Lawmakers and the National Football League have reportedly discussed resurrecting the canceled logo of the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins.
Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R), a firm
believer that the American Indian logo “is a depiction of pride and strength,” recently told Fox News’ “America Reports” that there are “good-faith negotiations” under way leaning toward the league and the Commanders “allow[ing] this logo to be used again.”
Leftists embarrassed by American history and grudging of Western greatness committed to a campaign of deracination and iconoclasm in the summer of 2020,
digging up graves, toppling statues, renaming animals, switching out historical place names, melting down busts, and knocking out church windows.
While the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers led the way, this was not just a governmental effort.
Corporations similarly rushed to break with tradition and sacrifice iconic brands to the woke zeitgeist. The NFL was no exception.
Activist investors
leaned on major sponsors to threaten to terminate their relationships with the Washington Redskins unless the team, owned by Daniel Snyder, dropped its name. FedEx and other woke sponsors obliged them.
Despite
vowing “never” to change the name, Synder ultimately caved, and the team
announced in July 2020, “We will be retiring the Redskins name and logo.”
In the woke frenzy, critics and eager iconoclasts appear to have overlooked the history of the logo.
Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, an American Indian who served as Blackfeet tribal chairman and president of the National Congress of American Indians, designed the logo. Don Wetzel Jr., Blackie’s son,
told the Guardian that his father called the logo “his Most Beautiful Chief.”
‘It is not a caricature.’
The circled image of the feathered chief was reportedly a composite of portraits of a Blackfeet chief named Two Guns White Calf.
During a hearing earlier this year, Sen. Daines, ranking member of the Senate National Parks subcommittee,
explained the state significance of the logo and its history: “In 1971 Blackie met with George Herbert Allen, who was then the head coach and general manager of the Washington Redskins. Knowing that Coach Allen admired and supported Native Americans, Blackie Wetzel encouraged him to replace the team’s ‘R’ logo with something that represented Indian Country.”
Cowboy State Daily reported that public opinion polls taken between 2016 and 2020 consistently showed that a majority of American Indians — between 50% and 90% — indicated they were not offended by the Redskins name.
“Blackie brought Coach Allen designs based off prominent Native American figures including Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf,” continued Daines. “On behalf of the team, Coach Allen adopted the now iconic logo that’s placed prominently on this beautiful helmet that I received from former players. I am proud to display it today. Make no mistake, this logo was inspired and envisioned by Wetzel as a tribute to Native Americans. It is not a caricature. It is a depiction of pride and strength. Of courage and honor.”
Daines made clear that he doesn’t want the name restored but that the “failure to properly honor the pride and history embodied by the iconic logo must be made right by both the new team ownership and the NFL. Doing so would honor the Blackfeet tribe, my constituents, in Montana.”
An opportunity to pressure the the league and the team came in the form of a
piece of legislation that would permit the Washington Commanders to use the federally owned land whereon the derelict Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium now stands as the site for a new stadium.
Daines spent months blocking the bill in the Senate, insisting upon the restoration of the logo. On Nov. 19, he changed his tune and voted the bill out of committee.
The Montana senator explained to “America Reports” last week why he ultimately supported the bill, signaling optimism that the team might embrace its old logo.
‘I think Senator Daines was misled.’
“We were calling out leaders in case of, really, woke gone wrong. The irony is that they were canceling Native American culture as the DEI movement went way too far,” said Daines.
“We have good discussions with the NFL and with the Commanders. There’s good-faith negotiations going forward that’s going to allow this logo to be used again — perhaps revenues going to a foundation that could help Native Americans in sports and so forth,” said the Montana senator. “We’re making good progress, and based on the good-faith negotiations, I made a decision to support this bill yesterday in the committee.”
Daines
indicated in a statement that he voted in favor of the bill’s passage out of committee “with the condition that the team follows through on the commitments made to the family.”
“I urge the team to continue their dialogue and reach a conclusion that honors their past, honors Don Wetzel’s vision to use the logo to help Indian Country and honors the will of the Blackfeet Tribe to restore the logo to place of honor and prominence,” added the senator.
The Native American Guardians Association reportedly wanted Daines to see through his blockade of the bill until the team officially restored the logo.
NAGA president Tony Henson
told the Cowboy State Daily, “Honestly, we were disappointed that Daines did let the legislation go through. I think Senator Daines was misled about the Redskins language.”
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Political correctness, Daines, Senate, Legislation, Stadium, Nfl, National football league, Iconoclasm, Logo, Redskins, Commanders, Football, Indian, Native, Politics