Commentary

Imagine A Pro Sports Team Called The 'New York Jews'

by Richard Whitman , Columnist, July 13, 2020

With the news today that the Washington Redskins organization would drop “Redskins” from its name, the folks at ad shop DeVito/Verdi reminded us that the protests against racist team names in pro sports have been going on for decades.

The agency created an ad campaign 20 years ago for the National Congress Of American Indians protesting the racism reflected in the name of Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians franchise.

The ad showed three baseball caps. In addition to the Indians cap, with its offensive rendition of “Chief Wahoo,” the ad depicted caps featuring the made-up teams of the “New York Jews” and the “San Francisco Chinamen,” each with logos as offensive (or more so) as Wahoo.

“No race, creed or religion should endure the ridicule faced by Native Americans today,” the ad stated. “Please help us put an end to this mockery and racism.”

The NCAI has been pushing for a long time for sports teams to stop using racist names. And finally it looks like their efforts and those of others — including Redskins naming-rights partner FedEx — are starting to pay off. FedEx reportedly told the Redskins organization it would pull out of its $200 million-plus sponsorship if the team didn’t take action on its name.

The Cleveland Indians issued a vague rambling statement on Twitter earlier this month mentioning its name, which local reports interpret as a commitment to changing it. My guess is naming-rights partner Progressive probably had a conversation or two with Indians management on the matter.

It’s nice to see some progress on the issue, slow as it is. Of course, the Racist-In-Chief hasn’t helped matters. He denounced the pressure on teams to rename as so much political correctness.

The good news is, companies like FedEx seem to be ignoring him. As they should.

agency, cause-related, diversity

6 comments about "Imagine A Pro Sports Team Called The 'New York Jews'".

Check to receive email when comments are posted.

Greg Curran from Self, July 14, 2020 at 8:30 a.m.
Yeah, or imagine a college team called the "fighting irish!"

Oh wait. That actually exists.
Reply

Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, July 14, 2020 at 9:54 a.m.

Common guys---let's get serious. Why not "The Washington Potomacs" as a new name for "The Washigton Redskins"?Well---maybe not ---as this name has a native American derivation. OK, what about "The Washington Capitals"? This was used a long time ago by a pro basketball team, I believe, but may still be available. If not, how about "The Washington Politicos"?Or "The Washington Georges"?

Stephen McClellan from MediaPost, July 14, 2020 at 10:48 a.m.

Ed, I think the hockey team has a claim on the Capitals name there, although St. Louis had both a baseball Cardinals and a football Cardinals for some time. To your broader point, yeah, there are a lot options for non-offensive names.

Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, July 14, 2020 at 12:04 p.m.

Thanks, Stephen. Hockey is a sport I don't follow.

Craig Lesly from Lesly Consulting, July 14, 2020 at 1:33 p.m.

Imagine A Pro Sports Team Called The 'New York Jews' I'D IMAGINE JEWS WOULD BE QUITE PROUD. IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM.

Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited replied, July 14, 2020 at 2:08 p.m.

Ya think ? One of those caves in Pakistan is waiting for you with more with other names on it. You all talk so bravely about America to be the country with the best of everything. Not only has that been wrong, but getting worse. Just because you can move your mouth doesn't mean anything decent comes out of it.