Nike has pulled all of its merchandise for the NFL’s Washington football team from its website, as of Thursday afternoon.

The brand’s website shows no results for the team’s gear, and instead tries to re-direct users to other Washington D.C.-based teams like the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals. A search of other NFL teams on the site shows their gear is still being sold on Nike.com.

This move comes after FedEx, the named sponsor of Washington’s NFL stadium, asked owner Dan Snyder to change the team’s name earlier in the day. “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name,” a statement read.

On June 19, The Washington Post editorial board also called on Snyder to change the team’s name.

“This should be an easy call,” the board wrote. “Mr. Snyder — or, if Mr. Snyder refuses to back down from his declaration of ‘NEVER,’ the NFL — should take advantage of this singular moment in history to get on the right side of history. Change the name. NOW.”

In November 2019, Nike also reportedly omitted Washington’s team name from a “Salute to Service” merchandise campaign.

A 2020 poll from UC Berkley found that the majority of people who identify as Native American are offended by the NFL’s decision to keep the team’s name in the league. Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called changing the name “an obstacle” to the team building a new stadium and headquarters last week, but said the team “deserves a name that reflects the affection that we’ve built for the team.”

The team has held their name since 1933. On Thursday, the “Washington Warriors” trended on Twitter as an effort to rename the team. In 2017, there was also a campaign to re-name the team the “Washington Redhawks.”

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/2BY5BDR