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On Taking a Stand and Redskins Fandom

So NBC4 announces they'll no longer use Redskins on air.

George Michael is rolling in his grave....
 
I have been holding off reading this until I had a chance to properly address it...been a couple busy days.

John, I appreciate your flexibility. You're a good man, a fair man, but this name change has implications beyond football as some have mentioned, and there is no amount of smoothing over a pile of shit that can make me accept a change in the name. You can call it stubborn principle, but I am sticking by this one.

If/when the name changes, I'm out. I have been saying it for years, so this isn't some emotional reaction. This is a decision I am making because I refuse to accept the bully's demands. They may have already won, it may be just a matter of time, but I do not have to stand by and accept it. This has been made into something it's not, but...the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?

So when it happens I am left with 3 choices, none involves an obsession I have had for almost 50 years...I can root for another team, not have a favorite team, or stop watching the NFL altogether. I have been pondering the entire withdrawal from the NFL for years, even stopped watching my own beloved Redskins because of the shit show it had become.

Looks like the most obvious step is to stop watching the NFL altogether.

I like the college product more anyway...probably just going to watch my FSU Seminoles stand by their name, although they may struggle a few years before they turn things around, hopefully their new coach can turn it around. I will probably still stop by here to see you guys...won't comment much on the team. How can I? I just won't have any passion. John, I will always support you...I consider you a friend, and I believe that goes well beyond an NFL name. Likewise with many of you here...this is a great group of people. I have enjoyed the discussion over the years...even when I told you so about RG3! Haha!

So that's pretty much it for the name....when it goes, I'm done. I wish I could be as flexible as you, John...I just can't.
 
Hey gang, I have a question: after the name change goes down, what happens to all the Redskins gear that Nike, et al, pulled from their shelves? Does it get permanently mothballed, or will it be available at a reduced price? Cuz I would DEFINITELY be down to snap some of that up...
 
I have been holding off reading this until I had a chance to properly address it...been a couple busy days.

John, I appreciate your flexibility. You're a good man, a fair man, but this name change has implications beyond football as some have mentioned, and there is no amount of smoothing over a pile of shit that can make me accept a change in the name. You can call it stubborn principle, but I am sticking by this one.

If/when the name changes, I'm out. I have been saying it for years, so this isn't some emotional reaction. This is a decision I am making because I refuse to accept the bully's demands. They may have already won, it may be just a matter of time, but I do not have to stand by and accept it. This has been made into something it's not, but...the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?

So when it happens I am left with 3 choices, none involves an obsession I have had for almost 50 years...I can root for another team, not have a favorite team, or stop watching the NFL altogether. I have been pondering the entire withdrawal from the NFL for years, even stopped watching my own beloved Redskins because of the shit show it had become.

Looks like the most obvious step is to stop watching the NFL altogether.

I like the college product more anyway...probably just going to watch my FSU Seminoles stand by their name, although they may struggle a few years before they turn things around, hopefully their new coach can turn it around. I will probably still stop by here to see you guys...won't comment much on the team. How can I? I just won't have any passion. John, I will always support you...I consider you a friend, and I believe that goes well beyond an NFL name. Likewise with many of you here...this is a great group of people. I have enjoyed the discussion over the years...even when I told you so about RG3! Haha!

So that's pretty much it for the name....when it goes, I'm done. I wish I could be as flexible as you, John...I just can't.
El, I suggest you reconsider. I know you love the game, and the B&G; a name change is, I contest, the most trivial matter when weighed against a lifetime of commitment. As I said earlier, they are still the squad you have loved, prayed for, and believed in all your livelong days. Why should this cause you to walk away now?
 
I have been holding off reading this until I had a chance to properly address it...been a couple busy days.

John, I appreciate your flexibility. You're a good man, a fair man, but this name change has implications beyond football as some have mentioned, and there is no amount of smoothing over a pile of shit that can make me accept a change in the name. You can call it stubborn principle, but I am sticking by this one.

If/when the name changes, I'm out. I have been saying it for years, so this isn't some emotional reaction. This is a decision I am making because I refuse to accept the bully's demands. They may have already won, it may be just a matter of time, but I do not have to stand by and accept it. This has been made into something it's not, but...the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?

So when it happens I am left with 3 choices, none involves an obsession I have had for almost 50 years...I can root for another team, not have a favorite team, or stop watching the NFL altogether. I have been pondering the entire withdrawal from the NFL for years, even stopped watching my own beloved Redskins because of the shit show it had become.

