Fansided

Minnesota Group Protests Washington Redskins’ Mascot Before Game

By Cory Buck

Nov 2, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A detailed view of a sign during a protest against Washington Redskins name and imagery prior to a game against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A detailed view of a sign during a protest against Washington Redskins name and imagery prior to a game against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Activists in Minnesota gathered to protest the nickname and mascot of the Washington Redskins before their game at the Minnesota Vikings.

The Change the Mascot campaign has moved to Minnesota, where political leaders and noted activists alike rallied on Sunday morning at TCF Bank Stadium before the Washington Redskins arrived to play the home Vikings. No one could know for sure how many protesters would actually show up, but it appears that the protest drew quite the crowd.

More from FanSided

Recent photos indicate the event drew a number of politicians, students, activists and just plain old football fans who wanted an excuse to jeer the visiting team.

The campaign had long announced their intention to protest Washington’s team name, but as Tom Pelissero of USA Today notes, the crowd was still bigger than expected.

However you feel about the R-word, as the Change the Mascot campaign calls it, there’s hardly any more denying that there isn’t real teeth to the group opposed to the use of the word. Defenders of the name claim that no one of Native American descent really cares about this issue and this is a political staging by white people trying to get votes, but as Pelissero notes, there were plenty of Native Americans present.

Among those expected at the rally today were Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Oneida Nation Representative Ray Halbritter, and Navajo activist Amanda Blackhorse.

The campaign will also release an anti-Redskins ad during the game, a quote from which can be found at PR Web.

“The voices of opposition are getting louder. And this week, on the sidelines of the Vikings-Washington NFL game, Minnesota takes center stage on the issue of D.C.’s racist mascot,” the ad states. “Demand that the team stop denigrating Native Americans. Show your support. Oppose racism… Join us and stand on the right side of history.”

More from FanSided

Home/Minnesota Vikings