Washington, D.C. NFL team the Redskins have always had one of the most controversial team names in sports history. There have been the people who support it, and the people who hate it. The positive was that the name tries to give honor to the people whose ancestors were settled here first. The negative is that the name is ridiculously offensive, using a derogatory slang term for an entire race of people as a sports team. It is because of this division amongst fans that Washington has decided to unveil a new name that they hope will bring the two sides together. The franchise owners have decided to change the name from Redskins to Natives.
“We did not think we could ever find a name that would allow us to part with the name Redskins.” Said Dan Snyder, majority owner of the team. “Then one day the name Natives popped into my head, and I knew it would work. It was brilliant. The new name will even allow us to keep the same logo. It is only the moniker that is changing. Because we understand this is a big change for fans, we will be working on a date and time where anyone who recently purchased Redskins gear can exchange it with us for Natives merchandise of equal or lessar value. We take care of our fans. Go Natives!”
The team name change will take effect starting in the 2015 season. If you do happen to have any Redskins merchandise, you may want to hold onto it for now. It’s very possible that with many people making exchanges on merchandise, Redskins memorabilia could become rare and skyrocket in price. If you are looking to exchange it, check the official Natives website for dates and times of exchange.