Edmonton Elks owner Deb Thompson encourages fans to set aside name change grievances, return for playoffs

Photo courtesy: CFL.ca

The Edmonton Elks’ name appears to be here to stay, and owner Deb Thompson wants fans alienated by the change to leave their grievances in the past.

In her first public interview since taking control of the franchise, Thompson confirmed to Sports 1440 host Jason Gregor that her late husband, Larry, was a fervent opponent of the name change, but that he prioritized the good of the team over hurt feelings.

“Larry was very upset with the name change. He was furious, but it didn’t stop him from supporting his team,” she said. “He didn’t boycott the games. He still supported his team. He wasn’t happy about it, but there was nothing he could do about it.”

Edmonton’s CFL franchise was known as the Eskimos from 1949 until 2020, when the team officially ceased the use of the name due to pressure from key corporate sponsors, including Belairdirect, Boston Pizza, and Sports Interaction. Inuit groups had long criticized the moniker for it’s appropriation of a problematic exonym, with some believing the term to be intentionally derogatory or racist.

Elks was adopted as the new name the following year, but was met with a mixed response from fans. The change coincided with an unprecedented period of on-field ineptitude and financial strife for the organization, with some pointing to the removal of the old name as a turning point.

The community-owned franchise eventually resorted to private ownership in 2024, selling to the Thompson family. Larry, a longtime fan of the club, was non-committal regarding the name in early public appearances and de-emphasized Elks-specific branding, fueling speculation that it could be changed back. However, that does not appear to be on the table now, with Deb preferring to bridge the gap between old and new.

“There’s a new generation who know them as the Elks now. A lot of young kids, that’s what they know,” she said. “That’s why we wanted to go with the double E. Whatever that second ‘E’ means to you, that’s what’s important. We brought back some of the Eskimo traditions because we felt that was very important. Why should someone be embarrassed to have played and been an Eskimo? They shouldn’t be. They were some of the best players in history. Why are we gonna abolish that name around the stadium?”

Despite the return of old branding and fixtures, complaints regarding the name change have persisted. Team president Chris Morris acknowledged in June that the process had been a “disaster” for the team’s relationship with older fans. Even as the Elks have executed a complete turnaround, on and off the field, in 2026, those grievances have kept some people away.

“What’s frustrating for me is that there’s not one single person left in the organization that had anything to do with that. Not one,” Morris said on Wednesday.

“You’re talking to a guy who played for the Eskimos, who had like 20 surgeries playing for the Eskimos. If anybody’s going to be upset about the name changing from Eskimos, it should be me. But I just want this team and this franchise to serve the community, like it always has, and it doesn’t matter what it’s called if it’s doing the right things. That’s, to me, the point that I think we need people to start embracing because people are doing the right things now. We’ve got a bunch of people who are committed to doing this the right way, and I just hope that people can see that and not worry about what maybe we aren’t and worry more about what we are doing.”

Community involvement has been a point of emphasis since the Thompsons took over ownership, fuelled by the hiring of Morris, a Wall of Honour inductee along the offensive line. That has been buoyed by the additions of general manager Ed Hervey and head coach Mark Kilam, creating top-down cultural alignment within the franchise.

“You’ve got ownership, you’ve got president, you’ve got general manager, and you’ve got head coach, and we all kind of feel very similar about the way pro football should impact a community, the way it should be played, the kind of young men you want in your organization, and why. That makes things really, really easy,” Morris said.

“When you talk about why is Deb the perfect owner for this? It’s because we’re all so closely aligned in what we think this sport can do for the community, and she hired people. Deb and Larry didn’t get to where they are by just randomly hiring people. They know people that are aligned with what they believe in and what they should be, what they think they should be doing, and she did that, and it’s worked out really well.”

According to Deb, Larry had dreamed about taking control of his favourite team for over three decades, but intensified his interest after watching the organization degrade. The construction magnate understood that buying a rapidly depreciating asset that had lost local trust wasn’t a sound business strategy, but she encouraged him to pursue it anyway.

“Oh, there was definitely some hesitation. I don’t know how many times he said to me, ‘Is this really what we should do?'” she recalled. “He said, ‘My head’s telling me to run, but my heart’s telling me I can’t,’ and I said, ‘Well, we’re going to go with your heart.’ I said that because I’ve heard this for 30 years. We’ve got the opportunity. It’s not something that we can back down from.”

Her feelings remain the same now. Larry passed away suddenly on September 25, 2025, after suffering severe complications from surgery. The Elks franchise is now controlled by Deb, who has said she is committed to keeping it in the family. She has grown to love her role as owner, building relationships with staff and players, who always greet her with a hug.

“This team was his dream, and that’s not something I’m willing to let go,” she emphasized. “The thing that’s happened over the last year and a half, even before Larry passed, was my passion for the game, and not just the game, but the players, the team, the coaches, the staff. It’s a really great group of human beings, and we’re very happy to be a part of it. It’s not something that I could let go.”

The results speak for themselves, proving that the organization’s previous struggles had nothing to do with what the team was called. Edmonton is preparing for its final regular-season home game on Friday, with a playoff date at Commonwealth Stadium already secured for the first time since 2015 and a chance to clinch first place in the West Division with a victory.

After early struggles, attendance has ballooned in recent weeks. Twice already, the team has opened the upper bowl for crowds of over 31,000. The hope is that this week’s game will be a similar story, with even greater turnout for the postseason game.

“We’re on our way. I would just say to people, don’t wait too long to get on board here, because you’re going to miss some good times,” Morris said. “Those people who have suffered for a long time, come back to this place. This is gonna be a great thing for the next little while here, and this is a good young team that’s gonna make you proud.”

Once the playoff date is officially set, the team has decided not to increase ticket prices for the elimination matchup, as is standard practice across professional sports. Morris considers that the least the Elks can do for their fans.

“We haven’t been in the playoffs in 10 years, and we’re keeping our prices the same. We want everybody in Edmonton to be able to come to this playoff game and celebrate our community together,” he said. “Whoever is playing against us in that playoff game, make their life just misery, and make it so they can’t hear a damn thing, and have a great party at Commonwealth. I think that, for us, is the least we can do to give back to our fans who have stuck with us and welcome some new people back to the party.”

Thompson hopes that among those returning will be fans like her husband, who are willing to set name changes aside and keep supporting a local institution.

“We’ve worked our butts off the last two years. I think we’ve shown the community that we’re back, and I would really hope that they would support us,” she said. “They haven’t had a home playoff game since 2015. Get your butts out there and come to the game. If you’ve got to wear your snowsuit, you’ve got to wear your snowsuit. We’ve done it before.”

The Edmonton Elks (12-4) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-8) on Friday, October 16, with kickoff scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET. The Blue Bombers got a key win over the Calgary Stampeders last week, while the Elks completed their sweep of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or 880 CHED in Edmonton.