Yahoo Sports is reporting that Nike, FedEx, and PepsiCo have received requests from investors to break off ties with the NFL’s Washington Redskins if they do not change their name.
https://twitter.com/aubrey_huff/status/1278838760809959425?s=20
FedEx has already acted and is asking the Redskins to change their name. FedEx has the naming right of the Redskins stadium, FedExField.
FedEx said in a statement, “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.”
Nike and the third company, PepsiCo, have yet to respond, but there is a major omission from the Nike website that maybe hints at what’s to come.
Nike, the NFL’s official gameday uniform supplier, is no longer allowing customers to purchase Washington apparel from its website.
The Nike.com NFL page has every team listed on the left sidebar except Washington. Furthermore, its shopping filters also omit Washington and its search function pulls up other teams but no results for Washington.
NEW: Nike removes Washington Redskins merchandise from its website. pic.twitter.com/wzIyJ55fVe
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) July 3, 2020
It’s surprising that Nike is allowed to get away with this. They are, afterall, the official maker of NFL merchandise.
Who is driving this outrage at the team name? It does not seem to be Native Americans. According to The Washington Post, the majority of Native Americans are NOT offended by the name. Once again, we have white liberals being offended on behalf of others and telling them how to feel.
The Post’s poll, which involved 504 people who self-identified as Native American, was conducted by phone, so the numbers can’t be compared. But one major takeaway from the Wolvereye survey is that 68 percent of the respondents were not offended by the team’s name.
The reasons they gave for feeling that way include: it is just a name, it honors or represents their heritage, and people are overly sensitive.
FedEx and Nike are clearly ignoring the opinion of actual Native Americans on this issue. Perhaps FedEx should sever ties with the Redskins. Pressure has been brought on the Redskins for some time to change their name. The owner Dan Snyder has stood firm. Hopefully, in this current climate, he can stand firm once again.