Would somebody please conduct an objective, thorough, scientifically valid opinion poll to find out what American Indians today think of the name of Washington’s professional football team?

I don’t need a poll myself to know the team should change its name. This ardent Washington fan and season ticket holder thinks it’s enough that dictionaries define the word as a racial slur and that national Native American organizations strongly object to it.

But a poll is still necessary because team owner Dan Snyder and the National Football League are relying on a 10-year-old opinion survey of questionable value as pretty much their sole morally acceptable argument for keeping the name.

Practically every statement on the subject from the Washington franchise or NFL proclaims: Nine out of 10 Native Americans support the name! NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently cited this “fact” at his pre-Super Bowl news conference.