Looks like the most obvious step is to stop watching the NFL altogether.

I like the college product more anyway...probably just going to watch my FSU Seminoles stand by their name, although they may struggle a few years before they turn things around, hopefully their new coach can turn it around. I will probably still stop by here to see you guys...won't comment much on the team. How can I? I just won't have any passion. John, I will always support you...I consider you a friend, and I believe that goes well beyond an NFL name. Likewise with many of you here...this is a great group of people. I have enjoyed the discussion over the years...even when I told you so about RG3! Haha!

So that's pretty much it for the name....when it goes, I'm done. I wish I could be as flexible as you, John...I just can't.
I know I'm post bombing here, but what happens when the Seminoles are forced into surrendering their name? To borrow from Bob Dylan, the times, they are a changing; that does not mean our own beliefs and values should.
 
El, I suggest you reconsider. I know you love the game, and the B&G; a name change is, I contest, the most trivial matter when weighed against a lifetime of commitment. As I said earlier, they are still the squad you have loved, prayed for, and believed in all your livelong days. Why should this cause you to walk away now?

Sure, trivialize the one thing I had to hold onto of the relationship with my father after he left when I was 5.

Go ahead and trivialize an image I feel so strongly about I had it tattooed on my leg.

Go ahead and trivialize a name I have cheered for nearly 50 years, singing Hail to the REDSKINS thousands of times.

Go ahead and trivialize the bigger picture of being told what I have to find offensive.

Go ahead and trivialize the push currently underway to eliminate entire swaths of our history.

Go ahead, you buy into the snake oil being sold. I'll be right here NOT rooting for the NEW team in Washington.

And as far as this...


I know I'm post bombing here, but what happens when the Seminoles are forced into surrendering their name? To borrow from Bob Dylan, the times, they are a changing; that does not mean our own beliefs and values should.

They won't be forced to change their name. They and the Seminole nation have a long standing relationship. But sure...we can play the what ifs if you want.
 
Sure, trivialize the one thing I had to hold onto of the relationship with my father after he left when I was 5.

Go ahead and trivialize an image I feel so strongly about I had it tattooed on my leg.

Go ahead and trivialize a name I have cheered for nearly 50 years, singing Hail to the REDSKINS thousands of times.

Go ahead and trivialize the bigger picture of being told what I have to find offensive.

Go ahead and trivialize the push currently underway to eliminate entire swaths of our history.

Go ahead, you buy into the snake oil being sold. I'll be right here NOT rooting for the NEW team in Washington.

And as far as this...




They won't be forced to change their name. They and the Seminole nation have a long standing relationship. But sure...we can play the what ifs if you want.
Well, damn. No need to get up big fella. I was merely offering an alternative viewpoint. Had I known it would have gotten you so riled up, rest assured I would've tempered my position somewhat. No offense was intended. I fear that my assertions stand, however, despite your apparent vehemence.
 
El, I suggest you reconsider. I know you love the game, and the B&G; a name change is, I contest, the most trivial matter when weighed against a lifetime of commitment. As I said earlier, they are still the squad you have loved, prayed for, and believed in all your livelong days. Why should this cause you to walk away now?

DudeRedskin: why is it El loved the game, prayed for the team, believed in the team? I respect your point-of-view and only suggest that the currents run deeper here. It's more than a name change that is in play.

Perhaps a rose by another name does not smell the same.
 
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Well, damn. No need to get up big fella. I was merely offering an alternative viewpoint. Had I known it would have gotten you so riled up, rest assured I would've tempered my position somewhat. No offense was intended. I fear that my assertions stand, however, despite your apparent vehemence.

Other words, “Sorry, not sorry,”
 
The forced name change, trivial as it may seem to some, is simply a symptom of the disease that is currently infecting this country.

All of the history of this country is at risk of erasure by those who either played no part in it or by those that are pandering to them for political gain.
 
I get it.

I really do.

It's what bonds us together here. We're 'Redskins' fans. Chances are, our fandom of this team started long, long ago. It may be tied up in our family memories, a legacy of our bond with our father, brother, uncle, or close friends. If we're lucky, our love for the B&G was cemented during the glory days when playoff heroics, dominance, and Super Bowl triumphs were real and life-altering. If we're a little less long in the tooth, we've earned our die hard status by sticking with a team through an unprecedented run of futility, disappointment, and an endless stream of coaches, front office staff, and QBs.

