President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t even taken office yet, and we’re still seeing major shifts in our culture, all for the better. Take, for example, how boldly people are becoming when it comes to opposing wokeness in our culture, especially when it comes to DEI policies. A great example of this comes from the NFL. Remember when the Washington Commanders, once known as the Redskins, were forced by these policies to change their name, logo, uniform, and on the list goes?
Well, all the backlash, according to U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, A Montana Republican, has caused the Commanders to potentially reintroduce the classic logo. Amazing what a shift in the White House can accomplish, right?
As part of an agreement with the team, Daines has pledged to approve legislation authorizing the construction of a new stadium for the Washington, D.C. team. In return, ownership has agreed to never censor the old logo, which was removed along with the Redskins name in 2020 during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests. Two years later, the team introduced its current name, but even those changes weren’t enough: in D.C., a local news station sparked an outcry by conservatives after stating it would censor the old logo during its coverage of the team. Daines previously highlighted the censoring of the Redskins logo by the NFL’s social media account when it honored past team members.
The Daily Caller spotted Daines on Fox News this week where he explained that the deal will honor Walter ‘Blackie’ Wetzel, the Native American artist behind the logo who nearly 50 years ago used the silhouette of Blackfoot chief John Two Guns White Calf as inspiration. It was, the senator summarized, “a case of woke gone wrong.” “The irony is that they were canceling Native American culture, as the DEI movement went way too far,” he said.
Daines then added, “This is honoring a Blackfeet chief who was born in Montana, he was highly esteemed. The Blackfeet Chief of Montana, their tribal chairman and tribal council, signed a letter in strong support to bring the logo back. It honors Indian country.” He added that “good-faith negotiations” are continuing to finalize the contours of a plan to bring the logo back to prominence.
Logo artist Ryan Wetzel’s son, Don, has been advocated for the return of the classic logo for quite some time now, according to a report from the Daily Montanan. Both men stated that they have been working closely with Daines for over three years to help re-establish the logo, saying they are feeling pretty positive about it being approved by the Senate.
“That is helping our Indian people throughout the state and nationally,” Ryan Wetzel commented. “So today is a good day for sure.”
“It’s exciting to even have that conversation after they said it (the logo) would be gone forever,” Wetzel commented.
The controversy surrounding Native American imagery in the NFL also hit the Kansas City Chiefs particularly hard. Coach Andy Reid and his players have stood fully behind maintaining the logo of a Native American arrowhead, and the team’s owners refused to bow to pressure to cancel the logo in 2020. Last year, a 9-year-old fan was targeted by a far-left publication that falsely accused him of wearing blackface at a game.
“Coverage of the boy included a photo that showed only one side of his face and hid the other half, which was painted red. Raul and Shannon Armenta, the parents of Chiefs fan Holden, filed suit against Deadspin in February alleging defamation. A judge recently allowed the suit to move forward,” TPN finished.
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