ABSTRACT
For the past couple of years, controversy surrounding the National Football League (NFL) team name of the Washington Redskins has heated up as high-profile influencers have weighed in about whether the name should be changed. There are two distinct states of influence to consider: the potential to influence and observed influence. This chapter explores the impact of a sustained crisis, the Washington Redskins naming controversy, as it played out across social media platforms in 2014. Since 1999, the majority ownership of the team belongs to Dan Snyder. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are typically considered to be the best tools for engagement and subsequently where most social media engagement takes place with companies. Fearn-Banks identified that organizations progress through five crisis stages: detection, prevention and preparation, containment, recovery, and learning. Political leaders also played a role in elevating both the social media and online discussion.
