Make it two.
The Edmonton Eskimos have 12 current premier corporate partners. Belairdirect has already delivered an ultimatum to the franchise and Sports Interaction has joined them.
“Sports Interaction will be asking the Edmonton Eskimos to change its name so that we can continue supporting the club and its fans,” spokesman Ryan Stetson wrote in an email to CTV News reporter Matthew Black.
Sports Interaction is an online and mobile sports betting site. It’s based in Quebec and operated by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. Edmonton agreed to an official and exclusive online casino and sports gaming partnership with Sports Interaction in 2019.
It wasn’t long ago, Friday, July 3, to be exact, the Eskimos stated the team would not be changing its moniker. Siting the fact the club has spent time up north consulting with members of the Inuit community and found there was “no consensus” among Inuit regarding their name.
After Belairdirect stated concrete action in the near future was needed, including a name change, the Esks shifted their stance. The Eskimos followed by announcing the franchise was accelerating its ongoing internal review of their team name and sent a survey to fans regarding a potential name change.
Edmonton’s CFL franchise believes its team name is honouring the ability to endure Canadian winter conditions.
