Eskimos seeking fans’ input on name change issue
The Edmonton Eskimos have heard what the politicians think about the club’s name.
Now it’s time for members of the Canadian Football League team’s fan base to have their say.
In an online questionnaire titled 2018 Game Attendee Survey, one of the 38 questions posed has to do with the idea of changing the Eskimos’ name and including reasons why.
While the Eskimos conduct fan surveys with season seat holders each year, this is the first time a question involving the idea of a name change has been included.
“We often conduct different types of research with our fan base,” Eskimos president and CEO Len Rhodes stated in an email to Postmedia. “It is the first time we have included questions on this topic in this type of survey to our season seat holders.
“However, we have been asking for people to share their thoughts with us on an informal basis up to the point in time. We felt it is important to do something more formal in 2018.”
The survey is currently in the field until Feb. 18 and the results, collected and analyzed by Banister Research, will be made available to the club on or about April 20.
Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami — representing Canada’s 60,000 Inuit — shone the national spotlight on the Eskimos’ name while the team was involved in the 2015 Grey Cup. He has said the naming cannot be divorced from colonialism and explained the term was never an Inuit word and has become derogatory.
During the most recent CFL playoffs in November, culminating in the 2017 Grey Cup in Ottawa, Edmonton mayor Don Iveson, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly weighed in on the importance of having open discussions on the Eskimos’ name.
“We look to 2018 as a period where we listen to the conversation,” Rhodes said.
“We think it’s healthy and con- structive for people across our community to share their thoughts. We will look at what our season seat holders say, we will listen to the general public and we will continue to stay engaged with the Inuit leaders. Listening to people’s opinions when done in a constructive fashion is healthy for everyone.”
The 2018 Grey Cup will be held in Edmonton on Nov. 25.
And if the host city ’s team is fortunate enough to play in it, it will do so under the familiar banner.
“At this point in time, there are no plans for re-branding our football club,” Rhodes said.
“We are in listening mode.