Edmonton’s Football Team Finally Drops Name: Report

Edmonton’s Canadian Football League team has made an internal decision to change its franchise name after years of criticism for its racist undertones, TSN reported.

After Minneapolis police killed George Floyd and protests decrying anti-Black racism erupted around the world, a cascade of racial reckonings were sparked over social media, and sports teams with outdated, racist names were not immune. On Monday, Washington’s NFL team announced it is retiring their name after 87 years.

Now, Edmonton is following suit, with plans to replace its name, which is anti-Indigenous and plays off harmful Inuit stereotypes.

Pressure to change the name has mounted in recent weeks, with major sponsors Boston Pizza, a restaurant chain, and Belairdirect, an insurance company, threatening to cut ties with the CFL team if the racist moniker remained.

The team previously refused to change its name following consultations and said, “there was no consensus among the Inuit people and considerable support for the Eskimos name among the Inuit in various parts of northern Canada.”

Edmonton’s team name has been around since 1949.

The Washington NFL team finally agreed to change its name, a slur for Indigenous peoples, earlier this week.

Follow Anya Zoledziowski on Twitter.