If I was a stud athlete coming out of college and drafted by a team I hate

Doomsday101

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I hate the Commanders, but is their team name really racism or am I missing something else?

Weren't they the first Pro team to integrate?

Not changing the name Commanders might be a lack of respect, but it seems far from true racism.

It had to do with Marshall the owner of the skins when Ernie Davis came out and Marshalls known racial views.

Marshall has gained infamy for his intractable opposition to having African-Americans on his roster. According to professor Charles Ross, "For 24 years Marshall was identified as the leading racist in the NFL".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Preston_Marshall
 

xwalker

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It had to do with Marshall the owner of the skins when Ernie Davis came out and Marshalls known racial views.

Marshall has gained infamy for his intractable opposition to having African-Americans on his roster. According to professor Charles Ross, "For 24 years Marshall was identified as the leading racist in the NFL".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Preston_Marshall

OK, thanks. I guess that I've never wanted to know any more than I had to about the team that I dislike the most.
 

Doomsday101

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OK, thanks. I guess that I've never wanted to know any more than I had to about the team that I dislike the most.

Yeah he was a pistol alright. He did not want Dallas getting the Cowboys and it took Murchison buying the rights to "Hail to the Commanders" and giving it back to Marshall to get his vote for the expansion Cowboys. lol
 

dstovall5

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I'd sabotage that organization, and secretly give the Cowboys all of our film, play books, audibles, injuries, and other useful information. I'd be like an inside spy, and of course this wouldn't be free. Money talks. :laugh:

secretagent_2.jpg
 

MWH1967

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It's a process.

You leaf high school you play for a collige team you never thought you'd play for. then you leaf collige and some team out east draft you and you go with the flow.
Athaletes have different mindsets as far as playing, loyalties and the brand they wear on their unis.

As a fan i cannot see meinself rooting for another team. As a player I could easily see meinself playing for any team that gift me the big monies, dates with the cheerleaders and free pre-game dinners.

Athaletes are different from you and me.

I hope i half addressed your question. If you are completely happy with meine response, send me money.
keep growing brother...i'm learning a new language.;)
 

jterrell

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Well, I could see myself playing for any college (I did), but I could not see myself playing for the Eagles, Commanders or Giants. But I suppose money talks and you-know-what walks.

players often indicate this stuff in team interviews and what not but once drafted only a couple of players have ever said no way....
john elway?

it's kind of like saying you can win the lottery but only if you move to philadelphia.
that would be a brutal condition (i won't even fly into philly as a connecting flight or drive through philly) but i'd accept....
 

Doomsday101

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Just cry like Eli did. It seemed to work for the little rich boy.

John Elway did it also he was drafted by the Colts but did not want to play there and threatened to join the Yankees full-time if the Colts did not trade him
 

Hostile

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I hate the Commanders, but is their team name really racism or am I missing something else?

Not changing the name Commanders might be a lack of respect, but it seems far from true racism.
It has a little to do with the team name, but that is only a fraction of it. I am bothered by the team mascot name because it shows that they still cling to their racist History with a bit of pride in it. I do not respect that at all. It galls me, and I truthfully wish NFL players stood up against that team. I would applaud any player who took a stance against playing there.

Their original owner, George Preston Marshall, was an avowed racist. One of his nicknames was "The Grand Wizard." Their original fight song was racist. Their History is littered with racism. Clint Murchison, the Cowboys original owner loved to mock him for his racist ways. Their original owner is the person who convinced other NFL owners to segregate and discriminate against African American players. 13 original players such as Fritz Pollard got tossed from the NFL directly because of that man, and for 14 years no African American was allowed to play in the NFL directly because of that man. Then the other owners, led by the Rams owner Dan Reeves, decided to end segregation in 1946. The Washington owner would not. He did not end the racist practices of his team until he was threatened by the Kennedy Administration. 16 more years of racist practices. 30 in all. I don't just forget that happened because he was forced to change.

Ernie Davis, the Heisman winner out of Syracuse was the first African American player drafted by Washington. He refused to play there. His exact comment was, "I won't play for that racist son of a *****." I applaud him.

