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Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
Washington Redskins, Washington Football Team, Close Textual Analysis, Close Reading, Cultural Appropriation, Press Releases, Racism, Sponsors, Dan Snyder
Proposal
Teams like the Washington Redskins have recently started dropping their team’s name or logo as these elements of branding are outed by sponsors as racist to indigenous people. This presentation argues that the principles of Stephen Brown’s Close Textual Analysis are useful in examining press releases regarding Washington’s decision. Two press releases are analyzed, one announcing a review of their name and another confirming their decision to retire it. A microscopic reading through this tool reveals financial motivations rather than a desire to respect native culture or avoid racial slurs.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Priorities in Appropriation: Washington’s Motivations in Changing Racist Branding
Teams like the Washington Redskins have recently started dropping their team’s name or logo as these elements of branding are outed by sponsors as racist to indigenous people. This presentation argues that the principles of Stephen Brown’s Close Textual Analysis are useful in examining press releases regarding Washington’s decision. Two press releases are analyzed, one announcing a review of their name and another confirming their decision to retire it. A microscopic reading through this tool reveals financial motivations rather than a desire to respect native culture or avoid racial slurs.
