FCC rules 'Redskins' is not profane
The Washington Redskins is not an indecent name, the FCC ruled Thursday. For the agency to ban profanity on the radio, it must be deemed sexual or excretory, Politico reports.
George Washington University professor John Banzhaf had petitioned the agency to deny renewal of football team owner Daniel Snyder's radio station due to repeated use of "Redskins."
Washington's name, which many consider a racial slur directed at Native Americans, has been under fire a lot this year, with politicians and activists pushing Snyder for a change. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler himself has called the name "offensive and derogatory" in the past.
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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
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