1. Team Project 2

2. Importance in evaluating whether a team should
change one or all of its trademarks:
Opinions of the represented group
The history of the represented group
Public Opinion
Team‘s outreach efforts to assist represented group
Opinion of team’s high involvement fans
Government Opinion
Owner’s opinion

3. For each of the teams your group reviews:
• a) Which, if any, trademarks should the teams
change: (name, logos, mascot, uniforms, etc.)?
Why or why not?
• b) Is there any mascot or fan behavior that
could be viewed as disrespectful or trivializing
a culture? If so, how should the team address
this?

4. Team #1: Edmonton

5. Edmonton’s Logo

6. Edmonton’s Mascots
Nanook, a polar bear Punter, an angry football

7. Edmonton’s Uniforms

8. The Problem? The Name

9. The Fans

10. Disrespectful or Trivializing Behavior?
Couldn’t find anything
Even Google didn’t come up with anything, after multiple searches this is the worst
we could find…

12. The Represented Group: Mixed
• Jordan Koe (identifies as Inuit and Dene, the indigenous peoples from the Mackenzie Delta where
his relatives live)
– Regardless of meaning, Inuit people didn't call themselves Eskimos; the term was applied to them by others.
– Edmonton's silence over the team's name isn't proof that all Inuit people accept it. Rather, he says, it's
evidence the city's small Inuit community doesn't have a powerful voice.
• Koe sees the name as a "black-and-white" issue but concedes some Inuit are ambivalent and others
are even supporters, including his mom. "She's heavily proud of the Edmonton Eskimos, but there
are others that find it overtly offensive.”
About the name:
• Originally, a term for the Inuit
• The origins of the word "Eskimo" are believed to be Cree, and it was a term for the Inuit.
• The vernacular is a slur (eaters of raw meat) while academic research suggests the original is more
benign (snowshoe maker).
• The history of the Eskimos name in Edmonton runs incredibly deep; the Edmonton Eskimos name
outdates all other sports team names now under fire in North America
• The reason for the name is likely Edmonton's long connection to the North. But as Koe points out,
to the north of Edmonton reside the Dene and Nehiyaw (Cree), not Inuit. And certainly not Eskimos.

13. Team, Fans, Politicians, and even a
former Inuk “Eskimos” Player: No
Problems
• Team & CFL: No Debate/Negative Opinions
– Allan Watt, vice-president of communications & marketing:
– "We have no backlash from our fans or politicians or any other
sort…The only people we ever hear from with regard to the name
'Edmonton Eskimos Football Club' is with people like you — reporters.”
– The CFL franchise remains sensitive to people who might take offence
to any portrayal of indigenous people.
• Former Player & Inuk: No Negative Opinions
– Dave Ward (Kiviaq), former Eskimos player Dave Ward and club’s first
Inuk: "I don't know what the problem is with having us called the
Edmonton Eskimos. It wasn't meant to be derogatory at all. We're
proud of it and we should be proud of it”

14. Public Opinions: Mixed
• Edmonton-based outreach worker and native studies researcher Daniel Johnson
– ”It's outdated, inaccurate and mostly unaccepted in current discourse, and entirely inappropriate for
a sports team,"
– "Changing the name of the Eskimos … is simply the right thing to do,”
– recalled "quite a number of people on social media" demanding an Edmonton CFL team name
change "over the past couple of years.”
– Acknowledged many Inuit people will support the name
• Some argued that while they saw the term "redskin" as a slur, they had no problem with
the word "Eskimo.”
– Term has fallen into disfavor in some communities, but it continues to find common usage in others.
• An Edmonton Sun readers' poll asked readers if they felt the name 'Edmonton Eskimos' was
racist
– 6% “Yes”
– 37% “No”
– 57% “That’s just Silly”

15. Our suggestions
INCLUDE:
• 4) If a team were forced to change its name
and/or other trademarks, would the loss of
brand equity built over the history of the use
those trademarks create a competitive
disadvantage for that team?
– In general
– For each team

16. Team #2: Florida State

17. Florida State’s Logo

18. Florida State’s Mascots Symbols
Chief Osceola & Horse Renegade

19. Florida State’s Uniform

20. The Name

21. Mascot & Fan Behavior
• http://youtu.be/KCXirjEkiOM
• http://youtu.be/JD-5VshK4Yg
• Need fan behavior

22. • 3) Can a name/mascot be a source of pride, honor, and reverence to the people it
represents, or is it always a culturally insensitive stereotype? Explain.
– Explain how it is somewhat of a scale: compare eskimos to redskins and other teams
• Even in eskimos case, there are SOME who don’t like it --- would always be the case when
representing people rather than inanimate beings
– Depends on portrayal – the indians stuff is inaccurate and the meaning is negative – if it took a
positive aspect of their culture and just demonstrated the strength, etc. it could be made to be
positive, although it usually isnt
– Either way, it will be a sensitive subject and should be avoided; it is so one-sided that even in
attempting to show honor, as is a big argument FOR the logos, it can be disparaging to the
actual people
• Think if someone used YOUR religion to be the name/mascot and how it would ultimately not be
portrayed accurately, and either way would be insulting – because it is so much more than a sports
team
• Other groups of people ALWAYS see you differently than you perceive yourselves--- there is no way
stereotypes and bias wont enter the equation somehow, even if it is not meant to be negative
• Would it be okay to have the jews with menorah (something sacred) and stereotypes ($$) ??? Or, as
the redskins is a negative name, the N-word??? Absolutely not!!! Even if portraying how strong they
are and emphasizing the history, as it is said to be done with the indians

23. • 4) If a team were forced to change its name and/or other
trademarks, would the loss of brand equity built over the history of
the use those trademarks create a competitive disadvantage for
that team?
– Talk briefly about the negatives but then go to show the positives and
how if it is done correctly to show respect, it will be seen as a positive
and will possibly be an advantage
– Chance to reinvent and come out stronger; with proper research to
find the most well-received name, it would not be a negative
– Take the money they would spend on lawsuits, etc. and put it towards
the research to build a better brand
– Do it early and set an example, get positive press, and build a positive
image or do it later, after other teams do, and it is come to be
expected then there wont be negative backlash
– Other aspects of brand equity more important – stress that it is still
the same team, but now you are REALLY honoring the people

24. • 5) In your group’s opinion, is it ever ok for a
team to have a name/mascot that is based on
a specific group of people? When is it OK and
when is it not OK? Are there varying levels of
offensiveness? Explain.
– Yes there are varying levels of offensiveness;
compare eskimos to redskins, etc. but that it is
still, like in the last slide, offensive to some degree
and should not be used.