Sports teams named Redskins

Sports teams named Redskins are part of the larger controversy regarding the use of Native American names, images and symbols by non-native sports teams. Teams of this name have received particular public attention because the term redskin is now generally regarded as disparaging and offensive.[1][2][3][4][5]

The most prominent team of this name was the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL), which had been at the center of several campaigns to change the name. After decades of defending the name, amid the removal of many names and images associated with systemic racism as part of the George Floyd protests, Washington yielded to pressure from investors and sponsors and retired the branding in 2020.[6][7] The team temporarily played as the Washington Football Team before rebranding as the Commanders in 2022.[8]

The college sports teams using the name changed voluntarily prior to the NCAA Native American mascot decision in 2005; the University of Utah became Utah Utes in 1972, Miami University of Ohio became the RedHawks in 1997 and the Southern Nazarene University became the Crimson Storm in 1998.

The South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League team that was formerly the Morden Redskins was renamed Morden Bombers in 2020.[9]

Several high schools have followed the example of the Washington NFL team and agreed to change their names. Other high school and youth teams continue to use the name, though the number has been steadily declining. Defenders of the Redskins name, both nationally and locally, cite their tradition, and the pride they feel in their team, while calls for change are often dismissed as political correctness. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) database tracks 89 K-12 schools in 40 school districts with the Redskins mascot.[10]

  1. ^ "redskin". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ "Definition of REDSKIN". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved November 7, 2014. Definition of REDSKIN (usually offensive): american indian
  3. ^ The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2014. n. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a Native American.
  4. ^ "Redskin". Dictionary.com. Retrieved November 7, 2014. noun, Slang: Often Disparaging and Offensive. 1. a North American Indian.
  5. ^ "Definition of redskin". Collins English Dictionary.
  6. ^ McDonald, Scott (July 1, 2020). "Washington Redskins Urged to Lose Name, or Millions in Sponsorships". Newsweek. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Clarke, Liz (July 2, 2020). "FedEx calls on Redskins to change name following investors' demands on sponsors". Washington Post.
  8. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (February 2, 2022). "Washington Football Team announces 'Commanders' as its new name". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ^ Malone, Kelly Geraldine (2020-10-20). "Morden, Man., senior hockey team changes derogatory name to Bombers". CBC. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  10. ^ "National School Mascot Tracking Database - Overview" (PDF). NCAI. Retrieved November 30, 2022.