The Washington NFL Team could have a new name by September because of mounting pressure from partners, investors and NFL officials to abandon its Redskins moniker. The organization, which has resisted a name change for decades, seems to be moving towards making the move.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, head coach Ron Rivera reportedly worked with owner Dan Snyder on new names as the team moves through a “thorough review.”
The debate around the team’s name was reignited last week as a group of investment firms and shareholders called for major team partners like Pepsi, Nike and FedEx to end business with the team. FedEx – which owns the stadium naming rights – then responded by requesting the team change its name while Nike removed team apparel from its website.
FedEx founder Fred Smith has reportedly been telling Snyder to change the name for years. Smith has also been trying to sell his piece of the team to no avail; two other minority owners are also looking to sell their shares as they are “not happy being a partner” with Snyder.
The Cleveland Indians also announced that it is reviewing its name. In 2018, the Indians removed the Chief Wahoo logo from their uniforms but the name discussion is new.
“The recent social unrest in our community and our country has only underscored the need for us to keep improving as an organization on issues of social justice. With that in mind, we are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name,” the Indians said in a statement.
The Atlanta Braves released a statement that it is not considering a change, saying the Braves moniker “honors, supports and values the Native American community.”
