Washington Redskins ownership considers team name change
Team owner Dan Snyder once promised never to cave to political pressure and ditch the name Redskins; Fox Business correspondent Hillary Vaughn reports Landover, Maryland.
Big-name retailers Walmart and Target appear to have removed Washington Redskins merchandise from their websites as corporate pressure mounts for the NFL team to change its name.
The disappearance of Redskins gear from the Walmart and Target websites was reported Monday by Pete Hailey of NBC Sports Washington.
“You can shop for gear from 31 of 32 NFL teams on Walmart.com right now,” Hailey wrote. “Bet you can guess which team isn’t represented.”
Hailey also reported that Target made a similar move, as did Dick’s Sporting Goods, according to USA Today.
Walmart actually announced its plans in a Twitter message last Friday, after the Redskins announced they would be conducting a “thorough review” of the team name matter.
“Given today’s announcement by the NFL and the Washington team’s ownership, we are discontinuing the sale of items that reference the team’s name and logo, Walmart wrote, without using the Redskins name.
Previously last week, sports apparel company Nike said it was removing Redskins merchandise from its website.
Also on Thursday, FedEx – which holds the naming rights to the team’s Maryland stadium – formally requested a name change. FedEx CEO Fred Smith has an ownership stake in the team.
Primary owner Dan Snyder has long opposed renaming the team, which has been using the name Redskins since the 1930s.
The team originated in Boston before relocating to D.C. after the 1936 season.
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But the recent national focus on race relations since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has helped bring new scrutiny to the team’s name – and with longtime brands such as Aunt Jemima’s and Uncle Ben’s soon to disappear from store shelves, Snyder’s decision may be made for him in the court of public opinion.
The team also hopes to build a new stadium and return inside Washington, D.C.’s city limits – but city leaders there say they are already seeking a name change as a condition of any stadium deal.