The Washington Redskins name has been the subject of controversy for a while. It is the most egregious and offensive of the Native American themed mascots arguably, with the exception of the Cleveland Indians’ mascot, and definitely the most offensive in the NFL.
The lead plaintiff in the case against the Redskins with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is setting her sights one another NFL Native American named team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
She called for a name change in a more tactful way though, urging the Chiefs to do it the right way, without resistance. The idea of being the catalyst to help force the Redskins to change their name was floated out there as well.
“I’m not sure there’s anything the [Chiefs] can do at this point other than look for another name,” Amanda Blackhorse told the Kansas City Star. “They could be the team that says, ‘You know what? We understand the issue and we don’t want to be Dan Snyder and fight this in court forever. We want to do the right thing and move forward and avoid this entire battle.’ I’m sure fans will be upset, but still, that’s doing the right thing. If they want to be sensitive to Native American people, that’s the thing to do.”
There are already Native American protests planned for a Kansas City Chiefs game in Arizona, when they play the Cardinals this year.
Clearly the Chiefs name isn’t offensive like “Redskins,” a clear slur, but if the Chiefs felt they were going to avoid the mess the Redskins are in it looks like they’ll only avoid it as long as the Redskins fight it.