The name of a certain pro football team in Washington, D. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Jersey .C., has inspired protests, hearings, editorials, lawsuits, letters from Congress, even a presidential nudge. Yet behind the headlines, its unclear how many Native Americans think "Redskins" is a racial slur. Perhaps this uncertainty shouldnt matter — because the word has an undeniably racist history, or because the team says it uses the word with respect, or because in a truly decent society, some would argue, what hurts a few should be avoided by all. But the thoughts and beliefs of native people are the basis of the debate over changing the team name. And looking across the breadth of Native America — with 2 million Indians enrolled in 566 federally recognized tribes, plus another 3.2 million who tell the Census they are Indian — its difficult to tell how many are opposed to the name. The controversy has peaked in the last few days. President Barack Obama said Saturday he would consider getting rid of the name if he owned the team, and the NFL took the unprecedented step Monday of promising to meet with the Oneida Indian Nation, which is waging a national ad campaign against the league. What gets far less attention, though, is this: There are Native American schools that call their teams Redskins. The term is used affectionately by some natives, similar to the way the N-word is used by some African-Americans. In the only recent poll to ask native people about the subject, 90 per cent of respondents did not consider the term offensive, although many question although many question the cultural credentials of the respondents. All of which underscores the oft-overlooked diversity within Native America. "Marginalized communities are too often treated monolithically," says Carter Meland, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota. "Stories on the mascot issue always end up exploring whether it is right or it is wrong, respectful or disrespectful," says Meland, an Ojibwe Indian. He believes Indian mascots are disrespectful, but says: "It would be interesting to get a sense of the diversity of opinion within a native community." Those communities vary widely. Tommy Yazzie, superintendent of the Red Mesa school district on the Navajo Nation reservation, grew up when Navajo children were forced into boarding schools to disconnect them from their culture. Some were punished for speaking their native language. Today, he sees environmental issues as the biggest threat to his people. The high school football team in his district is the Red Mesa Redskins. "We just dont think that (name) is an issue," Yazzie says. "There are more important things like busing our kids to school, the water settlement, the land quality, the air that surrounds us. Those are issues we can take sides on." "Society, they think its more derogatory because of the recent discussions," Yazzie says. "In its pure form, a lot of Native American men, you go into the sweat lodge with what youve got — your skin. I dont see it as derogatory." Neither does Eunice Davidson, a Dakota Sioux who lives on the Spirit Lake reservation in North Dakota. "It more or less shows that they approve of our history," she says. North Dakota was the scene of a similar controversy over the state universitys Fighting Sioux nickname. It was decisively scrapped in a 2012 statewide vote — after the Spirit Lake reservation voted in 2010 to keep it. Davidson said that if she could speak to Dan Snyder, the Washington team owner who has vowed never to change the name, "I would say I stand with him . we dont want our history to be forgotten." In 2004, the National Annenberg Election Survey asked 768 people who identified themselves as Indian whether they found the name "Washington Redskins" offensive. Almost 90 per cent said it did not bother them. But the Indian activist Suzan Shown Harjo, who has filed a lawsuit seeking to strip the "Redskins" trademark from the football team, says the poll neglected to ask some crucial questions. "Are you a tribal person? What is your nation? What is your tribe? Would you say you are culturally or socially or politically native?" Harjo asked. Those without such connections cannot represent native opinions, she says. Indian support for the name "is really a classic case of internalized oppression," Harjo said. "People taking on what has been said about them, how they have been described, to such an extent that they dont even notice." Harjo declines to estimate what percentage of native people oppose the name. But she notes that the many organizations supporting her lawsuit include the Cherokee, Comanche, Oneida and Seminole tribes, as well as the National Congress of American Indians, the largest intertribal organization, which represents more than 250 groups with a combined enrolment of 1.2 million. "The Redskins trademark is disparaging to Native Americans and perpetuates a centuries-old stereotype of Native Americans as blood-thirsty savages, noble warriors and an ethnic group frozen in history," the National Congress said in a brief filed in the lawsuit. