The 81-Year-Old Newspaper Article That Destroys The Redskins’ Justification For Their Name

[peoli]

Source: Think Progress

As challenges against the name of the Washington Redskins have persisted for more than four decades, the teams ownership and management has held on to a consistent story: that the team changed its original name — the Boston Braves — to the Boston Redskins in 1933 to honor its coach, William “Lone Star” Dietz, who maintained at the time that he was a member of the Sioux tribe.

But in a 1933 interview with the Associated Press, George Preston Marshall, the team’s owner and original founder, admitted that the story wasn’t true.

“The fact that we have in our head coach, Lone Star Dietz, an Indian, together with several Indian players, has not, as may be suspected, inspired me to select the name Redskins,” Marshall said in the AP report. The quote was originally referenced in a story on the team’s name at Sports Illustrated’s MMQB site. Jesse Witten, the lead attorney in a lawsuit challenging the legality of the team’s federal trademark protection, unearthed the actual AP report this week, and provided it to to Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney. ESPN’s Keith Olbermann reported it on his show, “Olbermann,” Thursday night.



Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2014/05/30/3443168/redskins-founder-i-didnt-name-team-to-honor-native-americans/

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[melm00se]

1. Lore can easily become truth

especially as you get further and further from the truth.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend"

From the motion picture The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962).

[melm00se]

15. Loved that movie

[Omaha Steve]

24. Me 2

[klook]

2. Interesting that there was supposedly confusion about the Boston Braves baseball vs. football teams!

I never had any trouble telling the difference between the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football teams (when they were both in St. Louis).

I am, however, confused about Jazz in Utah. I'm pretty sure there isn't much jazz there outside of the pro basketball arena.

Miami has the Heat and the Hurricanes. Seattle has the Mariners. Milwaukee has the Brewers. I'd love to see the Washington Redskins become the Washington Insiders, or maybe the Washington Gridlock, or the Washington Corruption.

[valerief]

3. Utah probably wanted to evoke jizz but couldn't name it that. nt

[deurbano]

12. That would have made for an "interesting" mascot!

[klook]

18. Ha, good name for a team in a state known for polygamy! (n/t)

[olddad56]

19. Using that name could create a sticky situation.

[valerief]

20. And arenas would smell like bleach.

[Scuba]

4. The Washington Lobbyists?

[mac56]

5. The Washington Reagans.

http://namebrandketchup.com/2014/05/22/i-have-the-perfect-face-saving-suggestion-for-the-owners-of-the-washington-redskins/

[olddad56]

22. I like the Washington Bandits in honor of the politicans and lobbyists in DC.

but I would consider the Washington Corruptions.

[beac]

6. The Utah Jazz was orginally the New Orleans Jazz.

The team moved from Louisiana to Utah shortly after it was founded (mid 70's) but the name was not changed.

[mac56]

8. Sort of like the Lakers keeping their name when moving from Minneapolis to LA.

[Nye Bevan]

16. Well. I've learned *something* new today.

I just never thought about the name "Lakers".

[central scrutinizer]

32. and the Memphis Grizzlies

were there ever grizzlies living that far south?

[kwassa]

38. Please note: There are no lakes in Los Angeles.

Only a couple of man-made reservoirs.

One called Lake Hollywood, but it is a fake lake. Hollywood is full of fake.

[mac56]

46. Believe me, kwassa, here in Minnesota we're profoundly aware of that.

"They stole our team AND our name!"

[Mosby]

42. and the warriors

[klook]

17. I actually knew that.

I just get a kick out of the "Jazz" being in Utah.

[kwassa]

39. Why, Utah is famous for jazz, isn't it?

Those hot Mormon quintets.

[klook]

41. Tabernacle bop!

Look out Charlie Parker:
http://www.mormon.org/me/CD2F

[unblock]

9. the washington senators!

unless the twins still have rights to that name....

[lastlib]

25. WAshington Senators (of the 60s) became the Texas Rangers,

the team W part-owned and ran into the ground like everything else he ever touched.

[geardaddy]

28. I never knew that there was a second Senators team

I always assumed the Senators became the Twins. Calvin Griffith was the owner and brought them to Minneapolis.

[olddad56]

34. The second team wasn't very good either, but they lasted longer than the Seattle Pilots.

I think the pilots lasted a year before they became the Milwaukee Brewers.

[mac56]

48. Yup, the old Sens became the Twins in 61. A new Sens team began as an expansion team

along with the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels.

Eventually the new Sens relocated to Arlington.

[mac56]

47. Actually, the Rangers still owned the rights to that name.

It was being considered for the Washington Nationals, but the Rangers wouldn't relent.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

51. All I ever heard about the Senators was

a change from a speech about George Washington:

"First in the hearts of their countrymen, and last in the American League."

[Crabby Appleton]

10. There's more jazz than you might think there

http://www.newhot5.com/about-us/


The New Hot 5 is an American New Orleans-style band, specializing in the music of Louis Armstrong, Sydney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton, and other classic jazz legends. The band has been together since 2009 when they first performed in France. Since that time the New Hot 5 has played concerts and conventions in the U. S. and in the summer of 2011 returned to play at the Jazz en Vercors Festival in the French Alps. Professor Steve Call¹s sidemen in the New Hot 5 were all once his Brigham Young University students. They were all trained in Traditional Jazz performance as members of the BYU Jazz Legacy Dixieland Band, a group that Call first organized in 1982.

