Guess we know where ‘Da Coach’ stands on the issue. And it isn’t pretty.
He likely went a bit too far an interview with Mike Richman at Redskinhistorian.com.
“What’s all the stink over the Redskin name?” Ditka said. “It’s so much [expletive] it’s incredible. We’re going to let the liberals of the world run this world. It was said out of reverence, out of pride to the American Indian. Even though it was called a Redskin, what are you going to call them, a Brownskin? This is so stupid it’s appalling, and I hope that owner keeps fighting for it and never changes it, because the Redskins are part of an American football history, and it should never be anything but the Washington Redskins. That’s the way it is.
“Its been the name of the team since the beginning of football. It has nothing to do with something that happened lately, or something that somebody dreamed up. This was the name, period. Leave it alone. These people are silly — asinine, actually, in my opinion.”
Really, a ‘Brownskin?’ That won’t go over well with Native Americans, and I imagine, ESPN.
Living in Chicago, I love Ditka. But really, Mike.
Expect some fallout here.
Leave it to Ditka to pack a year’s worth of ignorance into two short paragraphs.
Ed:
I don’t want this to become a political issue this is a sports media web site. All I’ll say is that the bigger point, I think, Ditka was trying to make was that in his opinion (and I suspect many other Americans agree) this society in fact HAS become to sensitive.
People are reading into things issues that aren’t there and that goes for both (left and right) sides of the political isle.
I’ll give you an example, I’m Polish, grew up on the South Side. I heard every Polish joke there was but I knew who my friends were and when I could laugh with them because I knew they meant no harm. I also when when someone wasn’t trying to be funny. In those rare cases I’d settle things.
My point is I could laugh at ethnic and “insensitive” jokes about my background. I wasn’t so thin skinned that I right away started protesting, threatening to sue ect.
That’;s missing today, people need to frankly grow some thicker skin. If that’s what Ditka meant (and only he knows for sure) than I agree with him.
Now let’s go back to talking sports shall we?
Ditka has reached that point in his life where he really doesn’t care anymore and there are many more with him. Tired of the wining of the perpetually offended over everything. Sure, if a team was being maned today it would never be called the “Redskins” but is not a racial slur according to many in the native American population who have opined.
Mike Ditka was never known for brains. He went over the middle a lot as a tight end and that likely jumbled his brain. He’s more an empty skull these days. Isn’t he Polish. How about the Washington Pollacks, Mike? Ha ha ha ha