The Washington Redskins have rebranded their name. Actually, they just made an edit: The Washington Football Team. It’s 2020 and nearly nothing can be deemed truly “Non-Offensive”.
What does this mean for The Seminoles? Die-Hard fans will tell you “Absolutely Nothing!”. Well, for 80+ years, fans around The Washington DC area said the same thing. Poll after poll, even from the most liberal, PC media properties, there was a difficulty getting even a quarter of Native American respondents to label the name “Offensive”. Even the US Supreme Court gave The Redskins, Owner Dan Snyder and The NFL a legal pass with Matal v. Tam, a unanimous 8-0 decision. It was BIG money that stepped in, citing social reforms that pressed the team to “review and rename.” And, Here we are.
Why couldn’t this happen to The Seminoles? It all goes back to THE MONEY! The biggest lie in Sports VS Native American mascots is that The Seminoles have an agreement with Seminole Nation, to protect the name. WRONG. There is an agreement, but not with who you think. The Florida Seminole Tribal Council is the benefactor of the agreement. What’s the Difference? The Council owns billion dollar hotels and casinos. Seminole Nation is HQ’d in Oklahoma, where most Seminoles live.
In this situation, money keeps the Seminole name alive and flourishing. The Seminole Nation is against any Native American imagery being used as a sports mascot. The Council knows that. The School knows that. Where’s the financial motive to move on it? There’s not one, for now.
I’m not predicting the name changes anytime soon. I’m just predicting that IF history repeats itself, and somehow money gets threatened, a change could be in play.
Name Change?
