Ish
Fri, 28 May 1999 09:18:11 -0700
And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: Robert Eurich <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Here are two recent articles encouraging changes respectively be made to the Washington NFL team nickname and the loathsome Wahoo. A notes of thanks can be sent to the author of the USA Today article, Jarrett Bell, at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Snyder passes on golden opportunity http://www.usatoday.com/sports/comment/colbell.htm Are Chief Wahoo's days numbered? New owner will have to make choice http://www.foxnews.com/sports/wires2/0528/s_ap_0528_39.sml <<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>> <clipped from "Snyder passes on golden opportunity"> Yet when Snyder, a marketing whiz who has made a fortune with his Bethesda, Md.based technology firm, comes out on Day 1 of the "New Era'' and quickly dismisses any consideration of changing the team's controversial nickname, I don't understand. Now would be the perfect time to address the issue, to do the right thing for a group of people Native American Indians who have been disrespected throughout this country's history. By dictionary definition, redskin is "offensive slang for American Indian.'' But Snyder comes off as a bigtime snob with his "It's not offensive to me'' stance. He's made that doubly clear with such insensitivity. But why insult his new, captive audience by trying to sell the Redskins' nickname as key to some proud, sacred tradition? He can't be referring to the losing tradition that has formed like green moss at Redskin Park in recent years, with those bungling, 4-12, 3-13, 6-10 non-playoff seasons during the '90s. Yet it seems the meaning of tradition, like the franchise, in many cases can be bought, sold and interpreted for convenience by people like Snyder, armed with enough resources to make a difference. Of course, it's a tradition for the Redskins owner to hear debate over the team's nickname. The late Cooke was stubborn to the end, and previous owner Edward Bennett Williams and founder George Preston Marshall were insensitive to the issue, too. Why expect anything different from Snyder? Well, already, it sounds like a company line when some suggest that because he's the NFL's youngest owner at 34, he'll have fresh ideas. No idea would be as fresh as a new nickname, and the symbolism that would be attached. Just retire the damned nickname, like they retire old jerseys. <end excerpt> <<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>> <clipped from "Are Chief Wahoo's days numbered? New owner will have to make choice "> Walter Goldbach didn't mean to anger anyone when he first sketched out the caricature of a grinning, big-nosed Indian brave. It was 1946. Goldbach was a 17-year-old working at his uncle's emblem company, trying to come up with a snazzy logo for the Cleveland Indians baseball team. But more than 50 years since Goldbach's handiwork became Chief Wahoo — the face stitched in to every Cleveland player's cap — the symbol has become a source of tension, loved by fans but reviled by American Indian activists who consider it degrading and racist. Sports marketers believe the logo will present a tough problem if Indians owner Richard Jacobs follows through on his plan to sell the team. The owner will face this choice: give in to protesters' demands and change the team logo — even its name — and take the resulting heat from fans, or keep the logo and be seen in some circles as insensitive. "The new owner will be in a huge pressure cooker with regard to how loud people will scream about this,'' said Brandon Steiner, who heads a sports marketing company in New York. <end excerpt> -- American Indian Sports Team Mascots http://www.geocities.com/~earnestman/1indexpage.htm "Little drops of rain wear away the greatest of stones." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What do lizards and rock music have in common? http://www.onelist.com They both have communities at ONElist. Find yours today! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You are on the anti racism list to sub/unsub go to: http://www.onelist.com/isregistered.cgi?userinfo Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&