A timeline of the battle to change the Washington NFL team’s name

It’s taken decades.

It appears the battle to get rid of the name of the Washington NFL team is on its way to being over.

Finally.

It’s taken decades of fighting and pressure on Redskins owners including Dan Snyder to change the name, and on Friday, under new pressure (we’ll get to that), the team announced that they “will undergo a thorough review of the team’s name. This review formalizes the initial discussions the team has been having with the league in recent weeks.”

So how did we get to this place after all this time? Let’s look back at some key dates from the past near-century:

1933: The football team in Boston gets its name

Owner George Preston Marshall wanted to make sure people weren’t confusing the franchise with baseball’s Boston Braves.

1937: The Redskins move to Washington DC

1992: A rally before Super Bowl XXVI draws more than 2,000 protesters calling for a name change

There had been some calls for the change in the preceding decades. But this was a visible moment.

From the Washington Post:

The director of the American Indian Movement today called Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue “racists” before a rally of more than 2,000 outside the Metrodome, site of Super Bowl XXVI.

“We say to Jack Kent Cooke,” Vernon Bellecourt added, “this is 1992. The name of your football team has got to be changed.” To other teams with Indian nicknames and to fans who support them, he warned: “No more chicken feathers. . . . No more paint on faces. The chop stops here.”

2013: Snyder says the team name will “NEVER” change

From USA TODAY Sports:

“We will never change the name of the team,” Snyder told USA TODAY Sports this week. “As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season.”

What if his football team loses an ongoing federal trademark lawsuit? Would he consider changing it then?

“We’ll never change the name,” he said. “It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2013: The fight to get the name changed gets momentum

From CNN:

“We are asking the NFL to stop using a racial slur as the name of Washington’s football team,” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter.

The “Change the Mascot” campaign launched last month with a string of radio ads airing in Washington and cities where the Redskins play this season.

And then there was this in that same year from President Barack Obama:

2014: 50 senators call for the team to change the name

2016: A Washington Post survey of Native Americans reveals nine in 10 aren’t offended by the name

It was a victory for Snyder at the time.

2020: The Redskins participate in Blackout Tuesday and Rep. Aexandria Ocasio-Cortez responds

2020: FedEx — which sponsors the name of the team’s stadium — formally asks for the franchise to change its name

Also: Nike removed gear from its website:

2020: The Redskins make their announcement

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