Imagine watching a game on FOX, CBS or whoever else broadcasts NFL games, where the announcers avoid saying "Redskins" out of fear of their employers getting penalized. That could become the reality as a legal activist named John Banzhaf III has opted to petition the FCC and asked them to remove a Washington radio station's licensing rights for using the term "Redskins."
Tom Wheeler (who is the chairman of the FCC) seemed to indicate that the organization has heard the complaint and may begin fining stations for saying the franchise's name. Wheeler said:
We'll be looking at that petition, we will be dealing with that issue on the merits and we'll be responding accordingly. [...] There are a lot of names and descriptions that were used over time that are inappropriate today. And I think the name that is attributed to the Washington football club is one of those.
This has followed a number of self-imposed censors, including local media and national commentators such as Phil Simms and Tony Dungy, who've stated their opposition to using the name.
How's this going to play out? Your guess is as good as ours.
[via Bleacher Report]
