Washington NFL Franchise Retires Name and Logo

[AnPheitseog]

6 minutes ago, Bmac said:

If the team were to change, what would the timeline look like? There's a lot that goes into a name change, let alone the time it takes to roll out new merchandise. I'm wondering if we'll see a situation similar to North Dakota in which the team operates without a mascot for a season or two.

I would imagine that the logo would be stripped from the helmets and they use a coverup patch of some sorts for the text on the front of the jersey.

[_DietDrPepper_]

Just now, Chewbacca said:

It's not a slur.  

Touché, but Rebels is hopefully still at the bottom of the list of names they'd change to. 

[spartacat_12]

38 minutes ago, the admiral said:

The Athletic already did their Thoughtful Examination piece last week, which, read between the lines, is a demand to change the name. That's why I'm stuck defending the Redskins, because for all the "oh but the Blackhawks do it respectfully" talk, we know in our hearts it's give an inch, take a mile, and I don't want them involved with a team I actually like.

 

Except the Washington NFL team's name is a slur. The Blackhawks are specifically named after Chief Blackhawk.

[Chewbacca]

3 minutes ago, _DietDrPepper_ said:

Touché, but Rebels is hopefully still at the bottom of the list of names they'd change to. 

I can see people not loving my idea but I think if they went with that, it would be a name that could be an easy fix for what they have had for too long. You could easily fit it in their fight song HTTR. It is also a name that is not used in any of the big leagues in North America either. 

[Digby]

29 minutes ago, henburg said:

Combine this with Nike not selling their merchandise on their site anymore and a change almost feels inevitable now. Snyder is a terrible guy who will do the wrong thing almost every single time, but I have a hard time believing that he'll be able to overlook the money he loses because of this. 

 

I'd be interested to see if they would do something like Warriors in order to keep the identity as close as possible to the current one or if they would opt to avoid the Native American connection entirely. Personally, I'm inclined to think they move away from all of that and embrace something new that avoids all potential trouble. Whether that be Redhawks, Redtails, Pigskins, or some random patriotic thing, there's a lot of good options there.

Warriors strips the slur but you still face the problem of using imagery of indigenous people and a primitive weapon in that “violent savagery” stereotype. That this saga has been so prolonged also leaves Snyder with a lack of plausible deniability or trust in good intentions — certainly less leeway than the Black Hawks or the Spokane MiLB team or FSU will get. I don’t see how retaining the spear will quiet the critics here; If that’s a must-keep then maybe FedEx will have an opening for that classic “Express” nickname after all.

[TBGKon]

If this happens on short notice, I can see them going by “Washington” as early as this season and maybe for a second season while using the offseason to proceed with a new identity 

[Chewbacca]

7 minutes ago, Digby said:

Warriors strips the slur but you still face the problem of using imagery of indigenous people and a primitive weapon in that “violent savagery” stereotype. That this saga has been so prolonged also leaves Snyder with a lack of plausible deniability or trust in good intentions — certainly less leeway than the Black Hawks or the Spokane MiLB team or FSU will get. I don’t see how retaining the spear will quiet the critics here; If that’s a must-keep then maybe FedEx will have an opening for that classic “Express” nickname after all.

I think if they just do the right thing and change their name while leaving everything else alone, I think that would be the best way to go.

 

 

 

 

**Also, for the record, my first post in this thread was never intended to bait anyone or to derail the thread in any way. Sorry if anyone takes it that way.

 

[Ridleylash]

1 minute ago, Chewbacca said:

I think if they just do the right thing and change their name while leaving everything else alone, I think that would be the best way to go.

The logo is part of the problem, though. You can't just change the name, the logo also has to go. Going for the spear logo and something that deliberately avoids leaning on Natives as an identity should be the easy way to go. "Washington Warriors", "Washington Pioneers", "Washington Spearmen", etc.

[Chewbacca]

5 minutes ago, Ridleylash said:

The logo is part of the problem, though. You can't just change the name, the logo also has to go.

I have always seen their logo as a respectful depiction of a Native American just like the Chicago Blackhawks. Is there something I am not seeing because the only issue I have seen with this team is the obvious one, their team name.

[SFGiants58]

4 minutes ago, Ridleylash said:

The logo is part of the problem, though. You can't just change the name, the logo also has to go.

 

My problem with the logo is that it's way too complex (a portrait, more or less) and doesn't translate well to social media avatar applications. The Blackhawks' crest is less complex. 

 

The spear would've been a lovely replacement for a "Warriors" team, but FSU's continued existence means that Washington NFL won't adopt it. This is why I'd suggest Redtails or one of the many Warriors concepts on the board. 

