Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that there’s probably not any support to change the name for the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
Pelosi also noted that “Hail to the Redskins” was one of the first non-church songs she ever heard.
“The first song I ever learned outside of church was [singing] ‘Hail to the Redskins!,'” Pelosi said during a Tuesday night appearance at Buzzfeed Brews in Washington, D.C.
“I think we should hold a contest [for a new name]… but I don’t know if there’s any will to change the name,” Pelosi said.
Baltimore native Pelosi came of age when Johnny Unitas was leading the Baltimore Colts to the Greatest Game Ever Played. When the Colts defeated the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, Pelosi was 18. Pelosi’s father, Charm City Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr., is credited by a tripod site with saving the Colts by putting together a “citizen’s syndicate” in 1948. To sing for the Redskins hardly showed any hometown pride by the future lifelong San Franciscan.
The Daily Caller has reported extensively on the efforts of casino magnate and disputed Oneida Indian Nation leader Ray Halbritter’s attempts to pressure the NFL and Redskins owner Dan Snyder into changing the team’s name. President Obama even weighed in, stating that if he owned the Redskins he would think about changing the name. NBC Sports broadcaster Bob Costas, whose network partners with Halbritter’s casino, also called the name a “slur.”
If Pelosi wants to start a contest, it should be noted that TheDC already offered six new suggestions for politically acceptable Redskins mascots: RELATED: TheDC’s 6 suggestions for new Redskins mascots.