Last week, I talked a lot about the large potential for financial gain for the Washington Redskins if they change the name. The early conversation around this issue was that this name is inappropriate and disparaging to Native Americans, and it is, but the conversation has developed. Us "business types" have gotten hold of this issue and have begun to analyze it on the bottom line.
This week, the Redskins bottom line got another warning letter, this time from the University of Minnesota.
In 2013, the Minnesota Vikings announced that it was time for a new stadium in Minneapolis. They realized that they would need a location to play their 2014-2015 season and found it just down the street at the University of Minnesota.
TCF Bank Stadium, opened in 2009, is the home of the Minnesota Gophers and is one of the newest stadiums in the Big 10 at NFL quality. When this opportunity presented itself, they knew that hosting an NFL franchise would be a great economic boost to their facility, but also to their section of Minneapolis.
The Vikings, though nervous about the unknown for the season, were excited to expand their fan base and prepare for their new stadium. What they were not expecting was backlash from the University over one of the Vikings opponents.
The University of Minnesota's vice president for equity and diversity Katrice Albert said that the school has appealed to the Vikings regarding their November 2nd opponents, the Washington Redskins. As a school committed to diversity and understanding their community's needs, the school would like the Redskins to wear their throwback uniforms and not display their name or logo anywhere on their uniforms, the field, or in the stadium. In addition, they don't want any Redskin memorabilia sold in the stadium, or even the announcer saying the name.
The reason the school is so against the name is that Minnesota has a rich history and strong relationship with the native American tribes, as many as 11, in the state. TCF Bank Stadium features a Tribal Nations Plaza dedicated in honor of those 11 Native American tribes. It was built thanks to a $10 million donation from Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
The thought that the Redskins logo and name could be plastered all over a plaza meant to honor the local Native Americans is exactly why the University needs to be really strong on this issue.
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