# The DC-Area NFL Team Can Kiss the Name "Redskins" Goodbye **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 30, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154 "2014-01-30T19:38:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/1 "2014-01-30T19:38:19Z")
Over the years, I’ve generally defended the team’s use of the Redskins moniker. And these days, I really don’t have much of a dog in the fight, as I’ve pretty much given up football. But - what can I say - I still hate The Danny. And so I find great joy and amusement in the knowledge that [he’s hired what amounts to the Fantastic Four of inside-the-Beltway sleaze](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/01/washington-redskins-hire-all-star-villains.html?mid=twitter_dailyintelligencer) - Ari Fleischer, Lanny Davis, Frank Luntz, and George Allen - to defend the team’s use of the Redskins name. As Jonathan Chait says at the link, > [@](#): > > Dan Snyder’s approach to any problem is to throw vast sums of money at overrated big names whose best work is behind them, so it is fitting that he has compiled an all-star team of mendacious sleaze. Indeed. So: > [@](#): > > Davis, Fleischer, Luntz and Allen — together they will join forces and [del]rule the galaxy[/del] take a lot of Daniel Snyder’s money, and then eventually lose. Yeppers. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/2 "2014-01-30T21:38:32Z")
Well, it was _the other_ type of Indian George Allen was filmed taunting with racist slurs, so I guess that should…help? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/3 "2014-01-30T22:00:55Z")
Yeah, lets get the guy who lost an election because he’s a racist douche help us defend our racist team name. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/4 "2014-01-30T22:49:36Z")
Maybe they thought they were hiring George Allen, their former coach. He died in 1990, but it’s easy to lose track of stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/5 "2014-01-30T23:48:19Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > Maybe they thought they were hiring George Allen, their former coach. He died in 1990, but it’s easy to lose track of stuff like that. The George Allen in the OP is the coach’s son. So, yeah, simple mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/6 "2014-01-30T23:54:54Z")
What exactly are these people supposed to do? There’s not a lawsuit pending over the name is there? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/7 "2014-01-31T00:15:59Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > What exactly are these people supposed to do? There’s not a lawsuit pending over the name is there? Actually, [there is](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/01/28/from-pork-rinds-to-cheerleaders-the-trademark-office-rejects-the-word-redskins/). ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/8 "2014-01-31T00:28:13Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Actually, [there is](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/01/28/from-pork-rinds-to-cheerleaders-the-trademark-office-rejects-the-word-redskins/). Interesting. Thanks for the link. If their trademark was revoked, it would not technically force them to change the name, but as a practical matter they probably would change it. Lots of money at stake… ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/9 "2014-01-31T01:27:43Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > The George Allen in the OP is the coach’s son. So, yeah, simple mistake. The team’s current motto is “the past is now”. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/10 "2014-01-31T02:22:28Z")
Seems to me that the whole process of selecting a new name could lead to millions of dollars worth of free publicity. Plus the NFL could use some good (or even neutral) ink these days. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/11 "2014-01-31T02:54:15Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > The team’s current motto is “the past is now”. Win. Which is more than the Deadskins do, these days. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/12 "2014-01-31T03:36:15Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > Plus the NFL could use some good (or even neutral) ink these days. Aren’t there enough advocates of keeping the name (who aren’t racist asswipes) that it would probably take the coverage out of neutral territory? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/13 "2014-01-31T14:51:00Z")
Incidentally, isn’t it great that there’s no more war or disease in the world? I mean, there MUSTN’T be, or the United Nations would never spend time discussing the nickname of a football team, would they? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/14 "2014-01-31T14:53:35Z")
Because we all know big organizations can only get involved with one problem at a time, and must solve them in sequence. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/15 "2014-01-31T15:48:04Z")
Calling a football team “redskins” is retarded and gay. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/16 "2014-01-31T16:27:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Because we all know big organizations can only get involved with one problem at a time, and must solve them in sequence. And how can the U.N. “solve” this problem, anyway? What authrority do they have to do ANYTHING about a football team’s nickname? They gonna send in some peacekeeping troops to enforce a name change? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/17 "2014-01-31T16:32:37Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > And how can the U.N. “solve” this problem, anyway? What authrority do they have to do ANYTHING about a football team’s nickname? They gonna send in some peacekeeping troops to enforce a name change? None, and I don’t think anyone asked the UN to solve the problem. It’s part of the broader PR push and [the meeting lasted all of 45 minutes.](http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/redskins/2014/01/24/oneida-indian-nation-united-nations-meeting-washington-redskins-name/4838685/) ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dc-area-nfl-team-can-kiss-the-name-redskins-goodbye/680154/18 "2014-01-31T16:54:33Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Calling a football team “redskins” is retarded and gay. That’s mighty white of you to say.