Is the mascot name racist? Hell yes. Anyone who tells you it isn't is a liar or a fool. They can tell which it is. I won't. If you doubt this I challenge you to find a reservation and walk up to a group of men and call them that name. Hell, come to Arizona and I will take you to one. If you won't do that, then deep inside you do acknowledge that the mascot name is indeed racist. It is that simple. If it isn't racist, why won't you do that? By clinging to that mascot name they are telling me that their racist past doesn't matter. Some people obviously buy that. Well, it does matter to me.

One of the greatest articles in sports History was written by Washington Beat Writer Shirley Povich about Jim Brown destroying Washington. Here is the link...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/general/povich/launch/integration.htm

Notice how many times he makes a veiled reference to the racism on the team he was hired to cover. He also once described Jim Brown as a man "born genetically incapable of playing for" Washington. I applaud him too.

I do not respect Washington's NFL team at all. I am trying to stop using their mascot name the same way some newspapers and reporters don't. I applaud them for their efforts and I am trying to follow suit. I fail at times. I do respect some of their players. I wish they had the guts not to play for that team until they completely turn away from their racist past. I wish they put honor above money. I do respect some of their fans. I wish they had the guts to admit it would be nice if the racist links to the past were all gone, not just the ones that went away because of threats, time, and the death of the racist who enacted all of these racist practices. I wish they put honor above whatever it is that they want to hang on to.

You want a point blank example of how ludicrous it is to me that they cling to the mascot name while rejecting segregation practices? It's like a restaurant owner in the South still displaying his Jim Crow days sign about not serving Negros in his private office rather than on the front door or window, and saying he is merely hanging onto a piece of History, but really is no longer racist. No, in my not so humble opinion, he's still racist, he's just forced to serve people he'd rather not because he's afraid of a lawsuit.

Washington is a very PC area. You wouldn't be treated with prejudice if you could play.
You're completely missing the point. See the comments above.
 
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Irving Cowboy

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So who, currently on the Commanders right now, is an "avowed" racist?

Otherwise, the logic behind this belief is flawed, or fantasy.
 

Craig

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When you are that level of talent i imagine that your ideas about loyalty as a fan are gone before you even pick a college to play for.
 

THEHEREAFTER

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Excellent thread. I think about this all the time but keep in mind. All these pros were once young boys who had there favorite teams. Story's are told all the time. I'm thinking your entire paradigm changes when you're thinking about 1. Realizing your life long dream 2. Making it as a pro 3. Becoming a professional and a provider for many. 4. Establishing a legacy for yourself. 5. When you start getting paid 6. When an orgination embraces you With all that being said, I couldn't fathom being drafted by the Commanders.
 

big dog cowboy

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Pondering the question I posed to myself. If I was a stud athlete coming out of college and drafted in the first round by a division rival (pick which team you hate the most), would I be happy?

I wouldn't be happy. But I would have laid the groundwork for the other 3 teams at the scouting combine interview. Telling those teams that you think they suck and you will fake a different injury every Sunday ought to get their attention. :)
 

BringBackThatOleTimeBoys

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My problem would be not with a hated team, but a dysfunctional team.

I can admire some things about Washington, but my repulsion would be their dysfunction.

Let me go worse - the Clueless Browns. Changed their President, GM, HC, QB last year, and might change most of those in another year or two....that team might make Russell Wilson look like Johnny Manziel last year. :eek:
 

WV Cowboy

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A lot of these athletes fathers (if they were lucky) were making 60, 80, 100,000 dollars a year, ... and the son/athlete saw that lifestyle. Maybe even $150,000 a year.

Then the opportunity to make over $400,000 on a rookie contract presents itself to you.
If you do well, in a few years you have the opportunity to make MILLION$$ upon MILLION$$ !!

You would not turn that down, no matter what you say on a message board.
 

Nightman

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A lot of these athletes fathers (if they were lucky) were making 60, 80, 100,000 dollars a year, ... and the son/athlete saw that lifestyle. Maybe even $150,000 a year.

Then the opportunity to make over $400,000 on a rookie contract presents itself to you.
If you do well, in a few years you have the opportunity to make MILLION$$ upon MILLION$$ !!

You would not turn that down, no matter what you say on a message board.

