Opponents of the Washington Redskins' name have once more made it clear: They're not going to stop and they plan to target more than just football fans with an ad scheduled to run during the NBA Finals.
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation will run a one-minute ad Tuesday night during Game 3 between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat.
The ad, part of the Change the Mascot campaign, will air only in Washington, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Sacramento.
Meanwhile, the Redskins hired a lobbying firm. According to Politico, in the disclosure announcing the hiring of McGuire Woods Consulting in late May, it stated their responsibilities will be "discussions of team origins, history and traditions, Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and youth sports, activities of Original Americans' Foundation."
The Redskins used former political consultant Lanny Davis to combat some of the criticism last year. They've also tried to diffuse some of the controversy by starting a foundation designed to provide resources to tribes around the country.
The team continues to be aggressive in combating criticism. Team president and general manager Bruce Allen sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) last month, responding to a letter nearly 50 senators signed and sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
The league's tax status has come under attack as well, led by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the chairwoman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. A week after Allen sent his letter, the team started a Twitter campaign for fans to let Reid, an outspoken critic of the name, know what they think of the name with the hashtag "RedskinsPride." But that led to widespread criticism.
However, both sides said they were pleased with the comments and what they heard from fans.
Though Tuesday's ad will only air in selected markets, it could be seen on numerous sites online. A two-minute version also was available online and had nearly two million views as of early Tuesday afternoon.
The Proud to Be commercial uses adjectives to describe Native Americans, from struggling to resilient. A voice closes by saying, "Native Americans call themselves many things. The one thing they don't ... " It then cuts to a Redskins helmet.