The ongoing fight against social justice and racism has led to a lot of discussions on topics that would not have normally been approached.
Many organizations both in and out of the sports world have made their intentions known and put things into perspective, with the Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss among them. One topic coming back into light amidst these discussions is the Washington Redskins name.
For many years a lot of people have called for the name of the team to be changed as the term “Redskins” is a derogatory one to Native Americans. The owner of the team, Daniel Snyder, has consistently pushed back, but with sponsors such as Nike and FedEx (who owns naming rights to their stadium), calling for a change, it might finally be enough to make a difference.
Many more have begun speaking up and calling for the name change with the latest being Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. On her personal Twitter page, Buss called for action, arguing against the idea that a team would lose its history by changing the name:
The argument I’ve heard is “if we change the team name we lose our history.” My reply: it’s HUMAN BEINGS who created the memories and won the games, NOT a LOGO. A change in name will not alter what Art Monk, Dexter Manley, Darrell Green, Doug Williams, etc. means to the fans. https://t.co/b0b0yXIAqp
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) July 2, 2020
The NBA as a whole has been very much out front in regards to the fight against racism ongoing. Not only have players been speaking out but the league as a whole has made moves to show their support for the cause and that goes down to teams as well. Everything starts from the top and Buss is showing where she and the rest of the organization stand.
Lakers ice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said he’s “incredibly proud of what our players are doing,” while head coach Frank Vogel is “very eager to participate in this movement and fight against racism.” But while the NBA and the Lakers have been at the forefront for changes, that doesn’t always apply to other leagues and sports teams.
There have been calls for this name change for decades and it has always been resisted, but with the current climate of this country, and important sponsors calling for it as well, it may finally be enough to force their hand and get rid of the Redskins name.
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