Once Sambo's was also okay

Sometimes, traditions do change, especially when the price of honoring them lead to losing money.

Sambo's was a restaurant chain established in Santa Monica, Calif. in 1957. It's named was derived from a combination of the name of its founders SAM Battistone, Sr. and Neil BOhnett.

By 1979, it had grown to 1,117 outlets in 47 states.

Although the origin of the name had no original racial intent, the founders did try to capitalize on the fact that its name was also in a once popular children's book "The Story of Little Black Sambo" – which was published in 1899.

Although the main character of the book was from South India, the term "Sambo" became known as a racial slur in many countries.

In the United States it was associated with the "darky iconography [black face]" used to demean African-Americans.

Sambo's, the restaurant, decorated its walls with illustrations from the book, which wasn't a problem until social tolerances changed.

By the late 1970's, Sambo's Restaurants drew protests and lawsuits because the name was considered offensive.

The popularity of the chain plummeted and even a name changed could not alter the perception of it. By 1981, the company had filed for bankruptcy.

The NFL team in Washington is not going to go bankrupt. And considering the popularity and value of the team, I doubt owner Daniel Snyder will ever reach the point where he feels financial pressure to change the racist nickname of the franchise.

Still, social tolerances change.

I think the pressure on Snyder will continue to build, and it's just a matter of time before the NFL determines it is no longer worth the aggravation and bad publicity that goes along with supporting Snyder's defense of the name.

No matter how many different ways Snyder and the NFL tries to place them name in its own little football box, the name is a racial slur.

And while it was one thing for Snyder and the league to ignore the complaints of some native American groups and even a coalition of United States congress people, it's different when the President of the United States says he would "think about" changing the name if he owned the team, as President Obama recently did.

And while it's easy to ignore journalist who say they will no longer use the name because they consider it a slur, it's a different thing when Bob Costas uses halftime of Sunday Night Football on NBC to argue against the name in front of 22 million Americans.

The NFL is used to getting its way with its television partners, and you can bet it wasn't pleased that NBC heavily promoted Costas' halftime monologue before and during the first half of Sunday's game between Washington and Dallas.

"[R-Word] can't possibly honor a heritage or noble character trait nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term," Costas said. "It's an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present day intent.

"It's fair to say that for a long time now, and certainly in 2013, no offense has been intended, but it you take a step back, isn't it clear to see how offense might legitimately be taken?"

This issue isn't going away.

After NFL commissioner Roger Goodell dismissed the issue earlier this year, the NFL has now agreed to meet with representatives of the Oneida Nation, which has actively protested the name.

Right now, there seems to be little sentiment that other owners will pressure Snyder to change the name, but we know how quickly things can change when image is a key part of business franchising.

Can you imagine the chagrin of the NFL it its other network partners – ABC/ESPN, CBS and FOX – follow NBC's lead and steps in with high-profile commentators continually focusing on the issue the Washington team's name?

Can you imagine how the NFL will panic if a congress persons calls for a hearing to determine whether or not the nickname of the Washington team deserves copyright protection because it is a racial slur?

The NFL will stand with Snyder until it becomes too inconvenient to stand with Snyder.

Once there were over 1,000 Sambo Restaurants, but then a protest movement kept growing. The company went bankrupt and now only one Sambo's remains.