Either way - we've all earned the description. We're Washington Redskins fans.

And now, everything seems on the verge of change. Not just of change. Of 'undoing', of 'undermining', of 'erasure'.

They aren't just 'changing the name' and wiping out a legacy and history most of us have committed significant amounts of time, energy, and passion on - they're doing it while implying, and in some cases outright proclaiming, we've been racist supporters of a derogatory, disrespectful moniker all these years.

It's a bitter pill to swallow.

I have lots of feelings about it all. Anger. Disappointment. Disgust. Fatigue. Dread. I can still call my team 'Redskins' and no one can stop me from doing so. But in a few short weeks or months, they will no longer BE the 'Redskins'. They'll be something else. And that is no little thing. Some will argue 'it's just a name'. But most of us know better. It's not 'just a name'. And being forced to change it is not without its implications, none of which are flattering to lifelong fans of this franchise, more commonly called 'my friends'.

The first instinct of every Redskins fan is obvious. The last great act of defiance, flipping off one's attacker and then walking away forever. That might very well be the most natural and perhaps most satisfying response of all. Those that are imposing the ridiculous change we are witnessing certainly deserve it. But the problem with that response, as I have gradually come to realize, is that walking away over a name change accomplishes nothing positive, for them, or for us. Those that heap scorn on us as backwards, racist fans are not hurt one iota by our departure from Redskins fandom. In fact, if anything, they might relish the idea, because as we now understand, it's not just the name that's been racist all of these years. Driving we racist fans screaming from the NFL would bring nothing but joy and satisfaction to those who've engineered this particular social 'justice'.

Why satisfy them?

We all know that decades of experience, emotion, love, pain, and commitment are tied up in our fandom. Like a man's chest of drawers, we can't start tugging on one item without 4 or 5 other items coming with it. Change the name? It impacts everything we feel, cherish, love, and even hate about our team.

But it's important to remember. The name is not 'our team'. The name is a name. Our team is lead by a 2nd year QB, a new coaching staff, and a bunch of young, promising talent. Our team is on the upswing, conceivably on the verge of something, if not great, at least promising. These players are mostly new to our 'Redskins'. Most don't have a lifetime of baggage associated with the team name. But they do represent Washington, D.C. and the DC-MD-VA area with pride and commitment. They want to win, for themselves, their coaches, and for us.

Are we really going to abandon them now - for reasons not a one of them is responsible for? And if so, to what end? To 'prove a point'? To 'punish' those responsible? To make a 'statement'?

I don't think I can do that.

It won't be easy. The anger and irritation and just the plain weirdness of it all isn't going away, at least not any time soon. But ultimately a 'fan' isn't just a celebrator of things past, or guardian of tradition, or passionate advocate of a franchise's history. The most critical aspect of being a fan is supporting the players carrying our banner and cheering them on to ultimate glory. It's about that struggle every Sunday, and being a part of that challenge for better or worse. No matter what. Will vanquishing Dallas, knocking them out of a playoff run in Week 17, or prevailing over them in post-season play be any less sweet under a different name? I wonder...

I choose to be a part. I can't tell you what to do, and never would presume to. But I think it's important to consider, if you walk away, what if anything will it accomplish, other than robbing you of the opportunity to continue to be a Washington Redskins fan - if not in name, in spirit?

And that's all I have to say about that.
My emotions are roller coaster on this as it is with everyone... I wish I had the endurance ti put my thoughts down but all of you have said it nicely. It looks inevitable unfortunately and I hate it. I have always been against the name change...and still am. But they will always be my team and that is the Washington Redskins!!! HTTR!!
 
The irony Diesel Power 44 is that in the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales you pulled the clip from in the end, the former Confederate colonel accepted that Josey Wales had 'changed his name' and had moved on to living another life after the Civil War.
 
The irony Diesel Power 44 is that in the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales you pulled the clip from in the end, the former Confederate colonel accepted that Josey Wales had 'changed his name' and had moved on to living another life after the Civil War.
even more ironic is that Josey made peace with the Indians without having to compromise what he wanted or who he was because he was sure in it.
 
My last night as a fan of the Washington Redskins. I was born into it more than 61 years ago. My earliest memories are about 57 years ago. "My" quarterbacks have been Norm Snead to Dwayne Haskins. The head coaches - Bill McPeak to Ron Rivera. Redskins - it's all I've known.