[olddad56]

35. I have heard the BYU band play a few times.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. We still have the NY Giants and SF Giants

Call 'em the Washington Beltway.

[cosmicone]

14. or Washington Pundits

or Beltway Bores.

[geardaddy]

27. You should be confused about the Lakers too.

I don't think there a many lakes in LA.

[klook]

29. Yep, although for the life of me I can't figure out

what trolley cars the L.A. Dodgers' fans are supposed to be avoiding.

But if the San Francisco NFL team moves to Philadelphia and the 76ers move to the Bay area, it's going to get confusing for sure. They could split the difference and rename both teams The 27ers.

[geardaddy]

30. Yep, the 27ers sounds good!

[Drunken Irishman]

54. The Jazz name is a result of little money and no lasting anticipation to remain in Utah.

When the Jazz moved from New Orleans to Salt Lake City in 1979, the team was strapped for cash. So much so that they couldn't afford to rebrand the team name (this was back when the NBA was coming out of its weakest decade in league history and a lot of teams just didn't have the finances to be economically viable).

There was also a very high chance the team would relocate anyway, as, at the time, Salt Lake was the NBA's smallest market. The team looked into relocating to Minnesota, who had lost the Lakers to Los Angeles (another team with a name that doesn't fit) and were in the market for a new NBA team. Ultimately, Larry Miller, who owned half the team at this point, was able to buy the other 50% and kept the Jazz in Utah.

The team then became a consistent winner in the NBA and, as they succeeded, the idea of ever changing the name seemed ridiculous. They carved a history with the name that exists today and that's why the Jazz haven't ever changed names.

Not that there hasn't been a push, mostly from outside sources, to do that. I know New Orleans pushed for a name trade a few years ago - sending the Hornets to Utah (which is the Beehive State) and the Jazz back to NO. But that didn't work out and now Charlotte, who originally were the Hornets before they relocated to New Orleans, recently switched their new franchise's name (which was Bobcats) back to Hornets and New Orleans became the Pelicans.

And now you know way too much about the Jazz. lol

[packman]

11. Washington has the best fight song

Hail to the Redskins!


Hail Victory!

Braves on the Warpath!

Fight for old D.C.!

Run or pass and score -- we want a lot more!

Beat 'em, Swamp 'em,

Touchdown! -- Let the points soar!

Fight on, fight on 'Til you have won

Sons of Wash-ing-ton. Rah!, Rah!, Rah!

Hail to the Redskins!

Hail Victory!

Braves on the Warpath!

Fight for old D.C.!

ORIGINAL SONG:

Hail to the Redskins!

Hail, victory!

Braves on the warpath!

Fight for Old D.C.!

Scalp 'em, swamp 'um

We will take 'um big score

Read 'um, Weep 'um, touchdown

We want heap more

Fight on, fight on, till you have won

Sons of Washington

Rah! Rah! Rah!

Its been around since 1937 and , I don't care what others say, I like it even if the song's roots are in the music "Jesus Loves Me" and has those odious references.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_to_the_Redskins

[Gary 50]

21. Simple solutions....

All they need to do is change the logo to a picture of a potato. Problem solved! If that doesn't work they could change the picture to a penis and the name to the foreskins.

[olddad56]

23. now, the Washington Foreskins is a name I could pull for.

[OriginalGeek]

31. DIdn;t like it at first

but it's growing on me.

[olddad56]

33. it is a name the fans could get excited about.

[kwassa]

40. They would be circumsized from the NFL if they chose a name like that.

[packman]

49. Perhaps so, but-

they would still be a cut above the rest. But, the person doing the naming better get it right or he'd get the sack.

[Xolodno]

36. The Defense is "stiff" arming and "rock hard"....

...however their offense is just limp.

[rickyhall]

26. Simplify

The Washington Dicks

[davidpdx]

37. The Washington Boners

[olddad56]

43. that would be hard on them.

[davidpdx]

44. I guess no one would be coming to the games

[Demeter]

45. Keep the name, but change the mascot to:

[Splinter Cell]

50. Jesus

There's more to fucking worry about in the world. One problem with the world today is everybody expects the world to stop turning every time they get offended by something.

[peoli]

52. I think it's about what kind of world we want to live in...

Native cultures are being wiped off the face of the Earth and it is this insensitivity to recognizing them as equal human beings that is a huge problem. Corporations are erasing civilizations off the map. Words matter and words make a difference in peoples lives. Do you want to be referred to only by your skin color? For Native people to have the courage to stand up for themselves is inspiring to me and not insignificant in the least.... and something can be done about this issue... and we as human beings can work to create the kind of world that we want to live in or we can say "La la la la la la, people are too sensitive."

[olddad56]

53. the Washington Jesus'. I like it, increases their chances when they throw the Hail Mary pass.

and as far as worrying, I'm not so worried about the name of the redskins as I am people that have no problem with a major sports team using a racial slur for a team name.

[kwassa]

57. And you call yourself progressive?

Maybe you need to buy a clue.

The name has been racist from it's inception, and still is.

Or do you deny that?

[mackerel]

55. I thought the name Redskins was in

Reference to the potato on account of all the Irish on the team

[kwassa]

56. Black Irish?

Just kidding.

Looking at the team, since Chris Cooley retired ....... not so Irish.