[henburg]

20 minutes ago, Digby said:

Warriors strips the slur but you still face the problem of using imagery of indigenous people and a primitive weapon in that “violent savagery” stereotype. That this saga has been so prolonged also leaves Snyder with a lack of plausible deniability or trust in good intentions — certainly less leeway than the Black Hawks or the Spokane MiLB team or FSU will get. I don’t see how retaining the spear will quiet the critics here; If that’s a must-keep then maybe FedEx will have an opening for that classic “Express” nickname after all.

 

Yeah, I definitely agree with you. I get why people think that something like Warriors with the spear would make for a really smooth transition, but it's ultimately a half-measure in facing the problem.

 

15 minutes ago, TBGKon said:

If this happens on short notice, I can see them going by “Washington” as early as this season and maybe for a second season while using the offseason to proceed with a new identity 

 

I could definitely see the league itself stepping in and bending some of their own rules on new uniforms/logos in order to help a potential rebrand be implemented as quickly as possible. They know that a team using a slur for their nickname has been an ugly blemish on their brand for a while now and there's no way that they continue accepting that only to please some traditionalist Washington fans.

[Ridleylash]

10 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

I have always seen their logo as a respectful depiction of a Native American just like the Chicago Blackhawks. Is there something I am not seeing?

The use of Native peoples in general is a hot-button issue, and there's long been a controversy surrounding the R*dskins for their logo and name because of the association. The fact that the Native's skin in the logo is a dark shade of red probably doesn't help matters, either. The best possible way to get rid of the stigma is to completely eject any references to the R*dskins brand and go in a totally new direction.

 

6 minutes ago, henburg said:

Yeah, I definitely agree with you. I get why people think that something like Warriors with the spear would make for a really smooth transition, but it's ultimately a half-measure in facing the problem.

I'd rather a team name that's a half-measure and kinda bland with a spear logo or something similar over a team name that's literally a pejorative slur for a race of people whose logo is literally a red-skinned Native person in a circle with feathers. It's still an improvement, even if it's only a half-measure.

 

Jettisoning the name and trying your best to go forward with a brand that's not as controversial is just the logical marketing move at this point. I can't see the name not changing, and I'd have to imagine a name change would come with a logo change.

[Digby]

In an alternate timeline the Warriors plus spear thing might pass muster, but not this one. It’s interesting because we have the very obvious parallel in the NBA team that now plays in San Francisco. From their Philly days to their early Bay days their imagery was as stereotypical or worse, but they had the good sense-or-luck to change that part of the identity 50 years ago, and do it fully ... they’ve leaned into the Bay Area landmark imagery predominantly ever since, and any Warrior imagery is way closer to that sea god trident or that creepy blue alien guy.
 

I think Washington’s played themselves out of a graceful transition like GSW had, because of public pressure being stronger 50 years later / Snyder being insufferably stubborn about it for years / starting from the point of a slur word / the desire to hold onto Native American-ish weapon imagery.

[Around the Horn]

I am frankly surprised no one has suggested Washington Senators

[Ridleylash]

Just now, Around the Horn said:

I am frankly surprised no one has suggested Washington Senators

That's baseball.

[Digby]

28 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

 

**Also, for the record, my first post in this thread was never intended to bait anyone or to derail the thread in any way. Sorry if anyone takes it that way.

 

it only seemed that way because of the recent UNLV news in concert with the Confederate statue debate being in the news again at this moment. It’s a particularly fraught time for that nickname.

 

i think these are rankable. “Warriors” is a nickname you can get away with in certain identities. “Rebels”, hypothetically same deal here, but realistically that ship has sailed and it’s stuck with its Civil War traitorous connections now. “Redskins” never has had a good defense to begin with.

[Dynasty]

From mentioning Golden State, I think Washington can pull something similar off, where their brand focuses more on their city rather than their name. With that, at least it means every team in D.C. has a brand revolving around D.C..

[lahaye7]

Washington Sentinels !

[Tracy Jordan]

 

Replace "Sentinels" with "Warriors" or "Rebels" and you're done. I also thought this was an interesting concept but seems like it's too radical of an idea for someone like Dan Snyder...

 

 

 

[AndrewMLind]

Would love to see former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins lead the Washington Sentinels to the playoffs just like former Ohio State quarterback Shane Falco did 20 years ago. (sarcasm, of course) I’m actually all-in on the Redtails. Can keep the colors and HTTR fight song, while actually honoring a group of people.