This won’t change anyone’s mind one way or the other, and I’m not trying to. I don’t have a strong opinion but I thought this article was a good read.
I've read the article before. And the author starts out with a slanted view from the very beginning in the highlighted test at the top.
"For years, Edmonton’s football club refused to change their insensitive name. Then their sponsors threatened to drop them."
Calling it an "insensitive" name to start it off. Regarding the sponsors (Bel-Air and Boston Pizza) that threatened to drop them due to their own virtue signalling, then bailed out on the team nary a year later and haven't been seen on a crusade since.
Then, decrying the use of the name to denigrate Inuit, saying it was used to this very day. What a crock. I have lived here all of my life and I have NEVER once heard an indigenous, let along an Inuit called an Eskimo. They have been called a million other derogatory things, but no one in our modern age even thought to use that one. No one has ever bothered to dig that deep. This isn't 1880 or even 1920.
The Eskimos Football team have throughout the time I have followed them,( and that goes back to the late 60's) have NEVER used the name in any derogatory way. Quite the contrary, the football team used the name to invoke toughness, pride, never giving up, etc. If anyone in this neck of the woods ever used the word Eskimo, it was likely to describe proudly their football team and anyone who played on it. By extension from that, the same thinking about actual Inuit carried the same connotations. The mascots typically were polar bears and other northern creatures.
In later years, the team reached out every year to visit the Inuit, with players visiting them and making a connection with the people, even having some of them come down for games every year. If there were issues (and there were plenty) with the life they led and the treatment by the government, it certainly shone a bright light on it. I think that's another reason why so many of them grew fond of the organization.
"Instead of boycotting the Elks, fans stormed the team store, which had to extend its hours to meet demand."
LMAO, on this one. I guess they were basing sales on the guy that used to come on here, and gloated that he bought $1000 worth of merch. Wonder how those sales are going now?
And in the article the author actually states some damning facts that go AGAINST his argument, where by the MAJORITY of the Inuit polled, were either fine with the name or didn't care. He states that and then quickly glosses over it.
"Between the new logo, fresh gear, the stadium overhaul and sundry administrative changes, Edmonton’s CFL team spent roughly $2 million on the rebrand. “In the short term, yes, it was an expense,” says Rhodes. “But in the long term, I believe the return on investment will be at least tenfold.”
Another LMAO comment from non-other than class clown, Len Rhodes. You know, the guy that can't seem to keep a job, despite his bullshit style and zero substance. How's that ROI, Lenny? So good apparently, the team is bleeding millions every year, no one goes to the game, is soon to be on death row, and is desperately trying to find an owner after 70 years of proud public ownership, flushed down the toilet with these idiots.
And the author keeps bringing up events surrounding it, like the Redskins changing their name, the George Floyd uproar and the grave in the rez schools found (which have now been found to be largely either non-human, or many, many other children and people that were not indigenous. (I've spoken to an anthropologist that has been one of those in charge of the digs, and he said it's a ton of misinformation that eventually will be proven to be so. But that's a story for another time)
To conclude, I obviously am extremely sorry that Nathan Obed, the hero of his writing, lived a childhood and teen years and beyond, facing racism, and being called an Indian, and a whole worse. I doubt anyone lashed out with "Eskimo" trying to get his goat. I understand his frustration with that and the way his people have been treated. But the Eskimos made that name a proud name. They turned piss into sweet lemonade which can happen through history.
Disappointed also with spineless nimrods like Tom Richards and Alan Watt, who I really though had more backbone and reasoning, and instead, like the BDO, caved to a vocal minority.
And now, we have a team named after an animal and absolutely no connection to the Inuit, with our name history being whitewashed and removed from the books. Wonder what the new wokesters have done to shine a light and help out the current Inuit? Wonder if the name change has had a positive influence on their lives. I bet that 2 million bucks to change the name could have been donated to them to get some proper drinking water and schools, etc.
This article is rubbish, distorting facts and is beyond biased.
He wasn’t the only one. I can also remember an MP from Nunavut who was trying to convince everyone that the Edmonton Eskimos should be paying the indigenous $2 billion in restitution. I assumed she thought they were an NFL team. So much for good faith discussions.
You knew someone (or a group or three) were eventually going to jump on the money train and try to get some free cash out of it.
