Washington Redskins expected to announce new name for team today

Bob
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Posted on: July 13, 2020 6:34 pm EDT

The NFL team has given in to pressure and is ready to dump its long-running name

After refusing to respond to the many requests to change the NFL team’s name, the Washington Redskins owner, Dan Snyder, has finally caved. The decision was made after increased scrutiny that rose after the death in May of George Floyd while he was in police custody, an event that triggered several rallies against racial injustice. The biggest pressure came from the Redskins’ sponsors due to the name being related to a moniker that has been long criticized as a racist slur against Indian tribes. From 1932 to 1933, the Redskins were called the Boston Braves. The team then decided to become the Redskins and moved to Washington four years later.

Last week, a group of leaders from several Indian tribes sent a letter to the NFL commissioner with an immediate request to change not only the name, but the logo and mascot of the NFL team.
In response to that letter, the team announced that it plans to remove its name today, according to multiple sources, including ESPN and USA Today. Sports Business Daily added that the new name is not going to be announced right away because of certain trademark issues the team is still dealing with. However, “the team felt it was important to remove any doubts as to the future of the name,” quoted one of the sources.

Even President Trump had a say on the matter of sports organizations changing their names, asserting “They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct,” Trump tweeted last week. This name change is putting an end to years of opposition by Snyder, who has been the owner of the team since 1999.