Radio is in the middle of a controversy over the name of Washington’s NFL team. A radio ad campaign is beginning this weekend against the Washington Redskins name ahead of Monday night’s season-opener.
The campaign will get more people talking about the issue, supporters believe.
The Oneida Indian Nation, located in New York, began the “Change the Mascot” movement to urge Washington’s NFL team to change its name and stop using the term “Redskins,” which the Native Americans say is bigoted. The campaign’s radio ads will air in Washington and cities where the team plays road games. The group says the ad flight will run for the entire NFL season.
In the ads, the Oneida Indian Nation calls upon NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to put an end to the use of the “offensive epithet,” following his recent condemnation of an Eagles player’s use of a racial slur.
Oneida Nation Representative Ray Halbritter is featured in the spot. “America is a society that values mutual respect. Using a slur and making a mascot out of our indigenous culture has no place in such a society. We believe that with the help of our fellow professional football fans, we can get the NFL to realize the error of its ways and make a very simple change.”
The Native American group believe it’s making progress on the issue, noting that in April, high school students in Cooperstown, N.Y., voted to change their “redskins” mascot to another mascot, prompting national headlines about the continued use of the word in the NFL. In May, 10 Members of Congress formally asked the league to consider a name change.
More information can be found here.
Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has publicly said he will not change the name.
