As the cancel culture of the progressive left persists across aspects of this nation, another long-held and esteemed sports giant has fallen. Well, not so much fallen as been forced to change their proud history and legacy.
It was announced on Monday that the Washington Redskins, a popular NFL team located in Washington DC, would be changing both its name and logo to one that is deemed less racist and, therefore, more appropriate to the masses that insist upon political correctness.
In a statement put out by the team on Monday, it was noted that the team’s owner, Dan Synder, and Coach Ron Rivera “are working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud, tradition rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years.”
But in doing so, the team is also erasing Native Americans and any representation of them from our lives.
Don’t take my word for it. Instead, take the words of the American Indian himself.
Lance Wetzel is the proud son of the man who created the image and logo of the Washington Redskins. To him and his people, this piece of art his father created is much more than something his father did for a living. It was a representation of their people and proud and historical one at that.
Having it suddenly taken down and denounced as racist is like condemning their own history and culture.
Lance told WUSA-TV, “Everyone was pretty upset (about the change.) Everyone understood the name change: we were all on board with that.” But “once they weren’t going to use the logo, it was hard.” He continued, saying, “It takes away from the Native Americans. When I see the logo, I take pride in it. You look at the depiction of the Redskins’ logo and it’s of a true Native American.”
“I always felt it was representing my people. That’s now gone.”
Lance went on to say that, like most American Indians, he was never offended by the iconic image. Instead, he was given a sense of pride of both family and heritage.
His father, Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, like the man whose image is represented, is a member of the Blackfeet tribe in Montana. Wetzel designed the art that became the famous NFL logo after former Blackfeet Chief John “Two Guns” White Calf. White Calf’s image is also present on the Buffalo Nickel, another source of pride for the American Indian.
But now that the image has been “canceled” by the all so assuming and offended left, Lance says it will only serve to hurt the Native Americans.
Essentially, it makes them less visible and, we all know, ‘out of sight, out of mind.’
And that is something we simply cannot afford to let happen.
As Lance says, “The Native Americans were forgotten people. That logo lets people know these people exist.” It reminds us of our past but also of the opportunities here and now.
Many of us forget, mostly because there is a lack of representation, that Native Americans are still here. You might not see them with feathers in their hair, wearing buckskins, and riding horseback through the Great American Plains. But they are here, nonetheless.
But as Lance says, they have been forgotten, and the issues they face have as well.
For instance, did you know that 46 percent of all Native American women have reported some sort of physical or sexual abuse? Or how about that the dropout rate among their youth is the highest in our nation? Did you know that according to US Census Bureau Data, 27 percent of all 6.79 million American Indians live in extreme poverty?
As I said, this isn’t entirely your fault if you don’t know these facts. These people and their problems have become invisible because someone out there thinks it offensive to talk about them or to even have images of them.
Now obviously, we don’t want to be offensive, if we can avoid it. As Lance says, the name could most definitely change. But the logo too? According to a Washington Post poll, 90 percent of all Native Americans were not offended by even the name of the Washington Redskins, let alone the image.
Instead, most agree with Lance, that their representation in popular culture, especially with something as well-known as an NFL team, makes them feel as though they are actually included as citizens.
Obviously, these opinions weren’t taken into consideration by the Washington football team, though. Just like with everything else, the American Indian has been outcast and is soon to be replaced with something apparently, not so offensive.
