After years of criticism that their NFL team name is offensive, the Washington Redskins may finally change their name.
The Washington team owned by Dan Snyder announced Friday it plans to do a thorough review of the term “Redskins,” and now many are taking their guesses as to what the team will rename themselves to.
BetOnline.ag already has released odds on the renaming front, and it appears “Presidents” is leading the charge.
Some names, quite clearly, are far better than others. For instance, the Washington “Jeffersons” or “Roosevelts” certainly would be… something.
Washington changed its name from the Braves to the Redskins in 1933 and has been the subject of protests by Native-American groups and others for the past 40 years. Redskins owner Dan Snyder previously continued to refuse a name change despite a few different court battles.
A 2019 poll of Native Americans showed that a majority found the team name offensive, according to USA Today, but Snyder originally claimed he’d “never” change the name.
Before announcing they’ll be doing a thorough review of their team name, Washington recently removed a statue dedicated to their former owner, George Preston Marshall, at RFK Stadium last month and cited his racist policies of not signing black players for decades as reasoning for removal of the monument.
The team played at RFK Stadium from 1961 to 1996.
Other professional sports organizations also have controversial names, including MLB’s Cleveland Indians and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, both of whom have no plans to change their name despite their offensive nature.
Erin Walsh is a Boston sports fan through and through. Although many think Boston sports fans are insufferable, Erin tries to see things from a neutral perspective. Her passion is hockey, and she believes defense wins championships. In addition to covering sports for Yardbarker, she covers Boston sports for NBC Sports Boston. Follow her on Twitter @ewalsh90
