Daniel Snyder might be about to rename his team, but he still has to acknowledge harm the old name caused
Ahmar Zaman is interim director of clinical training in clinical psychology at Pacific University. Esther Fiore is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Pacific University. Carter Comrie is chair of the Michigan Psychological Association Pain Psychology Task Force. I’m sorry. My bad. I didn’t mean to hurt you. That was wrong of me. My mistake. I apologize.There are many ways to express an apology when we are at fault. Yet far too often, people and public entities get it so wrong. There are primarily three components of an apology: an acknowledgment of the transgression, accountability for the transgression and reparations for the transgression. The reparations for a transgression are often what is missed when a large public entity acknowledges the harm it caused.A standardized apology statement that has become cliche will typically follow, while the process of mending the harm that occurred is often lacking. In the case of the Washington Football Team, all parts of the apology process have been missing.For years, team owner Daniel Snyder not only denied that the name was offensive but also often doubled down, refusing to acknowledge any criticism. In the midst of the racial reckoning during the summer of 2020 and threats of corporate sponsorship being pulled, the organization “retired” the team name and replaced it with the generic “Washington Football Team” moniker for two seasons. This was a change so drastic that it felt akin to yelling, “If I can’t have this, then nobody can,” a person quitting a game and taking their ball home.Whether intentional or not, the drastic name change felt like a last subtle dig after years of protests finally culminated in change. To this day, Snyder and the WFT have yet to acknowledge the harm from the use of their former moniker; the first step in providing an apology. These actions and more have only continued the dismissal of concerns by Indigenous communities.On Feb. 2, the WFT will announce its new team name and aim to move forward from a history of capitalizing on Indigenous culture and harming Indigenous communities without a semblance of an apology issued.Certainly, the WFT is not the only large entity, or even the only sports franchise, to have perpetuated harm against marginalized identities. What seems to separate the WFT from its contemporaries is its recent brazen track record. It has offered a master class in the non-apology and hitched its wagons to the White colonial idea that the best way to handle issues of race and discrimination is to avoid them altogether.The community the team claimed to honor is conspicuously missing altogether from the team’s public relations presence as the WFT’s website makes no mention of any Indigenous communities, history or ties. The Chicago Blackhawks , another professional franchise mired with its own controversy, has part of its website dedicated to Native American initiatives and provides land acknowledgments accompanied by an explanation of the importance of land acknowledgments. That is not to say that this type of endeavor by the Chicago Blackhawks is sufficient, but it clearly highlights the lack of effort by the WFT.Where the Chicago Blackhawks might have made some effort to create ties with Indigenous history and communities, the WFT has actively put distance between the team and anything “diversity”-related altogether. Team President Jason Wright recently stated , “We will choose an identity that unequivocally departs from any use of or approximate linkage to Native American imagery.” Of the potential team names shared by Tanya Snyder, co-chief executive, none of the prospective names has any ties to diversity-related initiatives. This appears to be by design, as two popular fan-driven team names, “Red Tails,” paying respects to the Tuskegee Airmen, and the less popular “Code Talkers,” referencing the Navajo Code Talkers and their contributions during World War II, were missing from the final list. It is clear that when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusivity initiatives, the goal is to avoid them altogether. Malcolm X stated, “If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, there’s no progress. If you pull it all the way out, that’s not progress. The progress is healing the wound that the blow made. And they haven’t even begun to pull the knife out, much less try and heal the wound. They won’t even admit the knife is there.” Snyder has simply pulled the knife out. He has not acknowledged the harm he caused Indigenous communities, taken accountability for his actions or made reparations.Snyder and the WFT have not healed the wound. On Feb. 2, Snyder will charge forward with his ball in one hand and knife in the other. Hopefully, other entities can learn from this mess, advocate for marginalized voices and, notably, heal wounds left behind.
