In his article “Redskins Forever?” Ian Crouch uses several techniques to successfully argue that the Washington Redskins should not be forced to change their nickname. This article was written for the online newspaper Newyorker.com. Activists believe the NFL franchise's name should be forced to change because it is offensive and degrading to Native Americans. Several colleges that use Native Americans as mascots have changed their names in recent history, such as Stanford University evolving from Indians to Cardinal, St. John's University changing from Redman to Red Storm, and the University of Miami (Ohio) who changed from Redskins to Redhawks ("List of schools that changed Native American nicknames" 1). However, the National Football League has yet to change the name of the Redskins. Ian Crouch builds his very persuasive argument to convince by appealing to ethos, pathos and logos and arguing that the Washington Redskins should retain their name by referencing Native American opinion, historical influences and the privatization of the organization . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I chose to analyze Ian Crouch's article for a number of reasons. I chose it mainly because I have always been a sports fan and in recent years the topic of offensive mascot nicknames has become a hotly debated topic in the sports community. I was first introduced to this topic when the University of Illinois Fighting Illini got rid of their “Chief” mascot sparking outrage and protests from several Fighting Illini students, fans, and alumni. I've been following the topic a bit closely ever since. Initially, it was difficult for me to come to a conclusion whether nicknames and mascots should be kept or changed because I didn't know the extent to which the name negatively affected Native Americans. I was intrigued to investigate this battle between tradition and tolerance. The fact that this topic is a topic says that our culture is trying to erase all traces of the times of racial discrimination and severe racism, but some people are resistant to some aspects of this change. Of course, the poor treatment of Native Americans is a dark part of American history, but this rhetorical piece shows that past mistakes perhaps shouldn't be corrected at the expense of sports mascots. Throughout the article, Crouch builds a compelling argument to convince and the first tool he has at his disposal. usa refers to surveys of American opinions and specifically Native Americans. This section of his argument is a clear appeal to logos because the polls provide evidence and statistics to make his point to the readers of the article. Crouch includes polls in his argument because the numbers don't lie and can't be easily disputed. The first poll referenced was an AP poll conducted in April 2013 in which Americans in general were asked about the Redskins' nickname. The results were disconcerting because only 11% of respondents opposed the name and as many as 75% were in favor of the name. Crouch included this poll to show that, in general, Americans love this name and don't want to see it changed. Next, Crouch offers a more effective survey. A 2004 Annenberg poll of strictly self-identified Native Americans reported that over ninety percent had no problem with Washington?”