The Post Sports Live crew weighs in on the national ad “Proud to Be” from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which is calling on the Washington Redskins to change its name.
Among the many who have compared Silver to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is Richard Sherman, the cornerback for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. In an interview with Time he said he didnt believe Goodell would act as decisively as Silver if a league owner were caught making racists comments, Because we have an NFL team called the Redskins.
Goodell and team officials have consistently said they dont believe the name is disparaging and have pointed to a decade-old poll and recent letters to show that many Native Americans support the moniker. Team owner Daniel Snyder has described the name as a badge of honor and has vowed never to change it.
In the 60-second ad that will air tonight, Native Americans tick off the name they are proud to be called. They include father and mother, survivor and patriot, unyielding and indomitable.
In the end, a voice says Native Americans call themselves many things. The one thing they dont and the screen holds the image of a Redskins helmet.
Theoriginal two-minute videowas produced by the National Congress of American Indians, which along with the Oneida Indian Nation, has been among the more vocal groups calling for a name change. Both groups were recently behind aletterthat contained more than 75 signatures from Native American, religious and civil rights organizations and was sent to NFL players, asking them to stand up against a name that does not honor people of color.
We applaud the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation for having the vision and commitment to ensure that the American public receives the message loud and clear that Native Americans strongly oppose the use of this disparaging slur, NCAI Executive Director Jackie Pata and Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter said in a joint statement. By airing this ad during the NBA Championships, this message for change will be brought into the living rooms of millions of American all across the country.
The ad will air in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco and Washington on Tuesday night. It ran in Miami during the halftime of game two of the finals on Sunday. That game, according to Nielsen ratings, drew more than 15 million viewers.
Here is a long-form version of the ad that went live during the Super Bowl that has garnered nearly two million views on YouTube.
