The Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League have decided they will drop their nickname, Ryan Rishaug of TSN reported on Thursday.
According to the report, an announcement will likely be made next week.
Edmonton has used Eskimos as the club’s nickname since being founded in 1949, but pressure over the name has increased in recent years. The term is regarded as derogatory toward Inuit people.
The franchise began a review of the team name earlier this month. Team officials indicated they would seek out input from Inuits as well as others.
There also has been financial pressure, with sportsbook Sports Interaction requesting the name be changed, and insurance company Belairdirect saying it would drop its sponsorship if the name isn’t changed.
Edmonton had indicated in February it was keeping Eskimos as the name after a one-year study, citing a lack of consensus in support for a change. But events since the death of George Floyd on May 25 in Minneapolis have led to increased scrutiny of the name and the latest review.
The name change would come not long after the NFL’s Washington franchise announced it was dropping “Redskins,” a term long viewed as offensive to Native Americans.
Edmonton has won 14 CFL titles.
(Field Level Media)
