Washington Football Team has further distanced itself from its former nickname, the Redskins, by banning Native American-inspired face paint and headdresses at home games this season.
‘We are excited to welcome everyone back wearing their Burgundy & Gold,’ read Wednesday’s announcement. ‘However, Native American inspired ceremonial headdresses or face paint may no longer be worn into the stadium.’
Team owner Dan Snyder finally dropped ‘Redskins’ last year following decades of criticism from Native American groups, who felt that it was racist. The current placeholder, The Washington Football Team, will remain in use this season, but is expected to be changed at a later date.
A Washington Redskins fan wears a Native American headdress at a game along with a pig mask, which is a nod to the team’s former offensive line, dubbed ‘The Hogs’
Team owner Dan Snyder finally dropped ‘Redskins’ last year following decades of criticism from Native American groups, who felt that it was racist. The current placeholder, The Washington Football Team, will remain in use this season, but is expected to be changed at a later date
Leah Muskin-Pierret of Washington DC works on signs as part of a Native Americans protest against the Redskins team name before the Washington Redskins play the Arizona Cardinals in Landover MD on December 17, 2017
The WFT did not welcome fans due to the pandemic in 2020, so there were no issues with fans wearing headdresses or Native American face paint — two things that were commonly seen at FedEx Field in earlier years.
The stadium will open to fans for the first time since 2019 for Friday’s training camp practice. The WFT season opener will be held at FedEx Field on September 12 when the Los Angeles Chargers visit Landover, Maryland just outside of Washington DC.
The team also recommended that unvaccinated fans wear face coverings, and announced the return of pre-game tailgating in the FedEx Field parking lot, which had been prohibited amid the pandemic last season.
In October, team president Jason Wright told WJLA ‘there is a pretty good chance we will still be the Washington Football Team next season.’
‘Everybody needs to take a deep breath,’ Wright said, adding that the organization wants to engage the community, stakeholders and fans about the name change.
‘It’s not coming tomorrow. It’s a business decision, we need to understand that market.’
The WFT did not welcome fans due to the pandemic in 2020, so there were no issues with fans wearing headdresses or Native American face paint — two things that were commonly seen at FedEx Field in earlier years
In October, team president Jason Wright (pictured) told WJLA ‘there is a pretty good chance we will still be the Washington Football Team next season.’
The stadium will open to fans for the first time since 2019 for Friday’s training camp practice. The WFT season opener will be held at FedEx Field on September 12 when the Los Angeles Chargers visit Landover, Maryland just outside of Washington DC. The team also recommended that unvaccinated fans wear face coverings, and announced the return of pre-game tailgating in the FedEx Field parking lot, which had been prohibited amid the pandemic last season
Native American advocates and experts have long criticized the previous name, which they call a ‘dictionary-defined racial slur.’ Over a dozen Native leaders and organizations wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in July of 2020 demanding an immediate end to Washington’s use of the name. Goodell, who had previously rejected calls for a name change, said he supported the review.
A Washington Redskins fan prepares for the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 12, 2004 at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland
Protests against the name predate Snyder buying the team in 1999. Until last year, he had shown no willingness to consider a change.
The team hasn’t revealed any of the options being considered, but fans have frequently suggested RedTails, which is a nod to the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. That name is currently registered to Martin McCaulay, a 61-year-old actuary from Alexandria, Virginia, who told DailyMail.com in July of 2020 that the club could have it for free.
The Redskins originated in Boston, where then-owner George P. Marshall had wanted to call them the ‘Braves’ but opted for his second choice due to the existence of the city’s National League baseball team, which has since moved on to Milwaukee and Atlanta.
The term’s origin is disputed, according to a 2016 Washington Post article, that claims it was first used as a pejorative as early as 1863 in Minnesota.
‘The State reward for dead Indians has been increased to $200 for every red-skin sent to Purgatory,’ read an announcement in The Winona Daily Republican. ‘This sum is more than the dead bodies of all the Indians east of the Red River are worth.’
By 1898, Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary began defining ‘redskin’ with the phrase ‘often contemptuous.’
A Washington Redskins Fan with traditional Native American headdress stands for a photo before the game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants at FedExField on December 22, 2019 in Landover, Maryland
Native American advocates and experts have long criticized the previous name, which they call a ‘dictionary-defined racial slur.’ In this 2019 photo, protestors rally outside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis before a game between the Vikings and Redskins
Source: Daily Mail US
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Source: newsfinale