The name of the Washington Commanders has been in debate for the past four years since the team dropped its old moniker and logo. The name change certainly divided fans and may have contributed to the drop in attendance and interest in the team in the D.C. area.
Fans have held out hope that since Josh Harris and his group of investors bought the team from Daniel Snyder last year, the old “Redskins” name could return. The seemingly never-ending yearning for the team name may have been put to bed by Harris.
Before Sunday’s preseason finale, Harris, the Commanders’ managing partner, officially put the chatter about the old team name to bed. However, he did acknowledge that the organization is researching for another name change. But it’s not the franchise’s top priority.
“We’ve been very clear, for obvious reasons, the old name can’t come back,” Harris said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “But right now, we’re focused on things that unify the team around our football team and unify the city around our football team. The first objective is we got to start winning football games.”
Harris also acknowledged that getting a new stadium finalized hopefully by 2030 is also a higher priority. While the name got punted down the list of priorities, the team will connect the franchise’s past to appease the fan base.
“I have a lot of opinions [about the name], but I can’t say,” Harris continued, per John Keim of ESPN. “I haven’t forgotten it, I grew up here, [and] I understand it. We’ll start to do things to bring us back to our heritage and honor our past.”
Among those initiatives is bringing back the gold pants with the burgundy jerseys.
The name of the team is still a topic of discussion. Changing the name back to Washington’s old name is a non-starter. Washington dropped the old name following pressure from Native American groups and team sponsors. They cited the name was disparaging and racist against Indigenous People.
The NFL doesn’t want that headache. That’s not what the fans clinging to the old name may want to hear. However, Harris and his partners understand the Washington Commanders’ name is very unpopular.
What Harris does know is regardless of the name, the team has to win. They have to win on the field. The team wants to make changes to the fan inexperience. Upgrades across the stadium; linking the franchise’s past to present are higher priorities.
