Column: Washington team should be worried about FCC petition


The logo for the Change the Mascot campaign

Law professor John Banzhaf has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission to bar the broadcast of a racial slur against American Indians:
Banzhaf has focused his sights on a new, high-profile target — the name of Washington’s professional football franchise — and team owner Dan Snyder has grounds to worry.

Banzhaf has opened a useful new legal front in the swelling campaign to pressure Snyder to change the name. He has filed one legal petition and threatened more to block renewal of federal broadcast licenses for radio and TV stations that routinely use the team’s name on the air.

That would include almost every broadcast outlet in the country.

Banzhaf’s argument: The team name is a racial slur, offensive to many Native Americans, so airing it is against the public interest.

He says the term violates Federal Communications Commission standards against indecency, profanity and hate speech.

If the FCC could make a huge fuss with CBS for briefly exposing Janet Jackson’s nipple during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, Banzhaf says, then it ought to be able to use its weight to push an offensive term off the airwaves.

Get the Story:
Robert McCartney: GWU professor who beat tobacco industry uses FCC to pressure Redskins over name (The Washington Post 9/25)

Join the Conversation
Related Stories:
Chelsey Luger: Washington NFL team doesn't own our identity (9/25)
Osage Nation to avoid FedEx due to association with NFL team (9/24)
DC Council considers bill to ban race-based mascots at schools (9/24)
Opinion: Town sends wrong message with street after R-word (9/24)
Activists ask judge to dismiss Washington NFL team's lawsuit (9/23)
Peter d'Errico: Video uses humor to battle racist NFL mascot (9/22)
Opinion: Racist sports mascots preserve 'imaginary' Indians (9/22)
Norbert Hill: It's past time to drop the Washington NFL mascot (9/18)
Peter d'Errico: Connecting mascots to racism and termination (9/18)
Opinion: Eliminating NFL team's racist mascot is just the start (9/18)
Student newspaper punished over refusal to print the R-word (9/18)
Sen. Cantwell to introduce bill to end NFL's tax-exempt status (9/16)
Bruce Anderson: Washington team name preserves stereotypes (9/15)
Column: DC-area Native people oppose NFL team's racist mascot (9/15)
Coalition asks broadcasters to avoid Washington NFL team's name (09/04)
Editorial: It's time to sack Washington NFL team's offensive name (09/04)