By Gary Norris Gray, Staff Reporter

This team in Washington D.C. continues to flail at the winds of change. There is a history of sexual misconduct around the Burgundy and Gold for the last 15 years. Washington continues to deflect the name-logo-mascot issue with making league history with the first female radio broadcaster in the (NFL) National Football League.

There is also a group in Washington that wants to keep the First Nation/Native American imagery, (Pride-Tribe.) In the end the name change, the new broadcaster and the sexual misconduct charges will march into history whether Dan Snyder likes it or not.

Currently in the 2020 season, if there is a season, they will be known as The Washington Football Team with no mascot. The players number will be in gold where the logo used to be.

Professional sports teams with Native American names and mascots are finish becoming a political football. The Washington Football Team officially drops the R-Word after 87 years but Dan Snyder is still holding on to that name for dear life. Snyder is holding on to former owner George Preston Marshall’s last dying wish, to never change the name.

The Washington Football Team cannot stay out of the news with alleged sexual harassment charges by ex-Washington staffers last week. It has been reported that this behavior started 16 years ago. (alleged) This could be the final straw and the end of the Dan Snyder era in Washington D.C.

Snyder states that he will change the culture in the locker-room and the front office, yeah, just like he changed the name of the football team thirty years ago, NOT!!

Julie Donaldson

Mr. Snyder understands that he has all eyes on him so he is trying to deflect some of the rightful criticism with a new vision. The Washington Football Team hired a female broadcaster-director, Julie Donaldson.

It is not going to help until that disgusting and disgraceful name is officially retired. It is not going to help until Snyder, the NFL, and the Washington Football Team move away from the Native American imagery.

The Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and Golden State Warriors are all looking in the mirror. The age of First Nation/Native American appropriation may be over with the Washington Football Team being the first to go down in flames.

This new group Pridetribe.org states “Can we find a new name that will honor Native Americans, the history of the franchise and its fans, while remaining attractive to the National Football League, The advertisers and the politicians?”

The Pridetribe.org organizers did not receive a warm welcome because they did not ask our Native American/First Nation citizens what they wanted. Many First Nation/Native Americans political activists do not want to continue to be a mascot. We all need to question where this group came from and why are they pushing this name so hard?

Who are these individuals and are they Native American/First Nation? Their leader is Caucasian, and we need to ask is this another attempt to tell minorities what to believe in and what to like or dislike.

Trust me Pride or Tribe will not be the new name of the Washington Football Team as the organization moves away for Native America/First Nation imagery.

What Pridetribe.org designer Kurt Jennings did not tell the American public, when most NFL teams change their names they also change their color and their mascots.

The old Cleveland Browns became the Baltimore Ravens, The New York Titans became the New York Jets, the Houston Oilers became the Tennessee Titans and the old Houston Texans changed to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Washington Football Team might be wise to do the same.

The National Football League, Kurt Jennings, and the Washington Football Club are forgetting one key element, First Nation/Native American Indian all three entities did not even ask our first Americans.

The Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves baseball clubs are also feeling the political heat and are moving in different directions. Just as our country heads into different directions.

The Cleveland Baseball organization will be moving forward and changing their name. The Atlanta Braves organization have made it known they are not changing their name at all.

The Braves compromised and will look into the Tomahawk chop this year, which is not Native American. The Atlanta front office stated that they will suggest the crowd not repeat the chant or the chop. (Good Luck with that.) Just like the Washington Football Club, baby steps for the Atlanta Braves.

The political storm has hit the Great Northwest as they move away from First Nation/Native American Indian names. The (CFL) Canadian Football League Edmonton Eskimos will also change their name. The Canadian team is doing this out of respect to the Inuit Nation and their Elders unlike their American counterparts who do not understand or care.

The World Champion Kansas City Chiefs, the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks, and the Golden State Warriors have stayed silent during the debate. The Chiefs are still reveling over their Super Bowl victory.

The Golden State Warriors are resting after their 5-year title run, and the Blackhawks are rebuilding their franchise. The political firestorm has not hit them yet. It will sooner or later.

The Cleveland Indians and the Washington Football Club have had enough and have thrown in the towel. NEXT!!!!

In 1979 there were over 5,000 high schools and 500 colleges with Native American imagery. The past ten years the political pressure has ratcheted up a notch to change their names.

The numbers continue to drop in 2020 but the racism still exists and the lack of respect continues. That is why changing the names have been so difficult and painful. America wants to cling to that history, wants to make time stand still.

All professional sports teams need to drop their Native American names and mascots to respect the ancestors.

Gary Norris Gray – Writer, Author, Historian, Gibbs Magazine-Oakland, California and New England Informer- Boston, Mass. THE GRAYLINE:- The Analects of A Black Disabled Man, The Gray Leopard Cove, Soul Tree Radio In The Raw, and The Batchelor News Radio Network, Disabled Community Activist. Email: glcgray@gmail.com

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