TELL ROTOMAN: Stay Out of Politics, Write About What You Know.

Dear Rotoman,

After reading your letter from the editor regarding the Washington REDSKINS I put your magazine back on the rack. Stick to what you know and please quit with the politics.

Respectfully,
Mark

Dear Mark:

Thanks for the respect.

I didn’t realize so many people read my Letter From the Editor before buying the Guide. I’m glad to hear it. I’ve always tried in the Letter to introduce readers to the creators of the magazine and what they’re thinking, introduce new ideas, and promote the idea of the fantasy community, by which I mean the ways that playing this game together promotes fellowship, sportsmanship and creative good-natured smack, because it is a social game. We play it together.

Now I fear that those of you who are taking offense at my Letter this year are making it seem like I went on some crazy rant about the Washington football team’s name. So to be clear, about halfway through the letter, after some stuff about the way the fantasy games have taken hold in ways we didn’t expect 20 years ago, I wrote this:

“What we have seen far more than half of is the debate about the team name used by the Washington football team. While the team’s owner, Daniel Snyder, and the NFL resist, they are being swallowed up by a rising tide of criticism. The name is simply and directly offensive, it always has been to anyone who has given any thought to it, and this is increasingly obvious as the once disenfranchised gain stronger voices. The list of groups and individuals who think Snyder should change the name is long and the arguments in favor of keeping the name don’t pass the smell test.

redskins+logo+petaOne of the best arguments in favor is an old idea, a misdirection like the Statue of Liberty play. The team, it was suggested some 20 years ago, should keep the Redskins name but change their logo to a potato. PETA, of all organizations, created sample artwork.

If Snyder doesn’t bite on that he’s making a big mistake.

While putting together this year’s Guide, we started talking about taking unilateral action. We can’t control what Snyder does, but we can control what we do. So this year your Fantasy Football Guide isn’t using the Washington team name. We’re leaving it out. We suspect you won’t miss it.

And if you do, we hope you’ll otherwise enjoy this year’s issue and it helps you make many victories over friends, old and new.”

I’m still waiting for someone to explain how the name is not offensive, and why it should be retained. I’ll publish their comments if someone steps up.

Sincerely,
Rotoman