Leavitt stated, “I believe you’ve witnessed the president getting involved in a lot of things that most presidents have not.” He is an unusual president. He enjoys seeing results on behalf of the American people, and if you poll sports fans nationwide—including in this city—you’ll find that they do support the president’s stance on this and the name change.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the club came to an agreement in April to build on the site of the former RFK Stadium after former President Joe Biden signed a law enacted by Congress late last year to transfer land from the federal government to the District of Columbia. The Council of the District of Columbia has yet to approve that.
Bowser stated, “I believe the thing that we should concentrate on in D.C. is doing our part.” We must fulfill our end of the bargain. I have spent the greater part of a decade working to accomplish this, including gaining possession of the land, reaching a consensus with the team, and presenting a fantastic agreement to the council.
As owner since 1999, Dan Snyder had often declared he would never alter the name. However, in July 2020, he caved in to intense criticism from supporters and detractors. Before Commanders was announced as the official name in early 2022, the Washington Football Team was in use for two seasons.
Josh Harris stated earlier this year that the Commander’s moniker was here to stay. Harris’ company purchased the franchise from Snyder in 2023.
In response to Trump, Savannah Romero, the deputy director and co-founder of the Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty Collective, stated in a statement on Monday that Native Americans are not mascots.
Romero, an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Nation, stated that it is a heinous and persistent act of dehumanization to associate Native people with cartoonish mascots alongside animals.
Eliminating mascots with Native themes has been a top priority for the National Congress of American Indians since 1950. Any attempt to claim to speak for Native communities is an insult to tribal sovereignty, according to President Mark Macarro.
In a statement, Macarro added that fan actions and imagery that dehumanize, disparage, and ridicule Native people have no place in contemporary culture. NCAI will persist in advocating for Native peoples’ humanity and dignity.
The Native American Guardians Association is one group that has petitioned to reinstate the names of the Cleveland Indians and Redskins.
The Associated Press polled a small number of Trump supporters, who mostly disregarded his remarks. Ender Tuncay, who was born and raised in the Washington region and frequently travels back to see relatives, described it as typical Trump folly.
Tuncay stated that he doesn’t care what the name is, saying it’s just him attempting to divert attention from the real problems by concentrating on unimportant things. However, I would definitely prefer them to receive the new stadium. This site is good the way it is. Back when we were really, really wonderful, my parents used to tell me about how great RFK was.
Now that the club is winning, Ford Flemmings, a vendor at the former RFK Stadium, said everyone is following the Commanders.
According to Flemmings, I enjoyed Washington when it was just Washington. It doesn’t matter if they change their name. Regardless of the Washington squad, I will always be a Washington supporter.
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AP This article was produced with assistance from video journalist River Zhang and White House reporter Darlene Superville.
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https://apnews.com/hub/nfl AP NFL
