In the latest storylines involving the Washington Redskins nickname, support for the Daniel Snyder just lost another battle to critics of the nickname by 1 million to one - which happens to be about the odds of Snyder changing the team name.
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On the heels of veteran broadcaster Al Michaels pleading ignorance as to why the nickname "suddenly" has become a hot topic, the mid-Atlantic region of the United Church of Christ passed a resolution Saturday asking members of its congregation to refrain from buying tickets or purchasing any souvenir gear of Snyder's team until he changes the nickname, according to USA TODAY Sports.
The UCC has nearly 1 million members and 40,000 in the mid-Atlantic region. The resolution passed as the church's Central Atlantic Conference in Dover, Del., USA TODSAY Sports reported.
"I hope this debate will continue to draw attention to an unhealed wound in our cultural fabric," the Rev. John Deckenback, conference minister, said in a statement. "Changing the name of the Washington NFL team will not solve the problems of our country's many trails of broken promises and discriminatory isolation of our Native American communities. However, a change in the nation's capital can send a strong message."
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Earlier this week, Michael said he couldn't understand why an uproar has arisen only in recent years.
"It seems to me as if he is going to hold on," Michaels said, as CBSSports.com reported. "I mean, all of the sudden -- I mean, for 70-some odd years this was a zero issue, and then it became an issue. I understand we live in this politically correct environment. It's crazier than ever; you know, senators want to weigh in on this, like there's nothing better to do in Congress. This becomes a big issue. I mean, I just think it's nuts. And I do know, I've talked to Snyder about it - not recently but when we were in Washington last year -- and he basically said 'over my dead body.' "
Of course, civil rights also had a different outlook 70 years as well, so Michaels might not be an authority on culture change over time.
USA TODAY Sports added that the UCC has more than 5,100 congregations, including 185 in its mid-Atlantic region of Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and parts of Virginia and West Virginia. The Protestant denomination is headquartered in Cleveland and has been active in protests against the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo mascot.
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