Nike removes Redskins merchandise from store
Conversations about changing the Washington Redskins’ name rose arose again this past Thursday when FedEx, the Skins’ stadium sponsor, called for a new name for the team. Nike, the NFL’s supplier for jerseys and gear, is the latest sponsor to send their message that the team’s name is unacceptable after seemingly removing the team from their online store.
Late Thursday night, Twitter user Randy Scott found under the NFL section on the Nike website that the controversial team name was no longer listed:
Earlier today, ESPN sources received the statement from FedEx that read, “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.”
This latest revolution stems from recent protests against the team name that is considered offensive to Native Americans. Skins’ shareholders and investment firms worth over $600 billion got together to ask major companies Pepsi, FedEx, and Nike to terminate their relationship with the team unless Skins’ owner Dan Snyder agrees to change the name that has been in place since 1933, sources told Adweek. Snyder however has been on record saying that he doesn’t plan on changing the team’s name in the past.
Photo per CBS Sports
It’s no question that the status of today’s society has impacted the awareness that these billion-dollar companies have toward these matters. For so long, the Native American community has been known to find the name of the Washington team offensive despite what some studies say. Nike opting to remove the team from their website is one of its biggest stance the company has had in recent memory. They have often been on the right side of history in societal matters, their latest being their stance on the #BLACKLIVESMATTER movement as well as Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest from years ago.
It will be interesting to see if this latest development is enough to push Snyder into changing the name of the team or if he will seek action against the popular activewear company. One thing for sure is. this is a significant time in this long battle of removing the controversial name.
