The fight to convince Washington’s professional football team to change its nickname will take center stage Tuesday night, during a different sport’s championship series.
An anti-Redskins advertisement titled “Proud to Be,” and paid for by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation will air during halftime of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, according to The Washington Post.
The one-minute ad, which initially was broadcast during halftime of Game 2, but only in Miami, will this time air in seven major markets: Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco and Washington.
An extended version of the ad was uploaded to YouTube in late January, shortly before Super Bowl XLVIII. It has been viewed more than 1,800,000 times.
The tribe did not specify in an interview with the Post how much it paid to secure the halftime ad slot, saying only that it was a “significant investment.”
“It’s just a time to get people thinking about putting an end to outward hatred and using sports as a tool to focus on racism,” Yocha Dehe chairman Marshall McKay said in a video explaining the need to change the Redskins’ name.
The Heat and Spurs’ best-of-seven series is tied at one game apiece.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@ESPNNFL
