Last week, Slate, Mother Jones and The New Republic all declared that they would no longer be referring to the Washington Redskins as the Redskins.
But as the Atlantic Wire points out, the protest is mostly symbolic. All three publications focus more on politics and/or the arts than they do on sports. Mother Jones used the Redskins name a total of three times in the last three years.
Still, the fact that some national publications will now be referring to "Washington's pro football team" or merely "Washington" has significance.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder (above, right) has promised to never change the team's name. Asked about the prospect of altering the team's controversial name, Snyder said "NEVER — you can use caps."
