The Washington Reagans?

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Why not the Washington Reagans? You only need to change a few letters and whiten up the mascot some.

— daveweigel (@daveweigel) June 18, 2014

Eight years after a group of Native Americans filed a lawsuit seeking to repeal the Washington Redskins trademark, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has done just that. The team’s name, the ruling says, is “disparaging to Native Americans” and trademarks that “disparage” or engender “contempt or disrepute” are prohibited by federal law.

The ruling doesn’t require the Redskins to change their name, but if it’s upheld after the inevitable appeals, the team may decide to do so anyway since its name will no longer be protected. If anything, the ruling should settle the debate over whether redskin is a slur or an honorific.

-- Adam K. Raymond at New York Magazine

Comments

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

For that matter, why not the Washington Clintons? Or the Washington Kennedys?

Exactly.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Yeah, once the merchandise with unprotected trademarks starts selling like hotcakes, they'll change the team name.

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

Well...

"Just because the Redskins have lost their main federal trademark protections doesn't mean they can't still sue over trademark confusion." (www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/06/18/7-questions-everyones-asking-about-the-redskins-trademark/)

But I'm fine with a name change. I just don't think the team should be named for a partisan figure.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that. They may sue, but would they win? I don't know; and I guess the threat of a suit would be enough to deter anyone. Yeah, I'm against naming the team after a president, who by the way, you wonder if they're name would be a trademarked item (e.g. by the Reagan estate?)

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

That's a good point. The other things "Reagan" I can think of are all public, I believe - airport, highway, school.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Perhaps there is a sense of fair play
in giving the right-wingers something back
for having to change the name.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

It may seem mean to tell people they can't be racist any more but what they get is an education in being slightly better human beings from it.

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

Perhaps. I think it would be bad for business, though. Surely there are fans of the team who are Democrats who wouldn't like to cheer for a team called the "Reagans." It's just too politicized, in my opinion.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Why not the Washington Warhawks?

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

That would be fitting, but I'd hate for the NFL to make war seem appealing.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

[oslo.livejournal.com]

God, it kills me that the audience doesn't get the point of the piece.

[joshthevegan.livejournal.com]

Their aptitude on the field as of late is not unlike Reagan's ability to run our country. i.e. Incredibly awful.

[bikinisquad3000.livejournal.com]

There was a debate over whether "redskin" was a slur or an honorific?

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Oh, it was a grueling one! Did you miss it? ;)

[bikinisquad3000.livejournal.com]

Shit, I guess so. I saw someone on a comment on a news story about this, claiming that they named the team the Redskins as an honorific gesture (in 1932….suuuuure), but that was such obvious crap I had no idea anyone actually thought such a thing, or that there was an actual debate over it.

[icelore.livejournal.com]

I still think the Clevland Indians are far worse. The caricature is just wrong. :/ Teams like the Chiago Blackhawks are ok to me though, though I may be biased in both directions as someone from American Indian descent and a native to Chicago. XD

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

I see it like you, I think. That Cleveland Indians logo strikes me
as Sambo-ish. And I think the Washington Cherokees might be
a nice name.

[icelore.livejournal.com]

I mean, honestly, they could keep the Redskins logo, that wasn't the problem so much as the negative connotation with the name.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Yes, we are still reading from the same page.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

It's still very much up for debate in a lot of areas, and not just from the Redskins team.

[bikinisquad3000.livejournal.com]

What areas?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Native American groups, for example (http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/10/08/how-many-native-americans-think-redskins-is-a-slur/).

[bikinisquad3000.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

"The term is used affectionately by some natives, similar to the way the N-word is used by some African-Americans."

Not once in my life have I ever heard it used in that way. Citation in literature?


"In the only recent poll to ask native people about the subject, 90 percent of respondents did not consider the term offensive, although many question the cultural credentials of the respondents."

Count me among that many.

[joshthevegan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's big in football circles. The big claim from R******s fans has historically been that when the (known racist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Preston_Marshall#Racism)) original owner of the team named them, he did so to honor the coach (who was a native American). Quotes from that same owner that have been uncovered lately put that silly lie to rest, however. (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11004747)

You'll also see anecdotal evidence about "I know a native American who doesn't mind it!" or "I'm like 1/10th native American and I love that team!"

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

What about the Ex Presidents? They could change mascots and logos every few years to keep it fresh.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Of course, they might play tough
and go with something like the Washington Wetbacks
just to piss people off.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

I wonder if they could get the Senators name from MLB?

Either way they have options.

[stout-john.livejournal.com]

I'd go to see a team called the Washington Chicken Hawks, or perhaps the Fighting NeoCons.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

[joshthevegan.livejournal.com]

A shortened version of this ad played in several major cities during the NBA playoffs, pretty powerful stuff.



Also, today The Onion's Facebook page shared this rather heavy-handed piece they ran late last year. (http://www.theonion.com/articles/redskins-kike-owner-refuses-to-change-teams-offens,34292/)

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

LOL

I thought the best given name so far was
Chickenhawks, but I think you probably
get the blue ribbon.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

I want the shirt.

[oslo.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to the Supreme Court case where Scalia condescendingly informs the nation that Native Americans don't find the word "disparaging."

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

I think the argument will be that the founders
had no problem with the word, and that is all
that matters.

[oslo.livejournal.com]

The founders won't have anything to do with it. The PTO - along with trademark protection generally - is a creature of statute, so it'll be just a matter of interpreting statutory text.

That is, if the "disparaging" standard is upheld, at all. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to toss it on First Amendment grounds.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

Best comment ever.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]