It is incredible how in modern America, a simple name can cause one of the greatest controversies in Washington sports. The name “Redskins,” and its perceived derogatory connotations toward Native Americans, has led to a recent surge in calls for change by the media, despite team owner Dan Snyder’s declaration that the name will stay as is.

Many prominent sports journalists and media personalities in the past few months have come out in favor of changing the Redskins name, including the Washington Post’s Mike Wise and NBC Sports’ Bob Costas. The debate over the name even led to an Oct. 30 meeting between NFL executives and representatives from the Oneida Indian Nation to discuss potential action against Snyder for his decision to keep the name.

Despite all the talk about the apparent racism of the name “Redskins,” an important component of the debate has been lost: modern conditions are terrible for Native Americans, and they will remain that way no matter what Washington’s football team is named.

According to spolightonpoverty.org, a website dedicated to provoking national discussion on poverty in America, over one in four Native Americans live in poverty, and close to a third do not have health insurance.

These important concerns have seemingly nothing to do with the name “Washington Redskins.” Changing the name will not make the statistics any better, and will not make the lives of Native Americans any better.

Any impact the name has on Native Americans’ self-esteem will be overwhelmingly negated by the lack of opportunities, history of alcohol abuse and insufficient primary education that often comes with life on the reservations. The Redskins debate simply serves to make media personalities feel as if they are making a difference, when in reality the impact of changing the name would likely be nonexistent.

Another factor to consider is whether the majority of Native Americans care about the name at all.

According to a 2004 poll performed by Annenberg Institute, only 1 in 10 Native Americans polled were bothered by the name of Washington’s football team.

The biggest opposition to the Redskins’                 name has often not come from Native Americans, but sportscasters and journalists of other ethnicities. While some tribes, such as the Oniedas, have made clear their opposition to the name, the Annenberg poll makes clear that not all Native Americans share that same hostility.

The issue of whether the Redskins name is a slur may be debated, but the fact remains that changing the name will not change the fortunes of Native American youth. Until the horrendous conditions of Native Americans in this country are changed, there are more important things to worry about than the name of an athletic team in our nation’s capital.