The new owner of the Edmonton Elks, lifelong fan Larry Thompson, appears noncommittal regarding the future of the club’s branding as he dodged a question regarding whether or not he’ll keep the current name.
“I don’t think that’s a question for today. Today, I want to be just a fun and celebrative day for everybody — the fans, the city of Edmonton, the Elks club, everybody,” he told the media at Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday.
The local construction magnate spoke from a stage adorned with Double E logos on the backdrop, podium, and seats. He implied that this is the logo fans are going to be seeing often moving forward.
“We will be focusing, just let you know in the future, on the ‘Double E’ more,” he said.
Randy Ambrosie, the CFL’s commissioner who played along Edmonton’s offensive line from 1989 to 1993, echoed this sentiment.
“Larry and I’ve talked about it. I think that first and foremost, the brand that I feel — and I think the alumni feel most strongly about — is the ‘Double E.’ And the ‘Double E,’ I think, is a big part of Larry’s plan going forward. I think that largely will be the identity of this organization and, frankly, I’m very comfortable with that,” said Ambrosie.
“Have we talked about it? We did, just as part of getting to know one another. And one of the things that Larry and I very quickly were able to agree on … is we agreed that the ‘Double E’ is really the brand that matters the most and that’s the one that I think that they’ll end up focusing on going forward.”
Recent reports have indicated that Thompson might be interested in changing the team’s name to “Eskimos” or “Esks.” Edmonton dropped its old moniker in July 2020 amid pressure from those who found it offensive, including Indigenous leaders and sponsors. It adopted its current name and logo in June 2021.
Thompson declined to reveal how much he paid for the club but indicated the search for a new president is already underway. Rick LeLacheur, the team’s current president, was hired on an interim basis in 2023 and extended his stay to help usher the franchise into its new era of private ownership.
Thompson also indicated he recently met with Edmonton’s mayor, Amarjeet Sohi, regarding the state of Commonwealth Stadium, which opened in 1978. He indicated that the facility could undergo upgrades or that a new building could be constructed, depending on funding.
The Edmonton Elks (2-7) will visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-7) on Saturday, Aug. 17 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
