FedEx, the company holding the naming rights to the stadium where the National Football League (NFL) Washington Redskins play, on Thursday requested the team change its nickname amid the ongoing anti-racism movement spanning the US, dividing public opinion and causing hot debate on social media.
"We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name," FedEx said in a statement.
The $205 million deal with the Redskins dates back to 1998 and runs through 2025. Dan Snyder, the owner of the team, has faced increasing pressure to change the name of the team, which many suggest is racist, and ongoing efforts to change the name have been gaining ground since the 1960s.
Netizens, like everyone else, have engaged in outraged dispute over the matter, with many calling to enjoy the sport, and not become offended because of a name. Some recall that FedEx did not seem to have a problem with the team name when they made the original deal at the end of the last century.
Some users cited polls suggesting that a majority of Native Americans do not care about the name.
Another group of users insists that the name is a "slur" and is "racist", supporting the pressure on the team to change it.
If the name is a slur and is bad, how can you continue to openly say it?! @ESPNNFL cannot claim they’re for social justice and equality, yet continue to degrade Native Americans.
— Cafecito_con_leche (@_IsmaelCastro) July 2, 2020
Many people went on to suggest their own naming options.
Ouch.
The Washington Redskins team was founded in 1932. While ongoing debates gain added fuel amid increased anti-racism sparked by the death of George Floyd, the controversy over the naming is not new for the team, and the issue has ignited clashes since the 1930s. Some have attempted to protest the name in court, without success.
Black Lives Matter movement activists and others are publicly opposing many historical and cultural elements seen as offensive, toppling statues of Confederate generals and, alongside the Pentagon, initiating the renaming of military bases, universities and airports.