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says the term is "very offensive and should be avoided." But like another infamous racial epithet, the N-word, it has been redefined by some native people as a term of familiarity or endearment, often in abbreviated form, according to Meland, the Indian professor. "Of course, it is one thing for one skin to call another skin a skin, but it has entirely different meaning when a non-Indian uses it," Meland said in an email interview. It was a white man who applied it to this particular football team: Owner George Preston Marshall chose the name in 1932 partly to honour the head coach, William "Lone Star" Dietz, who was known as an Indian. "The Washington Redskins name has thus from its origin represented a positive meaning distinct from any disparagement that could be viewed in some other context," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in June to 10 members of Congress who challenged the name. Marshall, however, had a reputation as a racist. He was the last NFL owner who refused to sign black players — the federal government forced him to integrate in 1962 by threatening to cancel the lease on his stadium. When he died in 1969, his will created a Redskins Foundation but stipulated that it never support "the principle of racial integration in any form." And Dietz, the namesake Redskin, may not have even been a real Indian. Dietz served jail time for charges that he falsely registered for the draft as an Indian in order to avoid service. According to an investigation by the Indian Country Today newspaper, he stole the identity of a missing Oglala Sioux man. Now, 81 years into this jumbled identity tale, the saga seems to finally be coming to a head. The NFLs tone has shifted over the last few months, from defiance to conciliation. "If we are offending one person," Goodell, the NFL commissioner, said last month, "we need to be listening." Cody Zeller Hornets Jersey . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Dell Curry Hornets Jersey . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him. http://www.hornetsteamproshop.com/Cheap-Frank-Kaminsky-Hornets-Jersey/ . - Benched Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman said he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and voluntarily entered the NFL substance abuse program more than a year ago after mistakenly taking a medication to treat the condition.Chapel Hill, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - After suffering their first loss of the season, the Virginia Cavaliers continue a three-game gauntlet through the ACC, as they take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in a key conference showdown at the Dean E. Smith Center on Monday. Tony Bennetts Cavaliers won their first 19 games of the season and have once again distinguished themselves as one of the best teams in the country. The win streak though came to an end on Saturday, as the team dropped a 69-63 decision to then fourth-ranked Duke in Charlottesville. With the loss, Virginia slips to 7-1 in conference play, still good for the top spot in the league standings. Virginia will close out a tough three-game stretch with Louisville on Feb. 7. Roy Williams Tar Heels are right there among the top teams in the league, thanks to dominant play from mid-December until late January. North Carolina had to travel to Louisville this past weekend, and fell to the Cardinals, 78-68 in overtime, ending a six-game win streak. The loss dropped UNC to 7-2 in the ACC. North Carolina has a firm handle on the all-time series with Virginia, owning a sizable 128-51 advantage. The Tar Heels are an impressive 65-6 in the series in Chapel Hill, including a 23-3 mark at the Smith Center. Someone finally broke through the Virginia defense and it was the Duke Blue Devils, who went on a 16-5 run in the waning moments of the game to hand the Cavaliers their first loss of the season. Duke was able to shoot 50.9 percent from the floor, while Virginia delivered on just 41.3 percent. Malcolm Brogdon led the way in defeat with 17 points. Justin Anderson was the only other Cavalier to finish in double figures, chipping in with 11. Dukes ability to score at an efficient rate may be the norm for the Blue Devils, but for Virginias defense, that represents aan anomaly. Glen Rice Hornets Jersey. . The Cavaliers are one of the top defensive teams in the entire nation as they yield just 50.2 ppg (tops in the nation), while holding foes to just .350 shooting (second nationally). The team is also holding strong in terms of rebounding, with a +10.3 margin (third nationally). Despite netting a modest 68.0 ppg, there is some scoring balance, with three Cavaliers currently in double figures. Anderson leads the way with 13.8 ppg. He is followed closely by Brogdon at 13.5 ppg, with Anthony Gill completing the trio with 10.9 ppg. North Carolina is much more offensive in nature. The Tar Heels are netting 79.5 ppg (16th nationally), while converting a healthy 46.6 percent from the floor. UNC has also shown its strength on the glass, with a +9.6 rebounding margin (fifth nationally). There is scoring depth with four of the teams five starters in double figures. Marcus Paige leads the way in the backcourt, as the star guard tops the team in both scoring (14.2 ppg) and assists (4.2 apg). Kennedy Meeks (12.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Brice Johnson (11.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg) are a potent frontcourt tandem. Justin Jackson (10.0 ppg) and J.P. Tokoto (9.0 ppg) give the squad a couple more options. The Tar Heels dominated first-half play against Louisville over the weekend, as they took a 36-25 lead into halftime, limiting the hometown Cardinals to an ugly 25.9 percent shooting over the first 20 minutes of play. However, Louisville battle back in the second half to tie things up and then went 4- of-5 from the floor in overtime and 9-of-13 from the charity stripe to pull away for the 10-point win. Paige led four Tar Heels in double figures in the loss with 15 points. Tokoto added 11 and Jackson and Nate Britt each tacked on 10 for UNC, which only got 11 points combined from Meeks (9) and Johnson (2). ' ' '