The United States of America has experienced an impressive change from the discrimination which was common in the country up to the 20th century. Various personalities like Martin Luther King Junior died while fighting discrimination in society.
The society was suffering from the chronic disease of social discrimination that was threatening to bring the very foundation of the country down.
A section of the society felt that they were treated like second class citizens of this country, while others felt that they deserve to be treated like the superior race. This created a rift in the society, and with this rift came hatred and disunity. The society has been fighting this for many years.
The Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, the Native Americans among other groups have fought hand in hand to ensure that discrimination is brought to an end in the United States (Shropshire 68). The fruits of their hard labor have been experienced in various sectors within the society.
Sport has been used as one of the unifying factors in the war against discrimination within the United States. Such sporting activities like basketball, baseball, football among others have been used in society to bring people together.
Players from the different ethnic background would find themselves playing in one team as a unit. This helps in making them realize that they are equal and that their interests are common. As such, they should be acting like one big family without any form of discrimination.
Similarly, the spectators will find themselves supporting the same team during the games. This also helps in making them realize that they are one family. This helps in creating a bond that would go beyond the fields, to the society.
However, there is a rising concern in the United States over the names of some of the teams. The names of some of the teams have raised a lot of controversies in the near past. Teams such as Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins have raised a lot of controversy as being racism.
As Rosner (87) observes, the Native Americans have considered the names not only offensive but a reminder of the past when they were hunted and killed like wild animals by the colonizers.
Some of these teams were established in the early and middle nineteenth century when discrimination was very common in society in the United States.
However, society has changed, and the United States of America is now a country that embraces diversity. The teams remain leading factors that help bring unity in society.
Many scholars and members of the society have been arguing over the claim that some names of teams and logos are controversial and perpetuating social segregation. For instance, the name Washington Redskins has generated a lot of heated debate in the recent past.
The question some are asking is why this name would generate a lot of concern. The native Americans claim that this name was used as an identification form them who were considered inferior to the settles.
The settlers came, took their land, enslaved them and then named them the redskins. Just as the blacks were referred to as the nigger, these natives were referred to as the redskins. This was a name that the colonizers used to show these Native Americans that they were inferior to the whites.
As the skin color was the major way of naming each race, they were given the name redskins. The whites considered their skin to be the best in the world, and that others were supposed to accept this fact.
Using this name raises a lot of emotions in society. Within the current United States, there are people who experienced racial discrimination and shudders at the mere reflection of what used to happen to them.
As society embraces a rare unity that had not been experienced before, victims of social segregation are struggling to forget the bitter past (Wong 68).
They are struggling to embrace the unity that they had been denied for a very long time. The younger generation that did not get to experience this misfortune has had and read about the discrimination that was rampant in this country.
They are also trying to forget the fact that such cases existed. The society is struggling to forget the dirty past. This is because the United States is stronger when it acts as a team.
Citizens of this country stand to gain a lot when they work together than when they work as separate opposing units. A society where everyone respects the other is all that all Americans are aspiring for.
Any name or logo that may be reminding the society of the dirty past should be eliminated. The name Redskins can be said to have a direct reference to the Native Americans that were called so by the colonialists. This was a name that they would bear as a mark of slavery.
The name identified them as lesser members of society. This was a name that was used when they were hunted like wild animals. It is this very name that was used to remind them that even after attaining independence, they remained inferior to the whites.
It is this names this name that was used to group them with the ‘niggers’ who were nothing to the whites but slaves. This is a name that not only the Native Americans would want to forget. It is a name that the society, in general, would want to forget.
The Black Americans would want to forget this name because it brings back the memory of the times when they were referred to as niggers.
The Native Americans would want to forget it because it is a reminder of the days when they were treated like animals.
The whites would want to forget this name because they need to stay away from the guilt of the fact that at one point in life, they discriminated against other members of this great nation (Morgan 78). The political leaders would want to forget this name in their quest for a unified country.
Religious leaders would want to put to an end such names as they struggle to develop a society that is peaceful and cohesive.
Everyone needs peace and harmony. America needs to have a society where people will identify themselves as Americans, and not specific ethnic backgrounds they come from.
The name Redskins should come to an end. The argument that the owner of the Washington Redskins made that the name and the brand have developed over the years to win the trust of the public is misleading.
The supporters of the team and the players would easily move into the new name immediately it is presented to them. The issue of the name holding a legacy may not be very true.
If it is holding any legacy, then this is a negative legacy of ethnicity that was developed years ago, and one which the society has fought very hard to eradicate.
Cleveland Indians is another controversial name with a logo that has raised a lot of debate. Just like the name Redskins, the name Indians is also controversial. It tries to select a particular society within the Unites States in a way that may not be pleasant to them (Thornton 56).
Their logo of a cartoon is also controversial because it is believed that the cartoon had been used as a representation of a particular minority group. As such, it has received criticism and pressure for a change of name.
Sports are unifying events. Having teams with strong names are something that every club is yearning for. When a club’s name develops, it becomes difficult to change and develop a different name that would be as strong as the one eliminated.
However, building a new name is far much better than having the wrath of an irate community. Teams should have names that identify with the society positively. It should be a name that brings solidarity and peace among Americans.
Teams like Manchester United and Arsenal have become popular globally with names that are unifying. The names do not have any negative connotations from the historical perspective. This is the approach that the American teams should embrace.
These teams should realize that when they fail to embrace this new approach, they may end up being agents of disunity in society.
Works Cited
Morgan, William. Ethics in Sport. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2007. Print.
Rosner, Scott. The Business of Sports. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2011. Print.
Shropshire, Kenneth. In Black and White: Race and Sports in America. New York: New York University Press, 1996. Print.
Thornton, Patrick. Sports Ethics for Sports Management Professionals. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett, 2012. Print.
Wong, Glenn. Essentials of Sports Law. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2010. Print.