The John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State will hold a discussion Oct. 22 on the use of the 'Redskins' name by the Washington football team.
“A Conversation About Nicknames or Not,” features Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Nation and Mike Wise of The Washington Post, whose editorial page has chosen not to use the term in reference to the team, as have some sportscasters.
The discussion will be moderated by John Affleck, Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society and director of the Curley Center.
The Oneida Nation has been a driving force behind the Change the Mascot campaign, which has helped generate both light on the issue and heat from Washington, where primarily Democratic legislators and FCC commissioners, among others, have weighed in with their opposition to the name.
Redskins team owner Dan Snyder has vowed not to change the name. At the Redskins game with the Cardinals on Sunday, the cameras panned to Snyder in the owner’s box and the announcers made a point of pointing out that he was sitting with Ben Shelly, president of the Navajo Nation.
