Washington Redskins Name Controversy Comes To Dallas
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - As the Washington Redskins prepare to travel to North Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night, the controversy surrounding the team's mascot is coming with them.
The group behind an effort to change the Redskins name will begin airing a radio ad on Dallas radio station KRLD-FM over the weekend.
The ad, titled "Bipartisan," uses recent comments from President Obama and Congressman Tom Cole criticizing the Washington team name.
The ad highlights that although Obama and Cole represent different political parties, they both have said publicly that they would change the name.
"This country may still be politically divided, but as leaders of both parties this week said, we should all be able to agree that racial slurs are unacceptable, and they shouldn't be used to market this country's capital city," said Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Indian Nation in the ad. "As Native people who heard this painful slur when we were taken at gunpoint off our lands, we aren't asking for anything more than basic respect. We don't deserve to be treated to racial slurs. We deserve to be treated simply as what we are: Americans."
The Oneida Indian Nation is leading a nationwide effort to build support for changing the Redskins name and plans on airing ads like this in every city where the Redskins play a road game. The group also plans to meet with NFL representatives about the name. More details about the campaign can be found at www.changethemascot.org.
On Wednesday, Redskins owner Dan Snyder called the name "a badge of honor" in a letter sent to season ticket holders. Snyder has been adamant that he will not change the name.
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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