Will The Saints Face A Court Challenge Over The Fleur De Lis? [Opinion]

A few days ago, I expressed the view that a Virginia court made a bad decision in the case of Pro-Football Inc. v. Blackhorse, 14-cv-01043. The court upheld a previous ruling cancelling several trademarks of the Washington Redskins Football team. In that blog, I expressed concern that the New Orleans Saints might be targeted by an atheist, or fringe religious group because they took their name from a Catholic holiday. This flap over the Fleur de Lis caught me completely off guard.

The Fleur de Lis originated in France in the 13th century as a symbol of heraldry. French soldiers fought alongside colonists in the American Revolution. They marched under a flag bearing the stylized flower. It later became synonymous with Louisiana's French heritage.

USA Today reports, a historian has publicly denounced the Fleur de Lis as a symbol of racial oppression, stating slaves were branded with it. I don't question his veracity. Slaves were undoubtedly branded with other symbols as well. Perhaps certain letters, "R" for runaway, "S" for slave. Should we research this, and eliminate those letters from the alphabet? As I write this, I'm not aware of any lawsuit. If you've been to the Superdome on game day, you've undoubtedly seen African Americans wearing jerseys bearing the name & number of their favorite player,,,AND the Fleur de Lis.