The American football team, the Washington Redskins, are to consider changing their controversial name after coming under pressure from major sponsors.
The Washington DC-based team, three-time Super Bowl winners in 1982, 1987, and 1991 have had to fight off calls about their name for years, which is regarded as offensive by native American Indians.
But now, with the worldwide protests about racism, the voices demanding a change have become louder and more influential.
The demands are being led by FedEx, who not only have a minority share in the team and have naming rights at their stadium until 2025, but also act as a spokesman for other key corporate sponsors and partners, such as Nike and PepsiCo.
Last week 87 investment firms and shareholders wrote an open letter to FedEx asking them to sever all ties with the Redskins, arguing that the name is dehumanising, and is a racial slur because it characterises people by the colour of their skin.
Nike has also responded by removing all Redskins merchandise from their website. It is now the only one of the 32 NFL teams that does not feature in the site index.
Six years ago, after a complaint from the Oneida Indian tribe, FedEx shareholders voted to allow the team to keep its name.
The team’s owner, Daniel Snyder, has previously defended the name, which he regards as a bade of honour. But now, he and the rest of his board, have caved to the inevitable, and now they are actively considering adopting a new name.
If they do play next season with a new identity, they will not be the first group which have changed their names in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Recently the group the Dixie Chicks announced that they would be known henceforth as just The Chicks, whilst Lady Antebellum have simply become Lady A.
Both the country music groups acknowledged that their former names had connotations linking them to the now discredited confederate South.
And now the Cleveland Indians, MLB (major League Baseball) team are also considering changing their name as well.
