Washington Redskins: Team to change name after racism criticism

The Washington Redskins American football team has said it will change its name, with its current name long criticised as racist toward Native Americans.

The team said it would "be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of a review". The team's sponsors had called on the team to change the name.

Sports broadcaster ESPN said the team would also stop using the team logo, which depicts a Native American man.

Amazon, Walmart and Target, Nike and other retail stores recently removed the team's merchandise from their websites.

But others, including US President Donald Trump, have defended the name, saying calls for names to change was a 'culture war'.

Earlier this month the president wrote: "They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct."

The announcement does not immediately change the name of the team, and a new one must be chosen before the 2020 season begins in September.

It isn't known whether the team has chosen a new name, but some names suggested as replacements include the Washington Senators, the Washington Warriors and the Washington Red Tails.

The Cleveland Indians, a US baseball team, also announced a review of the team name earlier this month.

"Today is a day for all Native people to celebrate," said the National Congress of the American Indian, the largest and oldest Native American rights organisation.

The logo and name of baseball team Cleveland Indians is currently under review

"We thank the generations of tribal nations, leaders, and activists who worked for decades to make this day possible," the group's statement continued, adding: "We are not mascots."

The Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks and Kansas City Chiefs are also team names in the US that some activists hope will change following George Floyd's death.

What other things have changed their names?

Nestlé has said it will rebrand sweets sold in Australia under the name Red Skins and Chicos, which it says are "out of step" with the company's values.

The company behind a brand of ice cream called Eskimo Pie said it will change the marketing and name after nearly 100 years, as the term "Eskimo" can be considered offensive by the native people of the Arctic.

The owner of the Uncle Ben brand, used on rice and sauces, has said that "now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben's brand, including its visual brand identity", but has said it doesn't yet know what the exact changes will be or when they might be made.

Quaker Oats in the United States has announced it will get rid of its Aunt Jemima breakfast brand, which featured the image of a black woman on its syrups and pancake mixes, because the character was based on a racial stereotype.