Edmonton football team gear flying off the shelves after dropping ‘Eskimos’ from name

The CFL team formerly known as the Edmonton Eskimos has seen a significant spike in sales of clothing and other items bearing the now-defunct name.

The organization announced Tuesday it will change the name after mounting pressure from sponsors and fans to drop the moniker seen by some critics as an outdated and derogatory term for Inuit.

CEO Chris Presson said the increased orders come from fans across Canada who now view products bearing the former name as a collector’s item.

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He says the team will continue to sell the products with the former name until it runs out of inventory, which he notes is likely higher than is typical for the time of year due to COVID-19 postponing the Canadian Football League’s 2020 season.

3:37 Edmonton Eskimos hope to retain double ‘E’ logo, green and gold colours during name change

Presson says fans will likely see gear with the new name, which is yet to be decided but will likely retain the green-and-gold colour scheme and double-E logo, close to a year from now.

He says fans will be allowed to wear gear with the old name when games resume.