"Hail" is how Redskins fans greet one another, whether we are coming or going. I'll probably sleep very little tonight - I've always been this way before a very important day to come, but I know that we must move forward and embrace new and exciting times.

We'll still be the same fans as we have always been. Tomorrow will be the beginning of new traditions and we'll continue to honor old traditions until we are gone. For all of my Redskins friends...

Hail!

Hail to the Redskins!!!
 
I wrote a longer post but nixed it because it sounded like something a 16 year old would write to the girl who just broke up with him.

Here’s the long and short of it: The Redskins will NEVER win another Super Bowl. The Redskins will NEVER make the playoffs again. The Redskins will NEVER win another game again. I really hate that. I mean I really hate that. The fact that I fully expect the ownership to pick something terrible as a new name doesn’t help either.

I’m having a conversation with myself very similar to the one El is having.
My options would be:
  • Stay and feel like the playground bully has made me eat dirt
  • Become a fan of another team (Tennessee or Carolina would be my only choices since I lived in Western NC for a long time). Rooting for another team would be hard, but the Skins are gone. This would be a “weasel free” walk away.
  • Just walk away.

I want to see how all of this plays out before I make a final call, but I don’t like the taste of dirt.
 
Tagging on to something Hog Fever said above...

I accept that the name change is coming. I've come to peace with it and I'll still support the franchise going forwards. The timing of this over the past few weeks has coincided with my Dad being diagnosed with terminal prostate, bone and lung cancer, so in all honesty I've had more on my mind. For me, this whole thing has been kind of trivialised due to my current circumstances. Maybe that's why I don't feel as broken up about the name change as some other fans... it feels like I'm about to go through a much bigger change in my life.

This is not me trivialising any of your reactions and feelings, this is simply about me and how I feel.

Still, even though I'm okay with it, I still don't like it. And honestly, I've been ebaying a storm this week buying Redskins merch before it starts disappearing! I even snagged a copy of the poster I had on my wall as a kid, which I'm going to get framed and hung!

My dad, for his sins, is a Tampa Bay Buccs fan. On top of all the cancer crap that's struck him now, he also has Alzheimers. More and more lately, he is living in the past. Talking about his RAF days and old cars. When we do talk about football, he can wax lyrical about his Buccaneers, the thing is he no longer remembers the logo change. While I was searching for that poster the other day, I ended up buying dad a retro Buccs cap in the old orange with the swashbuckling buccaneer on it. He loved it. But it did make me think... Once this name change goes through, how will the team will stand on 'throwback' stuff moving forwards. I've got a number of throwback Jersey's, but are companies like Nike or whoever going to still make that stuff? What about any merchandise that references our previous Superbowls? The name and the logo are tied to those things FOREVER. Are they now just about to be swept under the carpet? What about any banners hanging in the stadium etc?

My worry is that this isn't just a change looking forward, but is it going to look back too?

My biggest gripe with all this stuff going on in society at the moment is the purging of history. I am on board with being racially and politically correct in the future. I'm fine with that. It should be expected in modern society, but what I worry about is the erasing of the past. When they are starting to yank episdoes of Fawlty Towers off the air, and having to put warnings on Disney movies from the 90's that 'may cause offense', I start to think the worlds gone mad.

I understand that those TV shows or films are 'of their time' when attitudes were different to what they are now. And while the Redskins name may be considered derogatory and maybe it is right to change with the times, I do not want our rich history to be glossed over and swept away just because a handful of people are overly sensitive toward something that was done/established in a very different era. I don't want those banners (I assume we have championship banners in Fedex?? Having never been there I don't know for sure!) to be nerfed to generic 'Washington' banners and have the logo removed. I want them to stay and for Joe-Sensitive to understand that they are HISTORY.

Hope that all makes sense...

Sorry to get a little personal in there!
 
THis is the poster FYI. Anyone one else have this one? Dates back to 1983 I think.

Redskins Poster.jpg
 
Apologies all for fol: this isn't a matter of civil compliance or virtue signallng. We are all going to have to choose sides in the coming months and years.

Me? I don't believe folks inside the Redskins (management, players) have much of a connection to the past or the organization. Look at who is leading all of this - a Head Coach who has zero ties or interest in the history of the franchise. Think all of this wasn't discussed before the hiring? It's ironic in a certain fashion - turn one's back on the past while adopting a fractured view of what is going on in the present. Self deception inevitably leads to weakness and vulnerability.
 
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