Edmonton CFL Team Announces It Will No Longer Use 'Eskimos' as Nickname

Washington's NFL team is not the only football squad that will officially change its nickname.

On Tuesday, the Edmonton team in the Canadian Football League announced it will no longer use the nickname "Eskimos."

"Our board of directors has made the decision to discontinue use of the word 'Eskimo' in the team name," the announcement read. "We'll be known as the Edmonton Football Team or EE Football Team while we go through the process of determining a new name befitting our storied team."

Sportsnet noted the team conducted a review and twice announced this year it planned on keeping the nickname that Edmonton sports teams have used since the 19th century.

However, part of the team's statement acknowledged attitudes are "shifting" toward the name:

"Recent findings demonstrate that views regarding the team name are shifting. While many fans are deeply committed to keeping the name, others are increasingly uncomfortable with the moniker. The long-term viability of the Club requires everyone to get behind this change and continue to support the team, especially during these challenging financial times. We are grateful for the backing of our partners and know that we can count on them to support us in making this difficult decision and helping us through the change."

The Edmonton CFL team has won 14 Grey Cups in the modern era since it was founded under its previous nickname in 1949.

Controversy over the team's name took center stage in 2015 when Natan Obed, who is the president of Canada's national Inuit organization (the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami), said, "It isn't right for any team to be named after an ethnic group," per the Edmonton Sun. "This is part of the past. It isn't part of the present and shouldn't be part of the future."

The killing of George Floyd that sparked worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism also led to more public pressure for sports teams to move away from racist nicknames. 

In addition to Washington, Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians announced "we are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name."