Tag Archives: football

Thoughts about “Redskins”

After having seen the Detroit Tigers stave off elimination in game 4 of their American League Divisional Series and send the series back to Oakland for a decisive game 5, I feel like talking about — the Washington Redskins. And not about their not-very-good season, either: I want to talk about the name “Redskins.”

There has been a growing clamor for the team to retire the name “Redskins” on the grounds that it’s an ethnic slur and is disrespectful and/or derogatory to Native Americans. That is a compelling argument, but I also have heard claims that some Native Americans don’t see it that way. That’s also a good argument. Still, if there is a deep division in the community over the matter, I think that’s justification enough for the name change. That may be the Baha’i in me talking, trying to encourage unity.

The Redskins could always change their logo to a redskin potato….

 

Are you ready for some more football (end of September style)?

If it’s Saturday or Sunday in the fall, then that means football.  Michigan State was idle on Saturday, so I watched a very good SEC game (Georgia and LSU) and a good Big Ten game (Wisconsin and Ohio State). And on Sunday, I turned on NFL Red Zone and got to see a bit of everything. I was most interested in the Bears-Lions and Seahawks-Texans games, naturally. The Lions dominated throughout their game and ended up winning 40-32, while the Texans had an early lead but allowed Seattle to catch up and tie it, sending it into overtime where the Seahawks kicked a field goal to win, 23-20.

In my opinion, the Red Zone channel is one of the best programming ideas ever. It allows you to see the best of every game that is taking place at that time. And when I first started watching the channel in 2009 or 2010 (I’m not sure which year), it was the only way to see the Lions play at home. They were very bad at that point, and most games were blacked out.

Are you ready for some football?

It’s a Saturday in September, so that means it’s time for college football. If one were so inclined, he or she could spend over 12 hours watching college football, from high noon to midnight or even beyond. Today, I have seen parts of the UCLA-Nebraska game and the Alabama-Texas A&M game, and I’ve seen all of the Michigan State-Youngstown State game, a game won handily by the Spartans, 55-17. And I know I’m not alone in that regard.

Then there’s tomorrow, and NFL Red Zone awaits.