The pressure in the debate over the racist name of the NFL team Washington Redskins is increasing. But US President Donald Trump once again expresses a different view. The sponsors of the football team and the politicians from the White House are completely opposed to one another. Right in the middle are the owners, who in turn seem to disagree.
Following the request by stadium sponsor Fedex to separate from the surname Redskins (red skins) and the corresponding support from other major sponsors such as Nike and Pepsi, the retail giants Walmart and Target removed the products with the name and logo from their offer on Monday. The signals for a desired change are clear.
Trump senses exaggerated political correctness
Trump, on the other hand, positioned himself on the completely different side: On Twitter, the US President wrote on Monday that teams are named based on strength and not weakness. Now it looks like the Washington Redskins – like the Cleveland Indians baseball players – are changing their names to behave politically correct.
The ongoing protests against racism in the USA have triggered the debate, which has been smoldering for years. The demonstrations are mainly under the slogan “Black lives matter”, but have caused unprecedented awareness of racism in the country not only for African Americans.
Interest groups and Native American lawyers wrote in a letter to the NFL calling for the team owner Dan Snyder to change the name away from Redskins. Snyder has been the majority owner of the team since 1999 and has vehemently resisted a new name in the past. On Friday, however, after the Fedex pressure, he publicly signaled his willingness to think for the first time.
The Washington Redskins logo
Dispute among shareholders
Coach Ron Rivera said in the Washington Post over the weekend that a new name before the start of the new season would be great. He had already spoken to Snyder about it and reported two suggestions that he liked very much. According to experts, such a step normally takes months, if not years, in preparation.
According to media reports, there has also been disagreement among the team’s shareholders for some time. According to the Washington Post, three investors – including Fedex chief executive Frederick Smith – want to part with their shares because they no longer want to work with Snyder. The newspaper does not establish a connection with the debate about the team name.
