Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the latest government official to weigh in on the name of the Washington NFL team, and he’s not a fan.
“I think [Dan] Snyder is so shortsighted on this,” Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told The Hill.
As if getting hammered on the gridiron every week wasn’t bad enough, Washington has been dogged all year by the ongoing controversy over its nickname, which most dictionaries define as derogatory or a racial slur. While the Oneida Indian Nation of New York State has waged a season-long publicity campaign against the team’s name, the franchise has also been criticized by numerous politicians as high up as President Obama.
But unlike Obama, who said in October that if he had Snyder’s job, he would have to “think about” changing the team’s name, Reid’s take is far more cutting.
“We live in a society where you can’t denigrate a race of people,” Reid told The Hill. “And that’s what that is. I mean, you can’t have the Washington Blackskins. I think it’s so shortsighted.”
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Harry Reid Tells Redskins to Change Their Name
The Senate majority leader says Dan Snyder is "shortsighted" for ignoring calls to change the team's name.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the latest government official to weigh in on the name of the Washington NFL team, and he’s not a fan.
“I think [Dan] Snyder is so shortsighted on this,” Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told The Hill.
As if getting hammered on the gridiron every week wasn’t bad enough, Washington has been dogged all year by the ongoing controversy over its nickname, which most dictionaries define as derogatory or a racial slur. While the Oneida Indian Nation of New York State has waged a season-long publicity campaign against the team’s name, the franchise has also been criticized by numerous politicians as high up as President Obama.
But unlike Obama, who said in October that if he had Snyder’s job, he would have to “think about” changing the team’s name, Reid’s take is far more cutting.
“We live in a society where you can’t denigrate a race of people,” Reid told The Hill. “And that’s what that is. I mean, you can’t have the Washington Blackskins. I think it’s so shortsighted.”
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Trucker Convoy Has Given Up on DC Yet Again. We Tried One Last Time to Find Out What They Wanted.
2022 Tech Titans
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People
The Untold Story of the White House’s Weirdly Hip Record Collection
Number of Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs Hits Record Low
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2022: Fantastic Foodie Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
A Johnny Cash Statue Is Coming to the Capitol
LGBTQ Pioneer Barney Frank’s Story Is Now a Graphic Novel
Inside the Effort to Revamp the DC Archives
This DC Poet Was Once the USSR’s Biggest Kid Actor
More from News & Politics
The Trucker Convoy Has Given Up on DC Yet Again. We Tried One Last Time to Find Out What They Wanted.
Number of Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs Hits Record Low
The Lincoln Memorial Is 100 Years Old. Here’s How to Celebrate It.
The Hill’s Newsroom Petitions to Unionize
2022 Tech Titans
A Johnny Cash Statue Is Coming to the Capitol
7 Things to Know About Karine Jean-Pierre, the New White House Press Secretary
PHOTOS: Weekend Pro-Choice Rally and March in DC