Putting pressure on corporate sponsors is a tactic that has worked when it comes to changing racist team names. But it’s not enough to address systemic racism.
Edmonton’s Canadian Football League franchise is the latest sports team to drop its racist name.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
First the Washington Redskins. And now the Edmonton Eskimos. It’s about time professional sports franchises recognized the harm that comes from racist team names.
Indigenous activists have long called on teams to change names and mascots that perpetuate negative stereotypes and fail to respect painful histories.
(flickr/Joe Glorioso)
NFL teams like the Washington Redskins changing names that demean First Nations and Native Americans is a long overdue step in the right direction.
When the Edmonton Eskimos released a statement in support of Black Lives Matter, the team was criticized for not addressing the controversy about its racist team name.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
In the wake of protests about systemic racism, sports teams are under increased pressure to lose their racist nicknames. An Inuit scholar calls on the Edmonton Eskimos to do the right thing.
Cory Watson of the Edmonton Eskimos reacts to losing to the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL West Final on Sunday. The word Eskimo signals negative and archaic stereotypes and is considered by most Inuit to be a racial slur.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
The use of the word Eskimos for a Canadian football team needs to end. It signals negative stereotypes and is considered by most Inuit to be a racial slur.