On July 21, 2020 the team officially retired the “Eskimos” name, and began using “Edmonton Football Team” and “EE Football Team” as temporary names until a new one was decided. The name change occurred at around the same time as the NFL’s Washington Football Team retired its longstanding nickname for similar reasons, although unlike in the latter case the Edmonton Football Team intends to keep its logo which unlike Washington’s former logo lacks any racialized aspect.
In February 2021, the team invited fans to vote in a survey for their preferred nickname from a list of seven choices: Elk, Evergreens, Evergolds, Eclipse, Elkhounds, Eagles and Elements. Elks and Energy were also later trademarked and considered name finalists.
Today, the Edmonton Football Team posted a live stream teasing the upcoming announcement. Shortly after, Edmonton Elks gear appeared on the teams online shop.
— Edmonton Elks (@elks) June 1, 2021
Then, President and CEO of the Edmonton Football Team, Chris Presson, appeared on stream to officially announce that Edmonton Elks would be the teams new moniker.
Here's a look at the new helmets and merch for the #EdmontonElks#CFL
CC: @UniWatch @PhilHecken @sportslogosnet pic.twitter.com/JcdDxTJ5hR
— Avry's Sports Show (@Avry) June 1, 2021
Edmonton will start a new chapter to their franchise this year, as the league returns from its 2020 hiatus. As of now, the CFL is targeting an August 5th return. Last week there was rumors going around that the league had informed players and representatives that the return was solid. Since then, we’ve seen conflicting reports.
It does seem like the CFL is on track for a return, but schedules are yet to be seen.
What do you think of the Edmonton Elks name change? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation Discord.
