It’s time for Daniel Snyder to learn a lesson from Donald Sterling. That’s probably not articulated properly. What I mean is the owner of the Washington based National Football League franchise, known as the Redskins since they moved from Boston in 1937, should learn a lesson from the debacle caused by the accused racist owner of the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Clippers.
The lesson is around the potential ROI to be generated from a raw nerve situation. In the Sterling case, it was the overwhelming condemnation of his racist rant that led to the eventual sale of his team for an unbelievable $2 billion. Sterling may be banned from the NBA for life, but his $1.987 billion profit on the team sale, less acquisition costs, should allow him to rebound quite quickly. It’s sick that this sort of man could end up so richly and inadvertently profiting from his mean-spirited actions. Perhaps Snyder should understand he has the opportunity to generate similar level of profiteering. Snyder hasn’t engaged in the same blatant hatred that Sterling is accused of. But he has withstood significant societal pressure to change the Redskins’ nickname. Native American groups, social commentators, and just last week the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board have all deemed the moniker disparaging.
Snyder continues to defend the status quo by claiming the Redskins name is a tribute to Native Americans. Funny, they don’t seem to agree. Naively, I was supportive of the status quo until the Trademark Board ruling. Their ruling opened my eyes, that this name truly is offensive. Their ruling also worries me because it constitutes censorship. Thankfully I live in the GWN, far from their jurisdiction.
The reasons I had been supportive were completely unscientific yet deeply personal to me. First off, I am big supporter of tradition. I don’t like to see franchises move, uniforms changed, leagues restructured, rules tweaked, or nicknames altered. That said, I love replay in football, the new Seattle Seahawks uniforms and am fine the Cardinals are in Phoenix. But I deplore the Titans in Tennessee versus the Oilers in Houston, same with the Ravens in Baltimore. Can’t stand the kick-off and kick return rules, and really hate overtime.
In my mind when the Redskins were named in 1932 after debuting as the Braves, I somehow doubt the name was adopted to insult Native Americans. The intent was probably to distinguish them from the baseball team of the same name, which at the time also resided in Boston. So my second rationale for support was intent.
My third reason toyed around with the concept of limitation. If the Washington NFL team were to change their name, what about the Chiefs of Kansas City or the Browns of Cleveland? Would animals in Detroit, meat packers in Green Bay, pirates in Oakland, Norsemen in Minnesota and birds in both Arizona and Atlanta also get equally upset? Would their complaints not also be justified? Where would the pressure to change stop? Never I would assume.
But it takes little thought to see that calling someone a Viking is a source of pride, as opposed to a label such as Plunderer. Lion feels powerful; Mutilator not so nice. Brown is a tribute to a football legend; Brownie is a taunt kids in Orillia threw my way growing up.
Redskin. Say the word slowly. Call someone that. Hey Redskin! Sound complimentary? Motivating? Honourable?
So here is my appeal to Donald Snyder. He’s a very successful businessman. Now is the time to add to that success. Learn from the Clippers example. Dump the name. Create a public campaign for a new one. Engage your constituents. Make your enemies your allies. Ride into the stadium on a White Horse. Become a hero.
If feeling great about yourself isn’t enough to motivate you. If cementing your off-field legacy isn’t enough to sway you. If realizing it’s 2014 isn’t enough to enlighten you, then maybe money will be. A new name, a new logo, a new brand will fill your bank account. Thousands of new jerseys will need to be purchased. Existing swag will become even more valuable. Sponsors will have a field day with activations. The media will triple your coverage. Ceremonies, ringing cash registers, corporate sponsors will all arrive at your feet.
It’s sad, but controversy drives celebrity brands. The Gulf War propelled CNN. OJ and the Bronco chase gilded it. A sex video introduced Paris Hilton the world. Dead rappers make millions. Abusive rappers even more. Donald Sterling had a jealous rant and hit a gold mine.
Mr. Snyder has the opportunity to manage this controversy and win. But the clock is ticking. We are in the 3rd quarter and the Redskins are behind. Snyder is pretty used to losing on the field. It’s been the hallmark of his ownership tenure. Maybe he can turn things around on this name game, before he loses yet again!