Several media outlets have announced they will no longer refer to Washington’s NFL team as the “Redskins.” Photograph by Flickr user Keith Allison.
Slate, the online media outlet owned by the Washington
Post Company, announced on
Thursday
that it will no longer refer to the “Redskins” NFL team with
that particular name,
which some people, including Native Americans, have called
offensive. Slate joins
several other media organizations that have announced the same
decision.
Slate’s editorial, penned by the site’s editor, David Plotz, begins with this blunt declaration: “This is the last Slate article that will refer
to the Washington NFL team as the Redskins.” Later Plotz writes, “While the name Redskins
is only a bit offensive, it’s extremely tacky and dated—like an old aunt who still
talks about ‘colored people’ or limps her wrist to suggest someone’s gay.” Plotz notes
that while the Post Company owns the site, the two entities “have always been editorially
independent.” Still, he says, “as a Post subscriber, I wish they would change” and also stop using the name.
Team owner Dan Snyder has been more than adamant that he won’t change the name, despite growing verbal
protests. In May 2013 he told USA
Today, “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER—you can use caps.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has backed Snyder. In a June
letter
to the Congressional Native American Caucus, Goodell said, “For
the team’s millions
of fans and customers, who represent one of America’s most
ethnically and geographically
diverse fan bases, the name is a unifying force that stands for
strength, courage,
pride and respect.”
Other media outlets that have announced they will not use the Redskins name include
the Washington City Paper, DCist, the Kansas City Star, the Oregonian, and writers from Buffalo News and Philadelphia Daily News.
Plotz says the Slate decision is unlikely to rock Snyder or the NFL. “When we stop
using the name ‘Redskins,’ hardly anyone will notice.” But, he wrote, “changing how
you talk changes how you think.” As an alternative, Plotz says the site will likely
use either “Washington” or “Washington’s NFL team” when doing stories.
Asked about Slate’s decision, a Redskins representative merely replied, “No comment.”
The Redskins play their first preseason game of the 2013 season Thursday night in
Nashville against the Tennessee Titans.
Slate Announces It Will No Longer Use the Team Name “Redskins”
The site, owned by the Washington Post Company, joins other media outlets around the US.
Slate, the online media outlet owned by the Washington
Post Company, announced on
Thursday
that it will no longer refer to the “Redskins” NFL team with
that particular name,
which some people, including Native Americans, have called
offensive. Slate joins
several other media organizations that have announced the same
decision.
Slate’s editorial, penned by the site’s editor,
David Plotz, begins with this blunt declaration: “This is the last Slate article that will refer
to the Washington NFL team as the Redskins.” Later Plotz writes, “While the name Redskins
is only a bit offensive, it’s extremely tacky and dated—like an old aunt who still
talks about ‘colored people’ or limps her wrist to suggest someone’s gay.” Plotz notes
that while the Post Company owns the site, the two entities “have always been editorially
independent.” Still, he says, “as a
Post subscriber, I wish they would change” and also stop using the name.
Team owner
Dan Snyder has been more than adamant that he won’t change the name, despite growing verbal
protests. In May 2013 he told
USA
Today, “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER—you can use caps.”
NFL commissioner
Roger Goodell has backed Snyder. In a June
letter
to the Congressional Native American Caucus, Goodell said, “For
the team’s millions
of fans and customers, who represent one of America’s most
ethnically and geographically
diverse fan bases, the name is a unifying force that stands for
strength, courage,
pride and respect.”
Other media outlets that have announced they will not use the Redskins name include
the
Washington City Paper, DCist, the
Kansas City Star, the
Oregonian, and writers from
Buffalo News and
Philadelphia Daily News.
Plotz says the Slate decision is unlikely to rock Snyder or the NFL. “When we stop
using the name ‘Redskins,’ hardly anyone will notice.” But, he wrote, “changing how
you talk changes how you think.” As an alternative, Plotz says the site will likely
use either “Washington” or “Washington’s NFL team” when doing stories.
Asked about Slate’s decision, a Redskins representative merely replied, “No comment.”
The Redskins play their first preseason game of the 2013 season Thursday night in
Nashville against the Tennessee Titans.
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Missing Men of Mount Pleasant
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
Your Story About How Pickleball Changed Your Life Could Get You a Game on the National Mall
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
More from News & Politics
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This July
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
Families of DC Air Disaster Victims Criticize Army’s Response, Trump Settles His Scores Via Tariff, and Police Dog Kicked at Dulles Returns to Work
This DC-Area Lawyer Wants More Americans Betting on Elections
Trump Threatens DC Takeover, Says He’d Run the City “So Good”; Supreme Court OKs Mass Federal Worker Layoffs; and You Should Go Pick Some Sunflowers
Trump Pledges Support for RFK Stadium Plan, Ben’s Chili Bowl Will Strand Us Half-Smokeless for Months, and Pediatricians Are Suing RFK Jr.
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor