The “Redskins,” Washington DC’s NFL team has been in existence for almost a century. And now some in the media are refusing to use the term, citing a racial slur against Native Americans.
Here, the media is more than the messenger. The journalists are playing the role of conscience-minding mentor, who can make the choice of the words they use, both in broadcast and in print.
And team owner, Dan Snyder is using the media to broadcast his refusal to change the moniker. He told USA Today: “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”
Christine Brennan from the same USA Today explained “even if only some Native Americans think it’s racist, here’s news for the rest of us. Whether we want to hear it and deal with it or not: it’s racist.”
And what does the franchise really lose if the network coverage refers to the team as “Washington” rather than the “Redskins?” Even though the name has not changed, the term “redskins” is slowly disappearing from sports culture.
Other sports teams are also facing challenges to their brands including baseball’s Cleveland Indians, who stoutly defend their red-faced Chief Wahoo logo. According to Cleveland Indian President Mark Shapiro,. “Chief Wahoo is not going anywhere. He will continue to be “featured prominently” and presently on every team uniform. But there seems to be a transition to the “C,” emphasizing Cleveland instead of the red-faced, hook-nosed chief.
As the media pinpoints the teams and erases their colorful mascots, sports teams may be forced to re-brand. All this political correctness would demand that the teams create a new image. But the real question is, who is the audience? Loyal fans and season ticket holders may be as offended by a name change. It proves that branding and when to change your brand is a very difficult question to answer.