There’s no question what the number one storyline is this NFL season. Outside the Lines Special Report: Washington’s Nickname – An NFL Dilemma (Tuesday, Sept. 2, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2; 11 p.m., ESPNEWS) will examine the Washington team nickname controversy, where it is and where it’s going.
Movement towards change is reaching critical mass, extending beyond Native American groups and activists who say it is offensive and racist. It’s not just liberals, or as right wing fanatics like to call them “libtards” anymore. It’s establishment types calling for change.
Politicians, NFL players, media members, NFL broadcasters have all taken a stand against the team’s nickname, while their’s a reactionary crowd passionately about holding onto the tradition.
The Outside the Lines prime-time special hosted by Bob Ley includes an exclusive with Washington team owner Daniel Snyder. In his first extensive television interview on the subject, Snyder tells reporter John Barr why he feels so strongly about his team’s name and why he believes the public’s concern about Native Americans may be misplaced.
“They need to hear the truth; they need to hear some history; they need to hear the facts… We’ve traveled, and we’ve seen the truth. Nobody in Washington, D.C. wants to talk about the truth.” — Daniel Snyder, Washington team owner
· “The research shows that for those that had Native American, or Indian, mascots, they have performed very, very well after changing those names.” – Derrick Heggans, former managing director, Wharton Sports Business Initiative, University of Pennsylvania
Navajo and psychiatric social worker Amanda Blackhorse, the named plaintiff in the case known as Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc., the lawsuit filed by five Native Americans, will be a guest to present the Native American perspective.
Additional guests will include NBC’s Bob Costas, who, during his halftime essay on a Sunday Night Football game last October, called the term Redskins, “an insult, a slur.”