Press, pundits and politicos, including the president himself, have put in their two cents about the Washington Redskins mascot, and now the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has offered up its solution: the potato.
The NFL team has come under renewed pressure to change its name due to racial implications, but PETA suggested in an article Friday that the team could just simply change the mascot to the popular starch.
“Don’t change the legendary Redskins name. Just change the logo,” PETA’s senior editor Alisa Mullins wrote. “When you hear the word ’redskin,’ what do you immediately think of? Potatoes, of course! And who could be offended by a harmless redskin [sic] potato — except, maybe, for the Yukon Gold lobby …”
Ms. Mullins argues that the potato would be a “noble” mascot for the team since potatoes “are also native Americans, having been cultivated in Peru for millennia.”
“By keeping the name and adopting a heart-healthy, appeeling logo, the Washington Redskins would set a powerful example on and off the field. And that’s no small potatoes,” she said.
Earlier this month, President Obama said in an interview with the Associated Press that he would “think about changing” the Redskins name if he were the owner because it offends “a sizable group of people.”
Team attorney Lanny Davis blasted the president on “Fox & Friends” last week for misplaced priorities.
“President Obama has better things to worry about, but he should look at the Chicago Blackhawks, who won the Stanley Cup, and he’s never said a word about them,” Mr. Davis said, accusing Mr. Obama of “selective criteria” for not criticizing a team from his hometown.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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