For years, associations and policy demanded that change of identity. The football team Redskins (Washington), who was under strong pressure from its sponsors, confirmed Monday that she was going to change the name, criticized for many years because of its racist overtones, without announcing the new for the moment. "On the 3rd of July, we announced the beginning of a thorough examination of the name of the team ", can we read in a press release. "Today, we announce that we will abandon the name and logo of the Redskins after the end of this review. "
Read also The Mississippi river abandons its flag confederate
The owner of the team, " Dan Snyder and coach Rivera working in close collaboration to develop a new name and a new visual approach ", continues the press release. "We want to keep them informed of our sponsors, our fans and the residents of our thought process. "
One response to "recent events across the country,"
voices were raised in a long time to ask this team to the championship of american football (NFL) to change its name and logo, amerindian organizations calling for the abandonment of this " racist insult ". In 2014, fifty u.s. senators have sent an open letter to the NFL to ask him to act in favor of changing the team's name, noting that many associations felt that the name Redskins was the promotion of a symbol that is racist. Daniel Snyder had always refused, stating that this nickname pays homage to native americans.
Read also BHL – SOS-Racism
As explained in the New York Times, the founder of the team, George Preston Marshall, was given the name Redskins (Skins red) to the franchise, and he was awarded the portrait profile of a Native american as the logo since it symbolized to his eyes the bravery. This same George Preston Marshall, later of the Washington Redskins the last franchise to hire a black player, and only under pressure from the u.s. federal government. A month ago, the name of George Preston Marshall was removed from the stadium and the training center of the team and the city has removed a tribute that appeared in front of the ancient stadium of the team.
A change under the threat of sponsors
After the death of the Afro-American George Floyd at the end of may, and while the United States is in a full examination of conscience to rethink their relationship to their past, the pressure – including economic – had risen around the Redskins. At the end of June, the sponsors, the most important of the franchise, among which are FedEx, Nike and Pepsi, have been forced by shareholders to cancel all their links with the Washington Redskins. FedEx, which pays for every year 8 million dollars to the franchise for the stadium bears his name, has even threatened to withdraw from the next season.
Read also Jacques Séguéla : "The logo Uncle Ben's is steeped in a history that you reject"
This change of identity is announced that many references to the peoples native americans in high schools and universities have recently disappeared from the american landscape. But, on the side of professional sport, they are still legion. In the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves or the Cleveland Indians are not planning to change their name or logo, even if they have last year changed mascot after a wave of controversy, according to the New York Times.
also Read Peggy Sastre – Can we ask the question of the fight against racism ?
