Seven years after declaring that he would never change his team’s racist nickname, Dan Snyder, owner of the NFL team in Washington, admitted his defeat.
On Monday, Snyder said the team was “removing” the racist nickname and logo from the franchise, replacing them with a nickname and logo to be determined at a later date.
On July 1, I wrote a column calling on Snyder to stop receiving a pass from companies, including the NFL, which proclaimed the Black Lives Matter on the one hand, but on the other, had let Snyder drop out. Two days later, the billionaire’s bunker was impenetrable – he thought – from Snyder.
FedEx, a major sponsor that has the naming rights for the team stadium, has publicly asked Snyder to change the team name. FedEx has sent a letter to the Washington team threatening to remove its signage from the stadium after the 2020 season if the name is not changed.
This change would have cost the team nearly $ 45 million in lost revenue.
Nike has stopped marketing the Washington team’s products on its website. In a short time, sponsors Pepsi and Bank of America called for a name change.
Obviously, Monday’s decision was motivated by money, not morality, about opportunity, not by a change of heart. For years, Snyder has ignored moral calls for change. It was only when his financial interest was threatened that he capitulated.
Its good. In this current cultural and political battlefield, where morality is lacking, a victory is a victory is a victory, however it is achieved. The gains forced by externalities – in this case, the threat of lost sponsors – will continue.
Morality for money
The miserable nickname of the Washington team does not return. “If his moral compass had been direct, he would have done something proactively about it,” said Reverend Phillip Jackson, priest in charge at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York.
Jackson cited the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach in his sermon on the mountain about the importance of kindness from our soul. “The things we do arise from inside us,” said Jackson. “What this man and what many of us do, what our culture does, is to link good behavior to externalities. In most of our cases, it is money. “
Yes, a win is a win, but it would have been great if Snyder had made a moral decision years ago. “Of course it matters,” said Jackson. “If it really came from this man’s heart, from his guts, he would also have started to think about how he treats his players. He would also start to think about how he treats the people who work at the stadium. He would think of all of this, if it came from within. Then it starts to become a total question, a global way of looking at the world, not just a reactive response to having its sponsors put it in a vise. “
Snyder is not the only entity caught in a vice of monetary morality.
The NBA is also taken into account. The supposedly brightest league in the world has given players permission to put slogans on the back of their shirts, unless criticized by China, criticized by the police. The NBA and several players have important trade relations with China. The police are also very present in the league.
Where does morality end and where monetary interests take over?
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, to his credit, said he would skip a slogan on the back of his jersey and use his own name. Presumably James thinks his actions will speak louder than a league-approved slogan.
In the NFL, if there is a season, players will be allowed to kneel collectively before the game of the national anthem on opening day and “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”, the black national anthem, will be played before the first game of the season. These are concessions designed to keep the predominantly black players in the league happy and their predominantly white fans to disintegrate.
In the case of the NBA, the money forced the league to set limits on the protests; in the NFL, money forced a compromise.
So let’s savor Monday’s victory, take advantage of the moment, then move on to removing the next monument to racism. There are many: the Braves in Atlanta, the Indians in Cleveland and the stupid tomahawk chop in too many places to remember.
So let’s savor Monday’s victory, take advantage of the moment, then move on to removing the next monument to racism. There are many: the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians, and the stupid tomahawk chop in too many places to remember.
In Snyder’s case, money, not morality, forced the name change.
In a society like the United States, where money is absolutely the highest value, and where money determines morality, the strategy to force change is to hit the companies in the portfolio.
In due course, the company, or an owner like Snyder, could assess the moral residue of a decision made for financial reasons.
“He can find out that in fact his team is doing better, so whatever,” said Jackson, referring to Snyder. “If his motivation is scary and mean, forced because of the pressure, fine. I’ll take it, “he added. “May God change his heart. It is God’s work. “
In each case, the teams will only move if financial pressure is applied, and that’s fine. In the past, I thought that one should be made to do the right thing out of a moral sense.
In a society that favors money, take the gains as you go. The path from Snyder to Damascus was caused by fleeing sponsors, not a moral tug.
“If that’s what it took to force him to do the right thing,” said Jackson, “it’s unfortunate for him. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that inside of him and had to to be pressurized like that.
“But it’s okay,” he added. “We will take it. At least now our native brothers and sisters no longer have to see this racist name.”
Morality be damned: a victory is a victory is a victory.
