Either the New York Giants are the NFL's most progressive franchise, or the team has some bad social media interns.
The 2016 NFL schedule was released Thursday, and teams were quick to post on social media. The Giants' post referred to all opponents by their nickname, with one exception: division-rival Washington.
#Giants fans RT if you're fired up for the 2016 season! pic.twitter.com/8TnR8D50Wu
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 15, 2016
The question is whether this jab was intentional. The Giants also posted the graphic three times on Twitter, twice in horizontal form, and that image used the word, "Redskins."
The 2016 #Giants schedule is here! 150 DAYS until Big Blue takes on the Cowboys!
Details: https://t.co/ANFDedtRZt pic.twitter.com/gVI2NDrx8S— New York Giants (@Giants) April 15, 2016
How tough is the 2016 schedule? Breaking down Big Blue’s opponents by the numbers >> https://t.co/7845krI3OQ pic.twitter.com/sJJVsOR1qP
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 15, 2016
So it's possible the guy who did the vertical graphic just screwed up -- but just as reasonable to think they might have made the distinction intentionally, too.
Adding to this odd situation is the first sentence of the Giants' official press release email, which awkwardly uses "Washington" instead of "Redskins."
Either way, it adds fuel to the effort to force Washington to retire its "Redskins" nickname.