Washington Redskins apparel taken down by Nike as pressure to rename mounts on NFL team

In the wake of the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, pressure has steadily mounted on NFL franchise Washington Redskins to drop 'Redskins' from their name. The word has been deemed racist towards Native Americans. Amid the increasing pressure on the Redskins, sports apparel giants Nike appear to have removed all Redskins merchandise from its website. 

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Washington Redskins apparel removed from Nike websites

Nike, who is the NFL's official gameday uniform supplier, sold shoes and sideline apparel along with the Redskins' official merchandise. The NFL page on Nike's website no longer shows Washington Redskins in the sidebar, where the other 31 teams continue to remain listed. The shopping filters on the page also omit the Redskins while the search bar does not show any results for Washington. It remains unknown when Nike took down Washington Redskins apparel from its website. 

Nike pulling out the Washington Redskins apparel from its website occurred after news broke last week that letters were sent to Nike, FedEx and PepsiCo demanding they end their business relationship with the NFL team. According to AdWeek, "three separate letters signed by 87 investment firms and shareholders worth a collective $620 billion was sent to Nike, FedEx and PepsiCo." The letter urged the three brands to terminate their relationship with the Redskins unless the team agrees to change its controversial name. 

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The 'Washington Redskins rename' agenda has been circulating in and out of the media for the past few years. Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has so far been adamant that the side will not drop 'Redskins' from their name as he associates it with the history of the franchise. The franchise has carried the name Redskins since 1933, one year after its inception in 1932. Snyder told USA Today in 2013: "We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER - you can use caps."

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However, amid the increasing backlash, Daniel Snyder might have to reconsider his position, especially if it could have financial implications on the franchise. On Thursday, FedEx responded to the aforementioned letter by asking Washington Redskins to consider renaming the franchise. FedEx bought the naming rights of Washington's stadium, the FedEx Field, in 1998 for a reported $205 million. The delivery service company has the naming rights of the Redskins' stadium through the 2025 season. PepsiCo is yet to respond to the reported letter from the investors and shareholders.

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(Image Credits: AP, Nike Official Website)