Another Sunday, Another Chance for Snyder to Make a Fool of Himself
By Ken Reed
Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins NFL franchise, continues to defend his team’s racist nickname despite a growing chorus calling for the end of the Redskins moniker.
And he’s doing it in ways that make him look increasingly foolish.
First, there was a guy calling himself Mark One Wolf who showed up as a VIP at a Redskins practice and quickly became the face of the save-the-Redskins-name movement. Problem is he might not be an American Indian at all.
“For all that he says he is, there is not one single tribe that claims him,” says Eugene Herrod, of the Southern California Indian Center (SCIC).
“Nobody knows who he is. Everything we’ve found about him and his parents indicates that they identify as African American. As far as I can tell, I think he’s read a lot about Indians, but that doesn’t make him an Indian.”
Last week, Snyder had Ben Shelly, the disgraced outgoing president of the Navajo Nation, sitting next to him in his owners box in an attempt to try to convince people that Navajos don’t consider the Redskins name racist. Shelly agreed to sit with Snyder despite his tribal council voting 9-2 to oppose the Redskins name.
Ben Shelly, who was so popular with his tribe that he finished seventh in the primary election back in August, has en ethically-challenged background and his endorsement of Snyder and the Redskins name can’t help Snyder’s cause.
Snyder’s cause may taken another hit this week when far right political commentator Glenn Beck is scheduled to be Snyder’s guest in the owner’s box.
Here’s the beauty of Dan Snyder: The more he is allowed to just be Dan Snyder, the sooner we can be rid of Washington’s racist and derogatory nickname.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #22 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Rethinking Sports Fandom with Author Craig Calcaterra – We discuss Calcaterra’s new book “Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game” and explore new ways to be a fan in the year 2022.
Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others.
Follow on Facebook: @SportsForumPodcast
More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify; Google Podcasts; PocketCasts; & Anchor
Episode #21 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Chatting About a Broken Game With Baseball Writer Pedro Moura – Moura is a national baseball writer for Fox Sports. We discuss how and why the game of baseball is broken, what factors caused it, and offer a few thoughts on how to “fix” a great game.
Episode #20 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Coaching Youth and High School Sports Based On What’s Best for the Athlete’s Holistic Development – We chat with long-time youth, high school and college basketball coach Jim Huber.
Episode #19 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Capturing the Spirit of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League with Anika Orrock – We discuss the hoops AAGPFL women had to jump through to play the game they loved as well as the long-term impact and legacy they have in advancing sports opportunities for girls and women.
Episode #18 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Talking about the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and the Lia Thomas Controversy with Nancy Hogshead-Makar – Hogshead-Makar is a triple gold medalist in swimming, a civil rights attorney and CEO of Champion Women.
Episode #17 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Talking Sports With Legendary New York Times Sports Columnist Robert Lipsyte – We chat about Lipsyte’s amazing career and some of the athletes he covered.
Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- League of Fans Sports Policy Director Ken Reed quoted in Washington Post column titled "What happened to P.E.? It’s losing ground in our push for academic improvement," by Jay Mathews
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
Books