Now that the Washington “Redskins” announced Monday they will be retiring their controversial and offensive Native American nickname, get ready for your “Seminoles” nickname to soon be targeted.
Every current team that has a brand associated with our nation’s indigenous people — whether it be the Florida State Seminoles, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Indians or Chicago Blackhawks — will now have to publicly explain why they should be able to keep their Native American nicknames and imagery.
It should be self-evident that not all monikers are created equal, but in today’s world where statues of vastly divergent historic figures are being uniformly and randomly toppled, FSU will once again have to explain why “Seminoles” is drastically dissimilar to “Redskins.