Edmonton Ethelreds

New Edmonton mascot Ethelred the Unready.

So now that the Washington Redskins have declared a name change, little brother Canada has to do the same thing. So the Edmonton Eskimos have announced the dropping of their traditional name.

To be clear, there is absolutely nothing pejorative about the word “Eskimo.” Dropping it is silly.

On the other hand, I have never liked it, because it has nothing to do with Edmonton.

In seeking a new name, the club apparently must come up with a new “E” moniker, as they want to keep their Double-E logo.

Edmonton Elk? Not a bad name for a football team. But it seems to demand an elk in the logo instead of the EE.

Edmonton Earthquake? I rather like it, but it too has nothing to do with Edmonton, not in an earthquake zone.

Edmonton Eagles? There are lots of bald eagles in the area, but it is too closely identified as an American symbol to seem right for a Canadian team.

Edmonton Engineers? I’m thinking of train engineers. Nice images available, and relevant to the West. But unfortunately not especially relevant to Edmonton. The railroad was famously late to make it to Edmonton.

Edmonton Elementals? I kind of like this one. An elemental is a supernatural being, by one definition. By another, something basic, essential, inevitable. Problem is most fans will have no idea what it means.

Edmonton Explorers? Feels relevant to the old West; Mackenzie and many another passed through.

Edmonton Eddies? KISS. Not obviously sillier than the “Buffalo Bills”

Edmonton Europeans? Would be the ironic choice.

Edmonton Edge?

Edmonton Electronics? Sounds high tech, promoting the city as progressive and such nonsense. “E-Men” would make a nice nickname. And the connotation sounds good: working like a machine.

Yer welcome, Edmonton.

The Edmonton E*****s

Controversy is warming up over the Edmonton Eskimos name. It is supposedly offensive or insulting to indigenous people. It is currently held offensive simply to give a sports team an aboriginal name, despite the fact that we see no problem with other ethnic groups: Boston Celtics, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Minnesota Vikings, Queen's Golden Gaels, and so forth. McGill managed a pass on their “Redmen” by claiming the reference was to Scots instead of Canadian Indians.

On top of that, “Eskimo” is commonly supposed to be pejorative. People generally think it means “cannibal.” This, however, is an old etymological error. It actually means something like “people who wear snowshoes.” Not offensive, and a good deal less troubling than the now-preferred “Inuit.” “Inuit” actually means “human being”--with the necessary implication that anyone who is not Inuit is not, in fact, human.

So the controversy is foolish.

On the other hand, I have never liked the name “Edmonton Eskimos.” I would not be sad to see it go. The problem is that Edmonton has nothing to do with Eskimos; or no more than any other Canadian city. I always had the same problem with Edmonton's “Klondike Days” festival. Edmonton is very far from where Eskimos live, and it is very far from the Klondike. This in itself is not a problem—Toronto is pretty far from where the Argonauts sailed—but Edmonton is just close enough to either to make it look like an attempt to mislead, and to steal somebody else's thunder. Is their really nothing about Edmonton itself worth celebrating? Does the city have no personality of its own?

To make the matter more difficult, it would be desirable to keep the team initials “EE.” Otherwise, a lot of added expense redesigning logos, helmets, stationery.

Edmonton Eskers?
Edmonton Elk?
Edmonton Electrons?

Edmonton Earthquake?
Edmonton Epic?
Edmonton Eco-terrorists?
Edmonton Ecdysiasts?