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In a move that was a long time coming, the Washington Redskins announced that after 87 years the team is finally ditching its culturally offensive name.
“Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the team said in a statement Monday.
“That review has begun in earnest,” it said. “As part of this process, we want to keep our sponsors, fans and community apprised of our thinking as we go forward.”
The move comes after years of public outcry over a name that team owner Dan Snyder had stubbornly said he will not change. “We’ll never change the name,” he told USA Today in 2013. “It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”
But money talks in the NFL. And after the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests for social justice around the country, several of the team’s corporate partners threatened to cut business ties with the franchise.
FedEx paid $205 million for naming rights to the team’s stadium in 1999 and “communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.”
Now that the ugly cloud hanging over the team has been lifted, fans are suggesting new names for Washington’s team and a lot of them are worth considering.
The team has yet to make a decision but Snyder and head coach Ron Rivera are “working closely to develop a new name and design approach.”
Here are some of the most popular new names for the team.
Redtails
Yahoo News polled its readers about the team’s new name and the most popular, with 28% of the vote, was Redtails. The name is a reference to the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American fighter pilots who bravely fought in World War II.
The nickname Redtails comes from the crimson tail on the wings of their planes.
This new name would honor the military, per Rivera’s wishes, and allow the team to keep its burgundy and gold colors. The name would also allow the team to keep its hashtag, “HHTR” which currently stands for Hail to the Redskins.
For the #Redskins name change, I am all for the Washington Redtails. Redtails was the nickname given to the Tuskege… https://t.co/CQCWz9uv0q
— Scott Challeen (@Scott Challeen)1594608735.0
This #Redtails design isn’t bad. My top 3 choices are Redwolves, Warriors & Redtails. https://t.co/xPRzSBVwDt
— Zac (@Zac)1594660159.0
I know many have already done it, but I’m a big fan of the Redtails nickname to replace the Redskins. I love the Hi… https://t.co/MXlGY7YeNW
— Chad Fields (Vols Uniform Boy) (@Chad Fields (Vols Uniform Boy))1594652699.0
Warriors
D.C. radio host Kevin Sheehan said during a podcast he had it “on pretty good authority” that Warriors will be the team’s new name.
“I don’t think that’s a reveal by any stretch,” Sheehan said. “I think people do know that the Redskins have marked Washington Warriors just in case and that this has been the way. I would bet big money on the Warriors being the new name for the football team.”
Traditionally, teams with Warrior in their name have used some type of Native American imagery for their logos which may dissuade the team from going in this direction.
Another reason to avoid the name is one of the most popular sports franchises in the country are the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
Change the name to the “Washington Warriors.” Revert back to the spear helmet. This isn’t hard. https://t.co/TDnxf32soR
— Luke Russert (@Luke Russert)1593727910.0
I really don’t understand the argument that people don’t want the Warriors name because of the NBA teams success…… https://t.co/bGhPQhFC2T
— Offseason Champions (@Offseason Champions)1594503633.0
They could also go next level and become the Ultimate Warriors.
If the Redskins do change their name to the #WashingtonWarriors this is the only acceptable logo. https://t.co/mWo8fQbvoZ
— ✭BlueStar✭ (@✭BlueStar✭)1594613611.0
Red Wolves
The red wolf is a canine native to the southeastern and south-central United States, so it geographically makes sense and allows the team to keep its colors.
“It is an endangered species. It allows us to keep the ‘HTTR,’” former Washington cornerback, Fred Smoot, said. “It allows us to keep the burgundy and gold. It allows us to have some crazy uniforms. Like I said before, I can see 80,000 people in FedEx Field howling like wolves after Chase Young gets a sack to win a game.”
The name is also unique because there aren’t any other NFL teams with canine imagery.
The fan-designed logos are pretty impressive, too.
Redhawks
Native American activists have suggested the team change its name to the Redhawks. “We created this action to show the NFL and the Washington Football franchise how easy, popular and powerful changing the name could be,” a Native American activist group said according to The Sporting News.
A Redhawk definitely sounds like a fierce competitor but there is already a team called the Seahawks so it may not be original enough. Although, in the MLB, there are two teams named after colors of socks, so anything is possible.
#GrantAndDanny Hi Im a fan of the show guys and advocating the name Washington RedHawks. Both the Red Shoulder Hawk… https://t.co/o19UIbI6SD
— Dawud13 (@Dawud13)1594566513.0
Washington Generals
This may fulfill Rivera’s request that the new name honor the military, but let’s be clear there was already a team called the Washington Generals and they are the worst franchise in sports history.
The Generals were the team that got whooped on by the Globetrotters for over 60 years before folding in 2015. Although records are sketchy, it’s believed that the Generals have only won somewhere between three to six games and lost 16,000.
Washington Senators
Here is another terrible idea. First of all, given the current climate in the nation’s capital, being known as a senator isn’t really a compliment.
Secondly, Major League Baseball’s Washington Senators only won the pennant three times in their 60-plus year history. Coming off a 3 – 13 season, the Redskins probably don’t want to start off 2020 with Senators on their backs.
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