The Washington Redskins football team has been high on the
radar of both football fans and the general alike for quite some time. Public
statements regarding the infamous team name and it’s racist connotation have
started to become more frequent and a part of an increasingly popular debate.
Thomas G. Smith, a professor and part of CNN News, attempts to put fourth his
own perspective on this issue in his article “JFK, Obama: Redskins need to
change”. By alluding to events of the past and asking rhetorical question,
Smith is able to convey the mounting need to the Redskins to change their
racial policy. Smith points out in his essay that many current events
concerning the redskins, from presidential action to the racial situation
itself, have happened before. Coincidentally, it all revolved around the same
Washington Redskins football team. By showing the recurrence of events, Smith
is able to convince people that the Redskins’ racial insensitivity and
resistance to change is common practice. He then continues his allusion to the
past with big names like Jackie Robinson and JFK. These big names resonate in
the hearts of most sports fans, and convey the importance of racial inequality
in a level that this audience can connect with.
Consequently, the audience realizes that this racial insensitive
practice is not just, and should be terminated. Smith also implements
rhetorical questions into his work in order to refute counter arguments. For
example, he asks, “Some fans ask why
focus on the Redskins in particular?” By then going on to answer this question,
he is able to illustrate a level of illegitimacy in a popular counter argument.
While Smith does not fully close the case for many readers that the Redskins’ name
should be changed, he does successfully enlighten them on a need for change in
racial policy.
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