The Washington Redskins are the team of the highest professional league of American football in the United States of America (NFL). Since 1933, when the team adopted the name, the Redskins jersey has been replaced by countless players. But on Monday, the team announced the end of an era; decided not to use his current name and logo anymore.
–
The team’s leadership did not state the reason for the move, but it did so at a time when the United States was still in the mood for anti-racist protests sparked by the death of African-American George Floyd at the end of May. The team’s name has long been considered racist, especially by indigenous activists in the United States. However, due to the development of events in recent weeks, the pressure on the team began to increase, Reuters reported.
–
The current owner of the Redskins, Dan Snyder, has said in the past that he will never let the name change. However, his determination became less rock-solid after FedEx, which owns the naming rights for the team’s stadium in Landover, called on the Redskins leadership to rename it. The same position was taken by other sponsors of the team, such as Nike or PepsiCo.
–
Nike, PepsiCo and FedEx have reportedly received letters from several of their investors urging companies to sever ties with the team. FedEx responded that if the team did not respond to a call to rename, it would demand that its name be removed from its home stadium. The company pays $ 8 million a year for the stadium being named FedExField. The boycott was also joined by companies such as Amazon, Walmart and Target, which the Redskins threatened to suspend the sale of the team’s goods, the NY Times reported.
–
The management announced on July 3 that the team will start paying more attention to its own name. The announcement of the intended change of name and logo came ten days later. The new name of the team is not yet known, so the review continues and the people in charge are looking at the options that come into play. The deadline for issuing the final decision was not set.
–
Snyder and new team head coach Ron Rivera “are working closely together to create a new name and approach to design that will strengthen the position of our proud and tradition-rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and society for the next hundred years,” the team said. in your post on the social network Twitter.
–
The name Redskins has been a controversial topic for a long time, mainly due to the long and varied history of the team, writes the NYT. Certain problems are already associated with its founder George Preston Marshall, who, among other things, is behind the choice of the name. For example, he was the last owner of a team in the entire NFL to take on a dark-skinned player. Moreover, this happened only thanks to pressure from the federal government.
–
Marshall’s name was removed last month from the team’s stadium and from the facilities where players train. The city of Washington also had its memorial removed in front of RFK Stadium, which was the original home of the Redskins.
—
