The name ‘Redskins’ was chosen in the early 1930s by the original owner George Preston Marshall who was a noted racist so they do have some history on their side. It’s still silly to get worked up over this.
That makes no sense whatsover. If he hated Indians why would he name them the "Redskins"? That's like saying a person who hates blacks would call their team the "Coons". Why would you name your own team after something you supposedly despise?
Here’s the test. Does the name Redskins harm the image of Native Americans in the U.S.? No. End of story.
Is there anyone alive who can say they think less of the Native Americans due to being exposed to this team name?
The name Braves, is actually an honorable name. If anything it represents the image of a strong vibrant Native American youth. Native Americans should be honored to have a team think enough of the name to use it. It obviously sounded like a positive name to the team when they selected it. Isn’t that a compliment rather than a slam?
Some of these suits make me wonder how someone could be this thin skinned, and out of touch with reality.
The team, founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, was renamed in 1933 the Boston Redskins in honor of its American Indian head coach, William “Lone Star” Dietz. The team moved to the District of Columbia in 1937 and was renamed the Washington Redskins.