Hail to the Redskins
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Hail to the Redskins is the fight song for the Washington Redskins. It is the second oldest fight song for a professional American football team (after "Go! You Packers! Go!", composed in 1931). Written in 1938, the year after the Boston Redskins transferred to Washington, it was composed by band leader Barnee Breeskin. The lyrics were written by Corinne Griffith, the wife of the owner, George Preston Marshall. The lyrics used today are more politically correct than they were originally but much of the song remains the same.
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".
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.
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[edit] Reasons for the changes
[edit] Reference to Dixie
Dixie refers to the American South, where slavery was practiced until the American Civil War. This reference was seen as potentially offensive to African-Americans, many of whom are descendants of slaves. 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. The lyric change, which occurred only after the team was integrated, was largely an attempt to disassociate the Redskins from previous racism against blacks.
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. 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. Marshall agreed to back Murchison's bid, Murchison gave him back the rights to the song, and the Dallas Cowboys were born.[1] Today, the Redskins maintain a strong following in the South, with its radio network reaching deep into the Carolinas.[citation needed]
[edit] Native American stereotypes
The original lyrics also perpetuated stereotypes of Native Americans. 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. 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.[citation needed]
[edit] Other Usage
The LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization use the tune of Hail to the Redskins in their own fight song.[citation needed]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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