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 #32 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Prolific Author Joe Posnanski Joins the Show – Posnanski is one of America’s best sportswriters and has twice been named the best sports columnist in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors. We chat about his new book, “Why We Love Baseball,” his new Substack newsletter called Joe Blogs, and we cover topics including how baseball treats its fans, MLB’s numerous rule changes this past season, how the sport can become more fan-friendly, the greatness of Negro Leagues champion Buck O’Neil, and much more.
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Episode #31 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Foul Ball Safety Is Still an Important Issue at Ballparks – Our guests are Jordan Skopp, founder of FoulBallSafety.com and Greg Wilkowski, a Chicago based attorney. We discuss the historical problem of foul balls injuring fans and why some teams are still hesitant to put up protective netting in some minor league and college baseball parks.
Episode #30 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The State of College Athletics with Dr. David Ridpath: Problems and Potential Solutions – Ridpath is a sports administration professor at Ohio University and a member of The Drake Group, a college sports reform think tank.
Episode #29 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The Honorable Tom McMillen Visits League of Fans’ Sports Forum – McMillen is a former All-American basketball player, Olympian, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Congressman. We discuss the state of college athletics today.
Episode #28 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: A Chat With Mano Watsa, a Leading Basketball and Life Educator – Watsa is President of PGC Basketball, the largest education basketball camp in the world. We discuss problems in youth sports today.
Episode #27 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Kids’ Sports: How We Can Take Back the Game and Restore Quality Family Time In the Process – Linda Flanagan is author of “Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports and Why It Matters.” We discuss how commercialized and professionalized youth sports are hurting kids and their families.
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.
- Reed Appears on Ralph Nader Radio Hour League of Fans’ sports policy director, Ken Reed, Ralph Nader and the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner discussed a variety of sports issues on Nader’s radio show as well as Reed’s updated book, How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan. Reed's book was released in paperback in February, and has a new introduction and several updated sections.
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.
Vanderbilt Sport & Society - On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss with guest Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director for League of Fans and author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
Books