Washington Redskins face mounting pressure to change name

LANDOVER, Md. (NBC) – One of the original NFL franchises is under mounting pressure to change its controversial name.

The Washington Redskins are facing a new corporate and political push to scrap its name, widely viewed as a racial slur against Native Americans.

FedEx, which owns the naming rights for Washington’s home stadium, is requesting that the moniker given to the team in 1933 become a thing of the past.

In a one-sentence statement, the delivery giant wrote, “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.”

AdWeek magazine reported that investment firms and shareholders worth $620 billion have requested that FedEx, as well as Nike and Pepsi, all terminate their ties with the franchise unless owner Daniel Snyder makes the change.

Overnight, Nike appeared to remove all of the team’s merchandise from its online store.

The Washington team, which plays its home games in Landover, Maryland not far from Washington, D.C., has been eyeing a potential relocation back to the district. But this week, several lawmakers told the Washington Post that any move to D.C. would require a name change.

Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) said, “You either step into this century or you don’t. It’s up to the owner of the team to do that.”

Snyder, who bought the franchise in 1999, has long resisted calls to alter the nickname,claiming it honors Native American heritage, even telling USA Today in 2013, “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. Never. You can use caps.”

Several teams have faced similar push-back like baseball’s Cleveland Indians, who changed their logo.

Amid a growing movement to confront racial inequality, including the removal of Confederate statues and the re-branding of companies rooted in stereotypes, many hope a pro football team will be the next to act.

In recent weeks, the team has removed references to its founder, George Preston Marshall, including on the team’s ring of fame.

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