Washington (AFP)

After resisting for a long time, the Washington football team announced on Monday that it would drop its name from the Redskins, yielding to pressure from part of the public and its sponsors who criticized its racist connotation towards the Amerindians.

"On July 3, we announced the start of an in-depth review of the team's name", the French translation of which is "Red Skins", said a press release.

"Today, we are announcing that we will drop the Redskins name and logo after this review is complete," said the release, which closes a story that began in 1933 and was punctuated by three titles (1982, 1987 and 1991).

It's a defeat for team owner Dan Snyder, a longtime declared opponent of any name change that he says pays tribute to the American Indians.

Snyder and coach Ron Rivera, who was supportive of the change, "are working closely to develop a new name and new visual approach," the statement said, as the NFL championship is scheduled to resume on September 10.

This decision was welcomed by several officials or activists of the Amerindian cause, who had denounced for decades this name and its logo, an Amerindian in profile flanked by two feathers, considered as a "racist insult" by the indigenous organizations.

"It was about time," wrote New Mexico congresswoman Debra Haaland on Twitter. "We shouldn't need a big social movement and pressure from sponsors to make the right decision, but I am happy that it is happening," added the parliamentarian, member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe.

"It's the end of a long and difficult journey," reacted on Twitter Notah Begay, the only Amerindian to have participated in the American professional golf circuit (PGA).

For activist Suzan Shown Harjo, this change "will help others (teams) drop their ghosts of racism even faster".

- "Politically correct" -

The death of George Floyd in late May plunged the United States into self-examination of its relationship to its racist past.

A large movement of anger has led part of society to reconsider certain symbols such as the statues of Confederate generals, partisans of slavery, or of Christopher Columbus. Many of these monuments have been debunked or vandalized across the country.

Long celebrated as "the one who discovered America", Christopher Columbus is today seen by some as the symbol of violent colonization by Europeans of land that does not belong to them.

In recent weeks, the pressure had increased even more around the Redskins: the company FedEx, which sponsors and gives its name to the team stadium, thus officially asked the latter to change its name, with other sponsors.

And the equipment supplier Nike has stopped selling the team's derivative products on its website, followed by the major brands Walmart and Target.

Faced with this growing pressure, the team had paved the way for change, "in light of recent events across the country".

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has expressed satisfaction. "We want to change the name and change the place" where the team plays, she said. The Democrat had made the name change one of the conditions for the team to return to play in the capital, which it had left in 1997 to play in neighboring Maryland.

Several other American professional sports teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of this year's Superbowl, or the Atlanta Braves (baseball) are also criticized for their Amerindian name or logo.

The Cleveland Indians baseball team has removed its "Chief Wahoo" mascot from its outfits and almost all of its merchandising, and also announced that it is considering the question of its name.

Donald Trump had recently entered the controversy by criticizing the "two legendary sports franchises" for having yielded to the "politically correct".

© 2020 AFP