The Washington Redskins' trademark has been canceled by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) because of the racist and offensive nature of the moniker. "We decide, based on the evidence properly before us, that these registrations must be cancelled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered," the Trademark and Trial Appeal Board wrote in a statement.
Anti-Redskins ad blasts team name during NBA Finals
This battle is not a new one, and it would be no surprise to see the Redskins regain their trademark via further legal action. There's no mistaking that the groundswell for a moniker switch is at an all-time high though, and it could be trickling to other sports with franchises donning questionable names or logos. The most obvious team in this category is the Cleveland Indians, specifically "Chief Wahoo."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer covered this very subject recently, and referenced an article written in 1992 voicing opinions of the Native American community that hold true in the present. "Yes, I feel resentment. Very much so," said Anselmo Valencia, the then 70-year-old chief of the tribe on the Yaqui reservation. "Do I look like that? Do my people? Some of the older people here, when they first heard of the Cleveland Indians, were very proud. They thought they were all real Indians. When I told them they are almost all white people and black people, they were very offended."
Roger Goodell in no rush to change Redskins moniker
While the Indians have taken steps to minimize the presence of Wahoo, shifting their primary logo on the hat to a red C, the Redskins have been defiant about their name. Redskins owner Daniel Snyder's attorney Bob Raskopf essentially sneered at the news of the trademark cancellation.
"We've seen this story before. And just like last time, today's ruling will have no effect at all on the team's ownership of and right to use the (team's) name and logo."
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