Changes coming to Washington Wizards?

[rockngoalie1]

Agreed, the Bullets logo for Gettyburg is ugly.

As for Washington becoming the Bullets again, I don't think that it should be done. How can you name a team after something that is now illegal in the place where the team plays?

[Firefly]

As a fan of a team with an awful name, I can see how one could look past that and like team or its look. But, the Bullets? The logo was bad and the uniform was mediocre. I mean, it's Washington Wizards awful.

I would love to see a Washington Presidents team as mentioned above. How about Justices or Supreme(s)?

Hell, Lobbyists has a nice ring to it.

[Fifty8_Black O]

After the recent mediocrity and everything that happened with gilbert arenas last year i think the team needs a new identity...but bullets, maybe not the best name. Although you could change the name to Bullets, draft John Wall, and move arenas to mascot

[Burmy]

Agreed, the Bullets logo for Gettyburg is ugly.

As for Washington becoming the Bullets again, I don't think that it should be done. How can you name a team after something that is now illegal in the place where the team plays?

I thought the Supreme Court ruled that law unconstitutional back in '08?

[knnhrvy16]

I think Presidents would be a good name, and that a good color scheme would be Navy, Vanderbilt Gold, and Red. Blue and Vanderbilt Gold predominantly, with Red being used minimally. It'd still be a patriotic color scheme, but not the usual.

[eRay]

The same people calling for Bullets and Red/White/Blue will be complaining about them being the Washington Sixers/Clippers/Pistons or Hawks/Nets/Cavs with a crappy rehash of their old logo. Inevitable. Why not just an imaginative new Wizards logo in the same colors? Don't we all want unique names and colors in the league? I know I do.

[BBTV]

Agreed, the Bullets logo for Gettyburg is ugly.

As for Washington becoming the Bullets again, I don't think that it should be done. How can you name a team after something that is now illegal in the place where the team plays?

Because "bullet" is just a metaphor for speed, and the players are fast... like bullets. Did their logo ever actually feature a gun or real bullets?

[Audiodrama]

Agreed, the Bullets logo for Gettyburg is ugly.

As for Washington becoming the Bullets again, I don't think that it should be done. How can you name a team after something that is now illegal in the place where the team plays?

Because "bullet" is just a metaphor for speed, and the players are fast... like bullets. Did their logo ever actually feature a gun or real bullets?

Well, kind of. The Baltimore Bullets' logo did:

[Subi]

Admittedly I'm not a basketball fan, but I really hope the Wizards do a complete makeover of their identity. I don't like the name, and I absolutely hate the logo. Also, not a big fan of the Bullets name.

[jimbojohnny56]

Do You think they would ever really use the name Senators with there already being a team in Ottawa with that name and with the current climate of absolute disdain for actual Senators? I actually think the name Monuments sounds the best but what kind of a logo package are we talking about? I would love to see a return to the template and colors of the old Bullets unis no matter what.

[Burmy]

Call the NBA team the Eagles and the WNBA team the Spirit!

[jimbojohnny56]

While I do like the Eagles opportunities and patriotic theme I just don't see them using the same name as another Pro team.

[TheOldRoman]

Agreed, the Bullets logo for Gettyburg is ugly.

As for Washington becoming the Bullets again, I don't think that it should be done. How can you name a team after something that is now illegal in the place where the team plays?

Because "bullet" is just a metaphor for speed, and the players are fast... like bullets. Did their logo ever actually feature a gun or real bullets?

Well, kind of. The Baltimore Bullets' logo did:

That is clearly lipstick.

[charger77]

Its hard to think or a patriotic name that has not been used or is currently in use.

Freedom (Minor league-ish)

Indepence(Minor league-ish)

Liberty (WNBA)

Senators (NHL & MLB)

Nationals (MLB)

Patriots (NFL)

Rebels (NCAA)

Minutemen (NCAA)

Eagles (NFL)

Spirit (OHL)

Revolution (MLS)

Was there a boat or weapon name to go with?

[IceCap]

Generals. Make it happen.

[Lee.]

Diplomats. LET'S GO DIPS.

[cjonesy108]

Bullets had a nice & historic Baltimore tie-in. Unfortunately that got lost when D.C. was pretty much the nation's capital of crime.

It seems a bit silly to go back, especially when most people and most fans don't know about the Bullet factory connection and just think guns/crime.

Eagles would be cool. It's not exactly a unique moniker for a team, but it obviously fits with the city. Generals would also be great.

[The_Admiral]

The only thing more connected to basketball futility than "Washington Wizards" is "Washington Generals."

Just call them the Bullets, but don't play up any connection to bullets or guns or anything. You could even put "Washington" on both jerseys if you had to, and only use DC-related imagery. Or not. I don't know. The Bullets at their best just looked like the poor man's 76ers, who themselves were never in the same class as the Lakers, Celtics, Pistons, Knicks, or Bulls.

[Don]

From Teds Take

With all of that going on understanding that to effectuate a name change could take two to three years. This simply isn't a priority for us right now. We can't change the name of the team for next season. It is June and the new season starts in October. There will be no name change. We can't change the name. It is pretty simple.

We can change the colors more easily than the name. We will look into that as part of an overall brand uplift and updating project. That could happen as soon as the following season, but NOTHING new can happen next season. It is too late in the off season to have any changes at all. I am sorry but schedules and production of materials etc. are set years ahead of time.

From DC Sports Bog

"In regards to name changes and the like, you know, I'm shocked that with all that we have to do, that that's been like the No. 1 question, e-mail, message board conversation. And so I intend to listen very, very carefully. But we have so much more to do.

"And so there will be no name change, and even if we wanted to change the name, you couldn't do that for years. It's not a secret that I am partial to red. And we're the nation's capital. And that won't come overnight, either. But I remember coming to Bullets games when I was a kid and a student at Georgetown: I thought those colors looked handsome. I think we all saw the change in the Capitals' uniform, and how that was galvanizing, and I think at some point it's not a secret that we would want to change and go back to more traditional colors.

And I think that'll be the needle that we all have to thread: Take the best of what was in the past and reinterpret it and re-imagine it so that it's relevant to today's consumer....The e-mails I get from people, [they] love the Wizards because Abe won a championship in 1978. That's their memory. And that's what's so striking about owning a sports team: that we can create indelible lifelong memories that unite communities, that fathers and sons talk about their whole lives, that people say I was there when...."

So there ya go...

[IceCap]

The only thing more connected to basketball futility than "Washington Wizards" is "Washington Generals."

Hence the joke.