I’m sorry, but for those of you expecting a political piece about Congress’ stupidity will be sorely mistaken. My apologies. This past week, 50-fifty-senators wrote a letter to the Washington Redskins urging them to change their name. In the overly cautious era that we live in, where saying one thing politically incorrect, even if unintentional and not even racist, can get you sued for millions of dollars because someone was hurt. People are too sensitive. What is surprising is that fans nor Native-Americans called for this change; instead, it was 50 U.S. senators, whose jobs are to act as representatives of the American people. Maybe they feel they are doing this to make it look like they do something, who knows. So of course, in typical Capital Hill fashion, they decided to ignore the situation in Ukraine, veterans dying in Virginia due to poor care in hospitals, or the economy, which has stymied so many Americans. They instead  focused their time and energy in making sure that a football team knows they don’t agree with their name. To repeat: Members of the United States Congress responsible for taking care of the entire country decided that a football team’s name was worth debate and a signed letter from 50 of its members.

Congress has never done the “right” or “smart” thing to begin with, but this is insane. The debate was sparked when Clippers owner Donald Sterling made racist remarks about African-Americans attending his basketball games. Congress drew comparisons about his comments to the Redskins’ name. In no way, shape, or form is that remotely accurate. Sterling’s disgusting comments were not about a name that 90% of “affected” people don’t mind. He was being directly racist to a group of people where almost, and probably, 100% of people find it offensive. However, some have said that calling a Native-American a “Redskin” is the equivalent to calling an African-American the “N-word” so the debate should take place.

I am all for debates; I think it is imperative people’s voices be heard no matter how small the group. And if a piece of physical, hard evidence shows up stating how the term “Redskin” is in fact as racist as claimed, I feel the name should be changed without hesitation. But a bit of common sense must be used in this scenario. In a previous poll, 90% of Native-Americans said they felt the name was not offensive. 1/10 of a population is an extreme minority, and some even consider that inconsequential. While they are not irrelevant and do deserve to have their voice heard, the NFL cannot act because they don’t want to offend a small group of people. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said that “If one person is offended, we have to listen.” Okay then Mr. Goodell. I am offended by the name Vikings. You must hear my case, correct? If I am offended by it, then I have to be heard. Is that not what you had hoped for? Vikings had a history of raping and pillaging, robbery, and murder. That is not a message I would like to convey to the American people.

See how easy that was? If the Redskins name is changed, that automatically opens the door for other groups to have names changed. What if an atheist is offended by the Saints, or the Los Angeles Angels? Northerners by the Ole Miss Rebels? Southerners by the New York Yankees? The list goes on and on, and a case can be made for almost every single team in existence today. Should people have to hear their case? Shall we listen to all those offended by different names by professional sports teams?

The Redskins debate has sparked much interest, especially over the past few seasons. I’ve always felt the name debate has heated up in recent years because the Skin’s had made the playoffs and were in the spotlight. No one cared when four and twelve or five and eleven seasons were common for the Redskins. Granted, there may be some, but the people I see who are “hurt” by this name are not Native-Americans.

Mike Wise, a sports writer for the Washington Post, has been arguably the most adamant the name needs to be changed. He has refrained from using the word “Redskins” in his articles, as do other sports writers, and will refer to them as the “R-words” or just “Washington football.” He is being incredibly childish. Mike Wise isn’t a fantastic sports writer in the first place and I don’t understand his motives. Is a white male from the D.C. area so offended by this name he has to “block out” the name? Is he personally affected? Does he feel he is above a certain word because of who he is? This is coming from the person who suggested that the Capitals would win the Cup this season (they missed the playoffs altogether) and that NBA commissioner Adam Silver should censor the music played in NBA locker rooms because Wise thought it caused racism. Seriously.

People in this case are going away from the point. Everyone is so caught up in making sure everyone knows what they believe and proving their point, whether the name is racist or not, they forgot to freaking ask the actual Native-Americans what they think. So no, a group of representatives in Washington shouldn’t decide the name of a professional sports team. The debate taking place is ridiculously off base and people are asking the right questions, just to the wrong people. The Redskins name should not be changed. It would create a domino effect. Blackhawks, Indians, Braves, and the Chiefs would all go down. Then, so would other names deemed “offensive.” The amount of political correctness in today’s era is asinine. Hail to the Redskins.