During halftime of the Sunday night football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, NBC Sports' Bob Costas came out against using the name "Redskins," which he said was a "slur" and an "insult."
According to Deadspin.com, Costas mentioned how some college teams have already made the name change to avoid offending Native Americans, such as the St. John's Redmen switching to the Red Storm and the Miami of Ohio Redskins changing their name to the RedHawks (video below).
"Think for a moment about the term 'Redskins,' and how it truly differs from all the others," Costas asked viewers. "Ask yourself what the equivalent would be if directed towards African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, or any other ethnic group. When considered that way, 'Redskins' can't possibly honor a heritage or noble character trait, nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term. It's an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present day intent."
Slate.com announced in August that it would stop using the term: "Would any team, naming itself today, choose 'Redskins' or adopt the team’s Indian-head logo? Of course it wouldn’t."
Some newspapers have also dropped the name, including the Kansas City Star, Washington City Paper (which held a poll for a new name) and Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
Sources: Deadspin.com, Slate.com, Mother Jones, MediaBistro.com, Kansas City Star, Washington City Paper, Buffalo News.