The Washington Redskins, stinging from a letter by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and dozens of fellow Democrats calling on the league to force the team to change its racist name, apparently fumbled a desperate Twitter appeal to fans. "Tweet @SenatorReid to show your #RedskinsPride and tell him what the team means to you," the maligned team wrote to its 305,000 Twitter followers on Thursday. But be careful what you ask for, especially on Twitter. "This team has ZERO self-awareness.lol," one person tweeted. "Lifelong 'Skins fan and I strongly believe it is time to change the name," wrote another. "How do you not see what a bad idea this is," said another tweet.
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Team's Twitter appeal to fans appears to backfire, say proponents of name change
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One person tweets: "This team has ZERO self-awareness"
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Another tweets: "Lifelong 'Skins fan and I strongly believe it is time to change the name"
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Team President Bruce Allen: Name began as Native American expression of solidarity
Responding to the senators' letter, Redskins President Bruce Allen invited @placeholder to a game to "witness first-hand that the Washington Redskins are a positive, unifying force for our community in a city and region that is divided on so many levels."