FedEx, title sponsor of Washington Redskins' stadium, urges team to change nickname

FedEx, title sponsor of Washington Redskins' stium, has requested NFL franchise to drop 'Redskins' from ir name. FedEx acquired naming rights for  Redskins' stium in Prince George’s County, Maryland in 1999 for a reported $205 million. deal runs through 2025 season. In dition to owning rights to Redskins' stium, shipping giants' founder and CEO Frederik Smith is a mirity owner of team. 

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FedEx Redskins name change request as pressure mounts on NFL team

Washington Redskins have been criticised repeatedly in past for using a name deemed racist towards Native Americans. franchise, which originated in Boston as Braves in 1932, has carried nickname 'Redskins' since 1933. y moved to Washington in 1937. While criticism for nickname has been at large for several years w, pressure began mounting on franchise to drop nickname in wake of ongoing Black Lives Matter movement. Several political leers in Washington have been demanding a name change for NFL's legacy franchise.

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FedEx were forced into action after shipping giants reportedly received a letter signed by various investors and shareholders to terminate its business relationship with Redskins unless y change team name. "We have communicated to team in Washington our request that y change team name,” a FedEx spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.

As reported by Week, three separate letters signed by 87 investment firms and shareholders worth $620 billion were sent to FedEx, Nike and PepsiCo to ask m to end ir relationships with team. Nike also followed suit with FedEx by removing all Washington Redskins from ir website. PepsiCo is yet to respond to letter. 

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Despite criticism, Redskins owner Dan Snyder has maintained that a new Washington Redskins name is t in cards for organisation. "We will never change name of team," he told USA Today in 2013. Redskins spokesman refrained from commenting on recent circumstances, reports AP.

Last week, Redskins removed name of team’s original owner, George Preston Marshall, from  Ring of Fame inside FedEx Field. George Preston Marshall, who was last to integrate African-American into a franchise among NFL owners, h his statue removed from stium after it was defaced during George Floyd protest. Redskins also anunced that y would be renaming lower bowl of stium for Bobby Mitchell, franchise’s first African-American star player.

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(Im Credits: Washington Redskins Official Website)