Earlier this month, the NFL filed a trademark application for the Duluth Eskimos, and the league apparently plans to put the name to use.
A trademark attorney, Josh Gerben, noticed the application and shared his thoughts on what the filing means. Gerben pointed out a sentence from the filing that caught his interest: "education and entertainment services in the nature of professional football games and exhibitions."
The NFL has filed a trademark application for DULUTH ESKIMOS.
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) April 30, 2019
The trademark application suggests that a NFL team could play a game as the DULUTH ESKIMOS this coming year.
Here is my analysis of the filing 👇#nfl pic.twitter.com/67jHP6nlME
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"What this language means, in the trademark world, is this is the name of a football team," Gerben explains. "And in order for a trademark application to ultimately register, you must use the trademark for the services identified in the application. So it would be very odd for the NFL to have put this language in the application and not intend to actually have a team playing a game under this name."
Gerben also points out this is the NFL's 100th season, so celebrating a past franchise is something the league could be looking into.
As for the Eskimos team itself, you most likely have never heard of them. It's a defunct football franchise from the 1920s. The team initially started as the Duluth Kelleys, named after the Kelley-Duluth Hardware Store, but changed to the Eskimos after the hardware store decided to quit sponsoring the team.
"[The Eskimos] wore a distinctive white and midnight blue uniform featuring an igloo on the front as their logo, one of the first NFL teams to use a logo, as an homage to their northern home city. The team was also one of the first NFL franchises hold a 'training camp' to prepare for the 1926 season, which took place just up Lake Superior in Two Harbors, Minnesota," writes David Sandager, exploring the Eskimos' history.
The Eskimos also have a place in the Minnesota Vikings Museum and was a "top story" when the museum debuted. Erin Swartz, the Vikings' brand and creative director, told the Duluth News Tribune the team was lobbying to wear a throwback jersey featuring the Eskimos for one of the team's games.
"They're just so cool looking," Swartz said. "I will feel like I won the lottery if we get to play a game in those."
In addition to the Minnesota Vikings Museum, the Duluth Eskimos also hold a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They were an interesting team, as they played 28 of 29 games on the road in one season. The tale of the team was so interesting, Hollywood even got involved as the film "Leatherheads" was loosely based on the team.
UPDATE: The Vikings, unfortunately, will not be wearing Eskimos throwback uniforms this season. An NFL spokesperson told Paul Lukas of Uni Watch the trademark application was for promotional use only.
"There are no plans to make a name change or wear those jerseys," the NFL statement reads. "As part of the league's 100th season, the team will look to celebrate and salute early football in the state of Minnesota. There are some plans for promotional and content opportunities. The league had the trademark in the mid-'90s following the 75th season and was asked by the club to file again."
