Hail to the Redskins is the fight song for the Washington Redskins. The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington D It is the second oldest fight song for a professional American football team (after "Go! You Packers! Go!", composed in 1931). A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term referring to a Song associated with a team American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with " Go! You Packers! Go! " is the Fight song of the Green Bay Packers, and the oldest for a professional American football team Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Written in 1938, the year after the Boston Redskins transferred to Washington, it was composed by band leader Barnee Breeskin. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The lyrics were written by Corinne Griffith, the wife of the owner, George Preston Marshall. Corinne Griffith (1895 &ndash 1979 was a Hollywood actress who is believed to have been born in Texarkana, Texas, on November 24, 1895 George Preston Marshall (1896 &ndash 1969 was the long-time owner and president of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL The lyrics used today are more politically correct than they were originally but much of the song remains the same. Political correctness (adjectivally politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term applied to Language, ideas policies or behavior
The song originally opened and closed with:
- Hail to the Redskins
- Hail Vic-tor-y
- Braves on the Warpath
- Fight for old Dixie
This version of the song also closed to the open of the well known southern folk song, "Dixie". " Dixie " also known as " I Wish I Was in Dixie " " Dixie's Land " and other titles is a popular American song.
The lyrics were later changed as follows:
- Hail to the Redskins
- Hail Vic-tor-y
- Braves on the Warpath
- Fight for old D.C.
The second stanza of the original version exhorted the team to "scalp" their opponents, and invoked more stereotypes with lines like "we want heap more!" Those phrases have since been replaced with standard football play references. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D
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Reasons for the changes
Reference to Dixie
Dixie refers to the American South, where slavery was practiced until the American Civil War. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South This reference was seen as potentially offensive to African-Americans, many of whom are descendants of slaves. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa For some,"Dixie" simply refers to the South as a cultural center. For others, though, "Dixie" does carry racist undertones. Team owner George Preston Marshall, who has been called "the leading racist in the NFL", excluded African-American players until 1962. George Preston Marshall (1896 &ndash 1969 was the long-time owner and president of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Details of the history of black players in American professional football depend on the professional football league considered the National Football League Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The lyric change, which occurred only after the team was integrated, was largely an attempt to disassociate the Redskins from previous racism against blacks. Desegregation is the process of ending Racial segregation, most commonly used in reference to the United States.
The Dixie reference may also seem confusing to those unfamiliar with the history of the NFL. Washington, DC is very close to the Mason-Dixon line (which by itself is not an indicator of geographic or cultural identity), far from the center of the American South, but was considered to be a part of the South until the 20th Century, and did have slaves. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Mason–Dixon Line (or "Mason and Dixon's Line" is a Demarcation line between four U The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive Furthermore, in the late 1930s when Hail to the Redskins came into use, there were no other Southern teams in the league.
When the NFL began considering Texas as the state to host a proposed expansion team, the move was strongly opposed by the Redskins owner, who had enjoyed a monopoly in the South for three decades. Potential owner Clint Murchison, who was trying to bring the NFL to Dallas, bought the rights to "Hail to the Redskins" from a disgruntled Breeskin and threatened to prevent Marshall from playing it at games. Clint William Murchison Jr ( September 12, 1923 – March 30, 1987) was the founder of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Marshall agreed to back Murchison's bid, Murchison gave him back the rights to the song, and the Dallas Cowboys were born. The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC in the National [1] Today, the Redskins maintain a strong following in the South, with its radio network reaching deep into the Carolinas.
Native American stereotypes
The original lyrics also perpetuated stereotypes of Native Americans. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Some Native American groups still take offense to the lyrics in their present form. First, the song references the team name, Redskins. There has been considerable debate over whether the term "redskin" is a racial slur against Native Americans. Terms of disparagement are Pejorative Words and Phrases which are either intended to be or are often regarded as insulting impolite or unkind Second, "braves on the warpath" is another alleged stereotype, similar to the removed "scalping" reference. Both phrases also refer back to the team's origin in Boston, as the team was named after the Boston Braves.
The updated version is seen as less offensive. It remains one of the most popular and well-known fight songs in the NFL. A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term referring to a Song associated with a team
Other Usage
The LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization use the tune of Hail to the Redskins in their own fight song. The LG Twins (LG 트윈스 are a South Korean Baseball team based in Seoul. The Korea Baseball Organization ( KBO) of South Korea is the country's Professional baseball league
References
External links
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