On Wednesday, Amazon announced that Washington Redskins merchandise would no longer be offered on its website. Amazon joined Walmart, Target and Nike, which have already stated they would cease selling Washington Redskins gear.
CNBC reported that a notice shared by Ed Rosenberg, who runs an online seller group called ASGTG, stated, “With the announcement from the Washington team and the NFL, we are removing products with the team’s name and logo from our stores. Failure to properly close or delete all restricted product listings from your inventory may result in deactivation.” CNBC added, “FedEx bought naming rights to the team’s home stadium, FedEx Field, in 1998 for $205 million in a deal that runs through 2025. Frederick Smith, FedEx CEO, is a minority owner of the team.”
Last Friday, the Redskins revealed they were reviewing the team’s name; owner Dan Snyder said the review “allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field.”
Last Wednesday, Adweek reported, “On Friday, three separate letters signed by 87 investment firms and shareholders worth a collective $620 billion asked Nike, FedEx and PepsiCo to terminate their business relationships with the NFL’s Washington Redskins unless the team agrees to change its controversial name.”
The next day, FedEx, which has naming rights to the Redskins’ stadium, asked for the team to change its name. In a statement gotten by ESPN, FedEx wrote, “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.”
On Friday, Walmart tweeted, “Given today’s announcement by the NFL and the Washington team’s ownership, we are discontinuing the sale of items that reference the team’s name and logo.”
Given today’s announcement by the NFL and the Washington team’s ownership, we are discontinuing the sale of items that reference the team’s name and logo. https://t.co/LtT7m7H3we
— Walmart Inc. (@WalmartInc) July 3, 2020
On Monday, Barron’s reported, “As of Monday morning, links to the Washington Redskins’ team landing page on both Walmart ‘s and Target’s websites did not return any results. Walmart said following the team’s announcement on Friday it would discontinue the sale of items that reference the name and logo. A Target representative confirmed to Barron’s that such team merchandise was removed from its website.”
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Redskins could have a new name in the next two weeks. The Post wrote that Redskins coach Ron Rivera has been discussing the issue with owner Dan Snyder “for more than a month,” and that two possible suggestions have been to Rivera’s liking. The Post added, “Rivera said he hoped the new name would be in place by the start of the season, though multiple people with knowledge of the situation said an announcement could come sooner, with at least one believing it could be revealed within the next two weeks.”
“Washington’s NFL team was actually founded in Boston in 1932 and originally named the Boston Braves. One year later, the Braves became Redskins. And in 1937, owner George Preston Marshall moved them to D.C., where they became the Washington Redskins,” USA Today noted.