Opponents of the Washington Redskins’ name — who say the name is an offensive racial slur and have been pressuring owner Dan Snyder to change the moniker — are starting a new television campaign targeting basketball fans.
A one-minute ad by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation is slotted to run Tuesday night during Game 3 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. The ad is part of the Change the Mascot Campaign and will only run in Washington, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Sacramento, ESPN reports.
Although the the team has been receiving some heavy criticism over its refusal to change its name, the franchise is fighting back, hiring lobbying firm McGuire Woods Consulting, Politico reported.
The full-length Proud to Be commercial runs two minutes and can be found on YouTube. It shows images of Native Americans in everyday life, with a voiceover listing off names of tribes and famous Native Americans, as well as adjectives describing the populations struggles and resiliency. It ends with the voiceover intoning, “Native Americans call themselves many things. The one thing they don’t … ” The screen then cuts to the image of a Redskins helmet.
• Jennifer Pompi can be reached at jpompi@washingtontimes.com.
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