The Patriot Post® · Government Giants Sack Redskins

In a 2-1 decision, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled six trademarks of the Washington Redskins because “based on the evidence properly before us,” the board wrote, “these registrations must be cancelled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered.” And so government sacked another private enterprise, while flexing its muscles and showboating to boot.

Over the last few months, the Left has turned up the volume, heckling Redskins owner Dan Snyder over the name. Even congressional Democrats have weighed in. Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) threatened he’d never go see another game as long as the team “promotes a racial slur” – probably the best news the team got all week. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) declared, “[S]lurs have no right to trademark protections.” In May, nearly every Democrat senator joined in sending a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell demanding that he force a name change.

In its ruling, the trademark board also alleged the supposed slur subjected Native Americans to “contempt, ridicule and disrepute.” Memo to bureaucrats: That’s not why teams choose something as a mascot. Just the opposite – a mascot is a source of pride.

Besides, the offensive part of the name isn’t “Redskins,” it’s “Washington.”

The Redskins said in a press release the team will fight the decision, just as it did successfully in 1999 and 2003. However, even should the Redskins fail to win back trademark protection, it’s unlikely this will damage the team meaningfully, as they have a strong claim to common law ownership of the name.

Furthermore, The Wall Street Journal notes, “If [the ruling] stands, any third party could sell Redskins jerseys, banners or rosters. But how does pumping more supposedly offensive merchandise into circulation at lower prices remedy the alleged insult?” On top of that, this kerfuffle gives the Redskins tons of free publicity – and it’s not even football season.

There are two things at play here. First, the Left is obsessed with dividing people along race and class lines so as to co-opt those constituent groups come election time. In this case, they’ve managed to find a handful of professionally aggrieved people to yell a few war whoops and fight for change. (In other news, the two Choctaw words okla and humma form the name of the state Oklahoma. The words mean “red people,” which makes the Oklahoma Sooners the “Red People White Settlers.” Or to put it another way, Indian Cowboys. Where’s the outrage?)

Second, the Left seeks power, pure and simple. Statists always use the government to coerce certain behavior and thought. Examples abound, from ObamaCare, EPA emissions regulations and financial “reform,” to light bulbs, toilets and building entrance ramps.

On a final note, given that one nickname of the Redskins is “the hogs,” if they end up losing this battle, they could always rebrand as The Pork Barrel Spenders.