For people to know Jim Thorpe, the greatest athlete in the world, was the driving force in the fledgling National Football League, and owner of the Canton Bulldogs, as well as star player, not only for his team but the whole league. Attendance at professional football games was dismal at first, drawing only a couple hundred fans, except when Thorpe was in town, when many thousands of fans turned out to watch the former star of the famous Carlisle Indians, who beat the best college football teams in the country. Would they dare to call Thorpe a "Redskin" to his face? There are stories of white rednecks like Dan Snyder who taunted Thorpe, and got a good beating for their racism. Thorpe ended up broke as the National Football League had no use for him once his great skills faded. He visited my Grandpa Sam Bird, who was a team mate of Thorpe's at Carlisle, and was not well and didn't have much of a future at that point in his life, but did any football owners help him? The story goes my grandpa offered to help him if he stuck around, but Jim told him "the bright lights were calling him" and he left for his last life experiences in a country and professional football owners who had no more use for him. I wonder what Jim Thorpe would say about the redskins? He was a gentleman of course, but I believe he would shake his head in in disgust at the controversy, and remind Dan Snyder, old Jim made you!
-Bob Juneau, Sr.
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