Redskins lose Trademark and Name Change Possibly Coming

    It was recently announced that a U.S. Patent Office had terminated the Washington Redskins trademark on the grounds that it was offensive to Native Americans. That the name "Redskin" was in fact a racist term and the logo was indeed offensive, so what that basically means is the Washington Redskins can no longer claim profits from anything with the Redskin's name or logo. So the popular NFL Franchise that's been around since the early 1930s is now forced to make a hard decision on how to proceed with the team's future. Of course they're lawyers are already working on an appeal but at the end of the day, the season starts in two months and they will lose money if they don't change their name to something they can claim and make money off of. At the end of the day, that's all this is about for the Redskins.

    The Washington Redskins are one of the most valuable teams in the NFL, currently valued at about 1.6 billion dollars. They have some of the most loyal fans in the league and as of where they stand, their upcoming season seems to be promising but now things have changed. Merchandising counts for a huge sum of a franchise's profits so if anyone can make money of a team and they don't have to pay them, that's a problem. So does this mean that they Redskins have to change their name? No, but if they want to keep their revenue stream going unaltered then it's what they'll most likely have to do. 

    This ongoing lawsuit has brought much debate on both sides for decades. One side claiming that it is in fact a racist and offensive towards Native Americans, reminding people of the discrimination they suffered. The other side is talking about how this is a slippery slope that tells people that they can just file a lawsuit on the basis that they're offended by anything they find offensive. Which side of the coin your on is up to you but these are the facts. What's going to happen is unclear but the clock is ticking and the team's future may not be in trouble but I wouldn't count on them keeping the name.

    Like I've stated before, Merchandising counts for a huge sum of the team's yearly profits and only a fool would let money slip through his fingers. I know what a lot of people are thinking right now. "They have a history," so did the Cleveland Browns (that became the Baltimore Ravens) and the Houston Oilers but guess what, that didn't stop them from moving and changing their name. There's not much anyone can do now at this point, even if the appeal happens, this can go on for years so the easiest thing to do is would be to change the name and get it over with. It's the smart business move but the owner has vowed to fight on behalf of the fans who are dedicated to the team and it's history.