This 2015 clip from The Daily Show comedically explores the controversy surrounding the former name of Washington DC’s NFL team. Known for almost 90 years as the “Washington Redskins”, the team’s logo was a Native American man and stirred criticism from Indigenous communities and liberal activists for decades. In this video, we see a group of Native Americans and a separate group of the team’s fans talking about this branding. We also hear from the team’s owner who argues the name and logo actually honor Native populations and represent strength and bravery. In 2020, due to pressure from team sponsors and stakeholders, the Redskins became simply the Washington Football Team. In 2022, they became the Washington Commanders, though in 2025 President Trump called for the team to readopt its original name.

discussion

What are some of the reasons activists wanted the team’s name changed?  

What kind of stereotypes are perpetuated by using Native Americans as mascots? How is this harmful to Indigenous populations?

What is the effect of making this a comedic video on this topic? Do you think it helps or harms the activists’ mission?

This video is from 2015, but the team did not agree to change their name until 2020. What events of 2020 may have encouraged this change? How and why do political and social shifts in opinion play a role in such shifts?