Hail to the Redskins

What do you do when you're an elected member of Congress and you can't balance a budget or avoid sequestration?

You go after professional sports, of course.

I'm sure you remember the steroids hearings in 2005. Osama in Laden was still in hiding. There was a war in Iraq. As usual, there were problems upon problems in Washington but why look into those problems when you can subpoena multi-millionaire athletes and ask about steroid use in the clubhouse and who knew about it.

Now there is another cause being taken up by members of Congress. It's one that has been broached on numerous occasions and now, members of Congress have approached NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, team owners, and FedEx about changing the name of the Washington Redskins. FedEx is mentioned because it is a major sponsor of the Washington Redskins, owning the naming rights to the team's stadium.

According to the Washington Post and nfl.com, the representatives seeking the change are Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota), Raul M. Grijalva (D-Arizona), Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin), Michael M. Honda (D-California), Donna M. Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), Zoe Lofgren (D-California), Barbara Lee (D-California) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District of Columbia).

The letter states, "Native Americans throughout the country consider the 'R-word' a racial, derogatory slur." It goes on to compare it to the "N-word".

Redskins owner Dan Snyder has no intentions of changing the name. He appears to have the backing of Goodell.

This is a non-issue that is being taken up by elected officials who think it's easier to beat up on professional sports than focus on the real issues at hand.

I previously mentioned it's easy for anyone to be offended by a team's name. It's one thing for people to protest over the name of a soprts team. It's another for members of Congress to take it up and make it a priority. If these people can turn their attention and efforts to more important problems than mascots, we will truly see progress being made.

Mark Cuban's latest $cheme

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has seen his team wear the same uniform for over 10 years and that's long enough for him. Cuban wants a new logo for his team but he's not looking to a marketing office or designer to show him what they have. He's looking to Joe Fan.

Yahoo! sports reported today that Cuban is looking for a new look for his team. According to his blog, that new look will come in the 2015-16 season. Cuban is giving all fans everywhere a chance to design the new uniforms for the Mavs. The rules and terms of the contest are posted clearly on Cuban's website. The Mavericks will own the rights to your design as soon as you send it and for your effort you will get...

A pair of tickets.

What a crock.

As a writer, I am all too familiar with people asking you to write for free. Somehow people out there think there are certain professions where people don't need money. With the exception of this blog, I refuse to give my services away. NOBODY should be expected to write for nothing. Nobody should be expected to work for nothing. Your work is free when your supermarket says you don't need to pay for your groceries. But how will I get exposure? Let the inferior writers, et al worry about not getting exposure.

Mark Cuban has made billions of dollars many times over. He now wants someone to design a lo for free. A design that will be marketed and merchandised and will make him billions of dollars more.

I don't know where the idea of working for free started but I believe it's been around for far too long.
I used to spend time on Craigslist looking for writing jobs. I found over 99% of them all said the same thing: "We can't afford to pay right now." If you can't afford to pay for someone you need to do it yourself or post it in the "Volunteers" section. When I see something in "Jobs" or "Gigs" that does not pay I flag it as miscategorized and I hope you do too. It doesn't belong in a section where people are looking to be compensated.

The call for a new logo went out two days ago and, to date, there are already over 380 comments. Many of the comments, no doubt from hardcore Mavs fan scan't wait to get started on it. Others like me don't see why a multi-million dollar organization refuses to pay for someone's efforts or offer a piece of the windfall that is soon to follow the logo's release.

Cuban knows there are people who would jump at the chance to give away an idea for nothing more than the sake of exposure and bragging rights. I truly hope they will open their eyes soon and see what they are really giving away.