PUBLIC RELATIONS
What specifically can PR practitioners learn from the case of The Washington Football Team name change from the Boston braves to redskins and their temporary name now.
The Washington football team.
Publicity is absolutely critical, and a good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front-page ad. When it comes to sport, the public relations practitioner’s role is to improve the club’s fan base and manage its appearance. There is a lot to learn from the Washington football team’s case and how its moniker affected the team and the public views. This essay looks at how Washington’s football team’s name sparked racial and cultural issues within the public. It highlights how belongingness and race have affected public relations.
For decades now, the Washington NFL team has experienced a lot of backlash from its choices of names. The problems started in 1932 after the team had just been bought, and in a game, they found out they had the same name as their cotenants. They had to change and rebrand in 1933. “Redskins” became their new name, a name that the team manager, Marshall argues was not chosen to honor Indigenous people or Its fraught history. Marshall did not disclose as much the reason he chose the name but defended himself of the allegations being raised, “The fact that we have in our head coach, an Indian, together with several Indian players, has not, as may be suspected, inspired me to select the name.” he said during an interview. Activists and the general public viewed Marshalls change the franchise name from the Braves to a more derogatory slur toward the American nation’s first people. Marshall may have wanted to differentiate it from the Boston baseball, but according to a 1972 game program, he was trying to keep “the Indian motif.” He did it, apparently, to sell tickets. As told by By Lex Pryor of the Ringer Aug 12.
For the next 77 years, the name received a lot of criticism because of its links to the native Indian people. But the name remained untouched. The team had to move to Washington Dc, and the name had to change again to “the Washington redskins” the name caused quite a stir from the public in this new state. There were several demands that the name is changed. Even the title sponsor fed ex demanded that the name be changed, or it would be removed from the Washington stadium because of the opinions and the bad public relations it was getting. This came a week after The Washington Post published an article in which more than a dozen women detailed a culture of sexual harassment throughout the franchise’s front office. The team again decided that it would be called the Washington football team until it settled on a new name.
After a series of petions, some of which were disregarded, the Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that trademark censorship of offensive or disparaging product names was a violation of free speech. In recent years, Indigenous activists have tried using several new-age protest tactics, but the team remained as committed to their name as ever. The activists felt that the name was racist and disregarding the Indians in America. The ringer 2020 asserts that “In both instances, across generations, the team opposed the very people it painted on its helmets.” activists had fought against the term Redskins since 1972. People’s opinion showed how they were affected by the name of the team. The team lost support from fans.
The redskins team name was retained up until recently in 2020. On May 25th, 2020, an incident that changed everything happened. an Unarmed Black man George Floyd is killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who pushed his knee down on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. The incident caused a massive stir all over the world. It sets off nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice in the U.S. that were ongoing. That incident raised speculations all over the world, and the racism talk began. There were Protests all over the American cities. That incident also helped elevate the discussions about discrimination in the U.S. these discussions extended to the Redskins name and its disrespect of Native American culture. (Dan Bernstein 2020)
This area of PR is different because of the kind of organization that makes the team. Investors are crucial in such a franchise. On July 1, 2020, Investors worth over $620 billion sent letters to Nike, Pepsi, and FedEx calling for the end of their sponsorships of the Redskins team. the redskins received more severe consequences on their name that included financial consequences. FedEx again formally asks the Redskins to change their name. Nike pulled Washington gear from its website in a way to disassociate from the team. The team said it would review its name. Responding to mounting pressure to change its name, the team announces its severance from the Redskins name and logo. Washington Football Team replaces the moniker until a permanent name is agreed upon and trademarked.
For decades, Native activists had protested the Washington NFL team name. This shows how huge its impact was. Now it is gone. To those who dedicated their lives to this fight, it’s a long-overdue moment of triumph. Whatever comes next is just as important. This means that there is a need for the team to start fresh and build a good positive public relation. The team requires the public for support, which is crucial for their performances. A good public relation is important for the team as it also helps attract more investors. Washington’s name was a form of cultural erasure that led to a fight with the public and activists who fought to eliminate it. This affected the team’s image a lot.
After evaluation of the case, we are made to understand that public relations are a world wide discipline. And to eliminate the constraints or contemporary problems like in the case of Washington’s football team, organizations need to consider and evaluate public attitudes and their values to execute an action. The public attitude has a great impact on the image of an organization. For an organization to be on the safe side, it needs to earn the acceptance and understanding of the public.
Sources.
Lyne, Nora. “In Whose Honour?: Understanding Native American Sports Mascots, the Washington Redskins, and the Divisive Online Discourse About Them.” (2019).