Redskins fan waives an American Flag on ESPN Monday Night Football September 11, 2006 in Washington. The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Redskins 19 - 16. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Redskins are taking a beating at the Smithsonian.
The team’s nickname — deemed by many as an offensive term toward Native Americans — was a prime topic of discussion at a daylong symposium Thursday at the National Museum of the American Indian.
Washington, D.C., native and University of North Florida professor E. Newton Jackson got a round of applause from the packed auditorium when he said he stopped using the nickname decades ago.
Other nicknames and mascots also came under scrutiny, including a red-skinned image named “Mr. Yakoo” used by a high school in Massachusetts.
No one from the audience defended the Redskins name during the morning session. Organizers say the team did not respond to an invitation to participate.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
