In fairness this has been going on since at least the early 1990's
http://m.washingtonpost.com/local/us...789_story.html
Therefore this isn't "out of the blue"
Redskin has been a slur dating back to 1755 according to:
http://firstpeoples.org/wp/controver...ensitive-name/
It's always been a racial slur, this isn't out of the blue. It might seem it because of how little a voice Native Americans traditionally have had.
Regardless, if the Native American community is saying it's a slur, and it was traditionally used as a slur, what "most people" think is irrelevant.
In terms of changing the logo, it's a step in the right direction. Look at Cleveland. Small steps toward the right thing is better than digging in to support racism on any level.
I don't think that Redskins fans are racist, and I understand the team's history. You can honour the team and it's past, but making a change.
In a day and age where professional sports is becoming more inclusive and accepting, the Redskins are taking an active step against that.
Change the name to a local tribe, honour the team's history with the proud history of the local Native Americans.
Change the logo.
In my mind they should take small steps moving forward to fix this.
I realize that it seems like an attack on the team. It seems like the fans are being told that they're racists and bad people. They're not.
Change is difficult. Our association with our sports teams is strong. Changing the name of the Flames would seem like a change to the team as a whole. But really, sports teams change all the time. They change jerseys, logos, and even names.
If they dropped the skins from the name and changed the logo, the team and it's history would be the same. Tampa Bay did it with the Rays. Now its weird to hear them referred to as the Devil Rays.
This isn't a unilateral attack on the fans. It's righting a decades old, inherently prejudicial wrong.
I agree that the purpose has shifted, but that doesn't mean that the slur itself has.
So I have a better understanding, what would you, as a Washington fan do if the team moved?
Would you cheer for the team in a new city? Would the team keeping it's name make a difference then?
What if they changed the name to the DC Redskins? Or Washington DC Redskins?