Larry Thompson to focus on 'double E' brand as new Edmonton Elks owner

Larry Thompson was introduced as the new owner of the Edmonton Elks on Thursday.

Thompson is a lifetime Elks fan and the former owner of Thompson Brothers Construction.

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He has held the same season seats at Commonwealth Stadium since 1978.

"I've been watching them since I was 12 years old. The first game I went to, I fell in love with the team and have been watching them all my life," Thompson told reporters.

"I'm a passionate fan of not only the Elks, but the rest of the teams in the league. I watch every football game I can get my hands on every weekend. I'm just proud to be an owner of a CFL team."

Thompson said he's not sure what kind of owner he will be yet.

"This is all new to me here. So the way I envision it, I'll be sitting up on the stands, down on the field. I haven't found my place here quite yet."

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie applauded the sale of the team to Thompson.

"This is a city whose fans have supported their teams through good times and bad and now I'm asking the great fans of this city, the great fans of this football club, to rally behind Larry and Deb and their family in this football club," he said. "This is a very exciting team filled with opportunities for the future." 

TSN's Dustin Nielson said earlier in the week that Thompson may change the name back to Eskimos, or Esks.

Thompson was asked about the team's branding on Thursday, but said it was not the day to discuss it.

"I don't think that question is for today. Today I want it to be just some fun and celebrative day for everybody," he told reporters.

"I will be focusing, in future, on double E more."

Ambrosie said he's "very comfortable" with Thompson's plan to focus on the double E branding.

"I feel, and I think I speak for 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."

Thompson also mentioned the possibility of a new venue for the team.

"We did meet with the mayor yesterday, and we had a conversation about that, and we're going to bring some ideas back to him," he said.

"It could be, we need to change the facility around. We need to revamp it, and we've already picked out a few hot spots. Or it could be an entirely new facility. It all depends on funding," he said.

He also said the team would be looking to replace interim club president and CEO Rick LeLacheur.

"We've recently started looking for a new president and CEO for the club and we'll continue to do that. Rick will be involved in that process of hiring somebody for that position."

With the Elks being sold to a private owner, the CFL now has just two community-owned teams: the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Thompson declined to say how much he paid for the team, calling the figure "confidential." 

Elks vs. Eskimos

Dr. Norma Dunning is a professor at the First Nations University of Canada.

She previously lobbied the team to change its name from the Eskimos.

"People have this really twisted sense of loyalty towards a name," she told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday.

"I do think that the rebrand looked beautiful. The artwork, all of it, it just, I thought was really beautifully done. So to go backwards, why would anybody want to do that?"

"If the name change follows through, it could very much be a demonstration of power and recolonization again. How long do we keep playing this game?"

She says the name Eskimos is offensive for multiple reasons.

"We do not call ourselves Eskimos. We are Inuit."

"You have to really consider, what is it that the people call themselves and why they are not using the word eskimo and be respectful."

She suggests before the team thinks about a rebrand, it focuses on more pressing priorities.

"We are talking about a team that is millions in debt. And why does this become one of the first things you tackle? Why aren't you looking at how to boost the quality of the football?"

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson