THE INDIANS ON THE GRIDIRON

As you well know, here in the District of Columbia we have a football team nicknamed the Redskins, and that name is controversial, as is its logo:


My hometown paper was the first in the nation to start referring to them as "the team from Washington," and in a possible triple-bank-shot of irony, Gregg Easterbrook calls them the "Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons." From time to time, activists have lobbied to have it changed. While they've succeeded at persuading a number of college-level programs to abandon American Indian logos or mascots NFL and MLB teams targeted thus far have stood by their nicknames. I think they should — there's nothing derogatory about representing the Chiefs, the Braves, the Warriors, or even (compare to the Yankees or Fighting Irish) the Indians. I'll be honest, Redskins does strike me as somewhat questionable; that it calls attention to skin color makes me a bit uncomfortable. But then again, reputable polls continue to show that American Indians approve the name by 90%-9%. So I'll back off.

But not off the 5-6 Redskins — today was the third week in a row they lost a fourth quarter lead, and, naturally, their third loss in a row. At least my other team is a winner.

Back to the controversy over sports teams and their names, right now I'm watching the Seattle Seahawks (8-2) host the New York Giants, and I find myself wondering for the first time:


Look at that! Don't you realize the Seahawks logo is an updated version of a traditional NW Indian wood carving? The pre-redesign logo was even more of an Indian knockoff. And yet they always seem to get a pass... until now?

Now that the Washington Canard has called attention to this atrocity, will the heroic activists of political correctness stand up and call for the Seahawks to stop appropriating cultural imagery from other peoples? Will they admit their "sea hawk" is as bad as our "redskin"? Has Annenberg polled lately? The respondents couldn't be any more than 9 points more approving.

If there's any justice, well, one of the Seahawks' two losses was handed to them by the Redskins.

P.S. — Happy belated Thanksgiving! I ate turkey and stuffing and and corn and rolls and mashed potatoes with gravy. I hung out with friends, watched football and drank whiskey. I've missed being around my family for the four Thanksgivings I've spent out here, but this one was the best Turkey Day I've had yet.

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posted by WWB at 5:53 PM |