A Collision of Race, Sports, Public Relations, and Social Media

For quite some time now the campaign to get the Washington Redskins to change their name has been building.  This week saw the back-and-forth reach new heights, when a group of Senators wrote a letter to Redskins management in support of a name change.  The Redskins asked their fans to get on Twitter and show Senator Harry Reid their #RedskinsPride.  While there were some early positive responses, as the hashtag started trending the majority of the responses were decidedly against the name.  What the team was hoping would be a big public relations boost turned out to be a gift to the very campaign they have been resisting.

This once again brings up the question of (a) whether the nickname is racist and (b) whether the Redskins should change it.  What do you think?

It also brings up some interesting questions about the way both individuals and organizations attempt to shape their image in the age of social media.  How can social media help to positively shape one's image?  How can the use of social media also be turned against the user?  Can you think of any examples that support each side??