The Canadian Football League team in Edmonton, Alberta, is dropping the word “Eskimos” from its name, one week after Washington’s pro football franchise made a similar change.
The team is undertaking a search for a new name and will go by EE Football Team and Edmonton Football Team until it settles on a new moniker, the club said Tuesday. The term used in the previous name is considered offensive to certain indigenous groups.
The team began research and discussions about the name three years ago, with a focus on listening to Inuit communities. While some fans wanted to keep the name, others were “increasingly uncomfortable” with it, the team said.
“We feel it is important to make this change in response to the findings of our recent engagement and research,” said Janice Agrios, chair of the team’s board. “Going forward, we want the focus to be on the work we do in the community and our team’s excellence on the field.”
Last week, Washington’s National Football League team dropped the offensive term “Redskins” from its name after pressure from sponsors and other financial partners.
Edmonton is the CFL’s most successful franchise in recent decades, winning the league championship, known as the Grey Cup, 11 times since 1975.

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CFL's Edmonton Eskimos abandon team nameIssued on: 22/07/2020 -

Montreal (AFP) FRANCE24

The Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos on Tuesday announced they were ending use of the team name amid criticism that the moniker is racist, following in the footsteps of US NFL team the Washington Redskins.

The team's board of directors "has made the decision to discontinue the use of the word 'Eskimo' in the team's name," its management said in an online statement.

Use of the term "Eskimo" has been deemed offensive by indigenous peoples and was criticized by one of the team's sponsors, insurance company Belairdirect, which has urged the team to change its name, according to local media.

"We feel it is important to make this change in response to the findings of our recent engagement and research," said Janice Agrios, chair of the board of directors.

The team, from the province of Alberta in western Canada, launched a study three years ago, "with an emphasis on listening to Inuit communities," the statement said.

The team, which has won 14 CFL Grey Cup championship games, will temporarily be referred to as the "Edmonton Football Team" until a new name is chosen.

The news comes after the Washington DC football team announced last week it would be dropping "Redskins" from its name, following years of debate over what has been criticized as a racist slur against Native Americans.

Several other US professional sports teams, like the Kansas City Chiefs football team and the Atlanta Braves baseball team, are also facing mounting pressure to change their names.

© 2020 AFP