Monday Cheese Curds: ‘Redskins’ name to be retired

2020 seems to be a year full of things that could never happen actually happening.

To wit: Dan Snyder, the owner of the now somewhat nameless Washington football team, previously said he would “never” change the name of his team. Today, the name “Washington Redskins” will be consigned to the history books.

ESPN broke the story overnight, and today Snyder and the rest of the franchise’s leaders will formally announce the name is being “retired,” though for myriad reasons a new name will not be announced just yet.

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed like a name change in Washington may still be an impossibility, but change is coming to outdated institutions faster than ever — and that includes football teams.

Of course, we shouldn’t be confused about the reason for this. Dan Snyder has long proven he doesn’t do anything from the mere goodness of his heart; he’s facing intense financial pressure to make this move. The team’s minority owners have been vocal about the need to make this move, the city of Washington D.C. is putting pressure on the franchise, Nike has pulled the team’s merchandise from its online stores, and FedEx, the owner of the team’s stadium naming rights, had threatened to pull its sponsorship.

Still, the name is changing, though to what we don’t yet know. But change is coming, and this proves it can happen faster than we ever thought possible.

Redskins to announce nickname will be changed | ESPN

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