Hail to the ___!

With the NFL preseason underway, it's a good time to consider the age-old question: Is "Washington Redskins" a racist name? Michael Tomasky says, you bet. I agree, but before you hold your breath, it's instructive to remember the last time a Washington sports team changed its name. You had a socially conscious owner, Abe Pollin, who finally decided that it was inappropriate for a city repeatedly named the murder capital of the country to have a basketball team called Bullets. Dan Snyder, by contrast, isn't quite as sensitive, and there aren't enough American Indians and others willing to agitate for a name change in the Washington area to make enough of a difference.

And what would you call the team? A political theme isn't required, as the Wizards and Mystics show, but what else is sports-team-name-worthy about Washington, DC?

Tags: NFL, Washington Redskins, Dan Snyder, racism, American Indians