Washington’s NFL team has had a controversy surrounding the name of the franchise now for many decades. I remember it being mentioned by one of the major networks as an issue as far back as the 1991 season, when the team was dominant and wound up winning a Super Bowl. Perhaps the success of the team, particularly that season, was initially why the name started making news, but it has remained an issue ever since.
The pressure has only mounted in the decades since. Yet, the owners of the franchise always seemed to dismiss it. Jack Kent Cook, if I remember correctly, literally laughed the issue off, saying it was not meant to be taken literally, and was thus not offensive. And the new owner, Daniel Snyder, once stated that the team would never change it’s name. In fact, he really stressed that point, to make it clear:
“We’ll never change the name,” Washington owner Dan Snyder told USA Today in 2013 of the “Redskins." “It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”
All it took for that to change, however, was for profits to be compromised. When Fed Ex (the franchise plays at FedEx Field), Nike, and Pepsi all began to pull out and disassociate from the franchise because of the name, Snyder suddenly changed his tune. Never is a bold statement, but that stance was just not sustainable, especially in the light of a cultural re-evaluation, as the legacy of racism in the United States is under greater scrutiny than perhaps ever before.
Here is a recent statement released by the team, announcing the move to review the team name, and open up discussions about the possibility of a name change.
“In light of recent events around the country and feedback from our community, the Washington Redskins are announcing the team will undergo a thorough review of the team’s name. This review formalizes the initial discussions the team has been having with the league in recent weeks.”
To be fair, the name change has not happened yet. But Snyder and the franchise has now entered talks to indeed do just that. To change the team name. One of the candidates to replace the current name would be “Generals,” although there are some who believe that the Washington Generals basketball team that always loses to the Harlem Globetrotters probably ruined that name, which would make it a non-starter.
There has been some discussion about what names might replace the current one. Some were interesting, and would not necessarily require a major change in team colors or uniforms. One option would be simply “Warriors.” Another was “Redtails” and “Hogs” or “Red Hogs,” a name that evokes some of this proud franchise’s history, when the massive offensive line that helped the team win three of four Super Bowl appearances from the early eighties into the early nineties were often referred to as “the Hogs.” Red Hawks is possibly another option. Senators would also be a possibility, seeing as though that is clearly a reference that would be specific to Washington for the NFL, as no other franchise in the league plays in the capital city. It was also the name of the city’s former baseball team for many decades. But let’s see how the talks go first, before we begin to think about what name would replace the current one.
It should probably come as no big surprise that other franchises are now under similar pressure to change their names. The Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves are also feeling the pressure now. Cleveland’s baseball franchise has been using “Indians” since 1915, for over 100 years now. They appear to be headed towards a name change as well.
However, the Atlanta Braves are resisting any attempts to change the franchise name, despite receiving some pressure as well. While it is true that neither “Indians” nor “Braves” is as obnoxious and blatant a racial slur as “Redskins,” it still seems like the franchises will either need to change the team names, or continue to receive pressure in the months and likely years to come, unless they finally go through with the name change.
Below are some links to articles used here in writing this particular blog entry. Please feel free to take a look:
Atlanta Braves not considering name change after Cleveland, Washington begin discussions by Ryan Young, Yahoo Sports, Jul 4, 2020:
https://sports.yahoo.com/atlanta-braves-not-considering-name-change-cleveland-indians-washington-redskins-004625149.html
Dan Snyder said he'd 'NEVER' change the Redskins name, but now that money is talking ... by Dan Wetzel, Columnist, Yahoo Sports, Jul 3, 2020: https://sports.yahoo.com/dan-snyder-said-hed-never-change-the-redskins-name-but-now-that-money-is-talking-171808507.html
https://sports.yahoo.com/dan-snyder-said-hed-never-change-the-redskins-name-but-now-that-money-is-talking-171808507.html
If the Washington Redskins change their team name, here are 5 replacement options by Jordan Heck, July 5, 2020:
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/redskins-team-name-change/17addpgbo88h51kkj1cgouwrgm
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