"If you’ve long suspected that football is not a measure of intellect, the proof is currently posted for all to see on the Washington Redskins Web site. A series of prominently displayed pseudo-articles defend the club’s use of a racial slur as a mascot on the grounds that lots of high schools are nicknamed “Redskins” too — so it must be okay. Which we can only take to mean that pretty soon owner Daniel Snyder will be skipping class to build a potato gun.

It would be nice if the NFL franchise in the nation’s capital were an example for all the land. But apparently Snyder takes his example from 10th graders. A couple of days ago, the club launched a campaign to defuse the pressure Snyder is under to change the team name by declaring that “70 different high schools in 25 states are known as the Redskins,” and therefore it’s surely an honorable word. What’s more, “Redskins.com found that there are almost as many schools using the name Redskins as Cowboys.” Oooh! And after school, for fun we’ll shoot BB guns at road signs!

On Tuesday, a new entry appeared, in which a high school athletic director from Oklahoma proclaimed that, “No one has ever been dishonored at our school with that Redskins nickname.” Though he himself was admittedly not American Indian, he said he had consulted one. "

Get the Story:
Sally Jenkins: On Washington Redskins’ name, it’s time the grown-ups talk sense into Daniel Snyder (The Washington Post 2/14)

Another Opinion:
Fred Bowen: Let’s rethink Redskins’ hurtful name (The Washington Post 2/14)

Related Stories:
Column: Finally listening to Native Americans about mascots (2/11)
Blog: Momentum builds to eliminate offensive Redskins name (2/11)
NMAI draws capacity crowd to symposium on Indian mascots (2/8)
NMAI's Indian mascot symposium tackles controversial topic (2/7)
Column: It's time to take stand against Washington Redskins (2/7)
Blog: Mayor of Washington DC refuses to use 'Redskins' name (2/6)
Agenda for symposium on Indian mascots in sports at NMAI (2/4)
Washington mayor supports elimination of 'Redskins' mascot (01/10)
Rep. Cole, Chickasaw, calls Redskins mascot 'very offensive' (01/18)