Can you imagine how much you would get mocked if you said you were holding out because you weren't a fan of that team. That would be the ultimate sign of immaturity and wouldn't look good to other teams. They had the chance to choose when they went to college, now it's time to man up.
 

xwalker

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It has a little to do with the team name, but that is only a fraction of it. I am bothered by the team mascot name because it shows that they still cling to their racist History with a bit of pride in it. I do not respect that at all. It galls me, and I truthfully wish NFL players stood up against that team. I would applaud any player who took a stance against playing there.

Their original owner, George Preston Marshall, was an avowed racist. One of his nicknames was "The Grand Wizard." Their original fight song was racist. Their History is littered with racism. Clint Murchison, the Cowboys original owner loved to mock him for his racist ways. Their original owner is the person who convinced other NFL owners to segregate and discriminate against African American players. 13 original players such as Fritz Pollard got tossed from the NFL directly because of that man, and for 14 years no African American was allowed to play in the NFL directly because of that man. Then the other owners, led by the Rams owner Dan Reeves, decided to end segregation in 1946. The Washington owner would not. He did not end the racist practices of his team until he was threatened by the Kennedy Administration. 16 more years of racist practices. 30 in all. I don't just forget that happened because he was forced to change.

Ernie Davis, the Heisman winner out of Syracuse was the first African American player drafted by Washington. He refused to play there. His exact comment was, "I won't play for that racist son of a *****." I applaud him.

Is the mascot name racist? Hell yes. Anyone who tells you it isn't is a liar or a fool. They can tell which it is. I won't. If you doubt this I challenge you to find a reservation and walk up to a group of men and call them that name. Hell, come to Arizona and I will take you to one. If you won't do that, then deep inside you do acknowledge that the mascot name is indeed racist. It is that simple. If it isn't racist, why won't you do that? By clinging to that mascot name they are telling me that their racist past doesn't matter. Some people obviously buy that. Well, it does matter to me.

One of the greatest articles in sports History was written by Washington Beat Writer Shirley Povich about Jim Brown destroying Washington. Here is the link...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/general/povich/launch/integration.htm

Notice how many times he makes a veiled reference to the racism on the team he was hired to cover. He also once described Jim Brown as a man "born genetically incapable of playing for" Washington. I applaud him too.

I do not respect Washington's NFL team at all. I am trying to stop using their mascot name the same way some newspapers and reporters don't. I applaud them for their efforts and I am trying to follow suit. I fail at times. I do respect some of their players. I wish they had the guts not to play for that team until they completely turn away from their racist past. I wish they put honor above money. I do respect some of their fans. I wish they had the guts to admit it would be nice if the racist links to the past were all gone, not just the ones that went away because of threats, time, and the death of the racist who enacted all of these racist practices. I wish they put honor above whatever it is that they want to hang on to.

You want a point blank example of how ludicrous it is to me that they cling to the mascot name while rejecting segregation practices? It's like a restaurant owner in the South still displaying his Jim Crow days sign about not serving Negros in his private office rather than on the front door or window, and saying he is merely hanging onto a piece of History, but really is no longer racist. No, in my not so humble opinion, he's still racist, he's just forced to serve people he'd rather not because he's afraid of a lawsuit.

You're completely missing the point. See the comments above.
OK, so there are 2 issues.
1. Their past owner.
2. Their name.

The old owner was definitely racist, but all teams were originally segregated and we had to get past that, especially once those owners died out.

In regards to the name, my Grandmother was Native American (making me some % NA) so I don't really need to "go to a reservation" to have some clue about how people feel.

Some NAs think the name is insensitive and some think people are just using NAs in general as a pawns in some political power struggle. The are "leaders" somewhere that use these types of issues to make a name for themselves and ultimately achieve personal gains (the NA equivalents of somebody like Al Sharpton).

I think it would be funny if little Danny is forced to change the name; however, my issue is that calling the name of the team racist trivalizes the experiences of people that experienced true racism. Examples of true racism were issues that affected peoples civil rights (denial of equal opportunities and before that denial of freedom).

My experience is that Native Americans would prefer to speak for themselves about this issue and not have other people decide what is or isn't offensive to them.
 

Nation

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When I'm 70 years old and on my second knee replacement and have a mortgage to pay and have had a family to support, I wouldn't be able to pay them with my Cowboys hats and TShirts. I would be able to do so with my Eagles paychecks.
 
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