When the US Patent and Trademark Office recently cancelled six registered trademarks owned by Daniel Snyder and the Washington Redskins, it further ignited passions on both sides of the Redskins name change debate. (The Redskins name is considered by many to have racist origins. Others passionately disagree.)
You know who has an interesting solution? One that would maintain much of the built-in brand value of the current name and potentially satisfy the advocates for the name change? Former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith does. Here’s a guy who once caused the Redskins the same kind of pain on the field as advocates for the name change are causing the team in the court of public opinion. Yet the Hall-of-Fame running back is willing to help out an old adversary anyway. What about just SKINS?, Smith suggested to the Sporting News. People call the team “the Skins” anyway. Most of Dan Synder’s brand equity remains intact and let’s start the season! Smith kind of skirts over the fact that people will still be a little upset over the portrayal of an American Indian in the logo, which he thinks Snyder can keep with his “Skins” solution. But hey, it’s a start. We’re for shortening everything around here.
