Stephanie Logue 

Staff Writer

szl414@psu.edu

The team unveiled its new name, the Commanders, on Wednesday morning, after 87 years with its previous name and two years as the Washington Football Team. The team’s new logo and clothing were also presented. Throughout the 20-month process, Washington’s officials — club president Jason Wright and coach Ron Rivera — had emphasized that the organization wanted to include the military due to its proximity to the nation’s capital. Commander is a term that is most commonly used in the military to refer to a naval officer rank, but it may also be used to refer to a general phrase. Wright told the assembled crowd, which included 17 alumni members, that “we landed on this in part because we believed the Washington Commanders can carry the rich legacy of this team, a championship legacy. It’s got the weight and heft of something befitting a 90-year franchise. It’s something that broadly resonated with our fans in this process and something that embodies the values of service and leadership that characterizes the DMV [D.C., Maryland, Virginia region].” “What this effort really is at its core is not landing on a name that was going to be unanimously loved by everybody but to start a process by which we can continue to preserve what’s best about the burgundy and gold,” Wright added. “Those have been colors and a name and a franchise that, when you have trouble talking to each other on other topics, you can come together and hug and high-five and be one while cheering this team on.”

Dan Snyder, the owner of the team, spoke for 45 seconds before handing over to Tanya Snyder, the team’s co-CEO. Dan Snyder went to the podium in a burgundy coat with gold sleeves and a burgundy W etched in gold above the heart, having been determined for years that he would never change the name. “Today’s a big day for our team, our fans, a day in which we embark on a new chapter,” Dan Snyder said. “It’s been a long journey to get to this point.” Washington introduced three uniforms on Wednesday: an all-white set with burgundy numbers and sleeves with a black stripe sandwiched between white and burgundy, an all-burgundy jersey with gold numbers and sleeves with a thin white stripe sandwiched between two gold stripes, and an all-black set with gold numbers and a side patch with two burgundy stripes and three burgundy stars on a gold background. A black helmet with gold numbers on the side and a gold W on the front will be worn by the black jerseys. The other two have a burgundy helmet with a gold W on the side and a gold stripe running through it. 

“When I first saw [the name], I saw it with the uniforms,” said defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, the lone current player at the ceremony. “If you’re looking just at the name, well, the name doesn’t mean anything to you. There’s no history there. You’ve never seen anyone play for that team, there’s no uniforms, so obviously you’re not going to like it. But once you come out, you see the atmosphere, you see the new helmets, you see the new uniform, you see the players wearing it, you see the culture we’ve built around it, it’s going to make a lot of people happy.” Among the alumni in attendance, linebacker London Fletcher said the new uniforms “in the words of the youngsters, are fire,” while former wide receiver Gary Clark said he liked the new name and that it’s “like two companies merging together.” 

The search for a new name for Washington began in July 2020, following nationwide demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota. Around that time, Snyder began talking with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about perhaps changing the name, which had been deemed insulting and racist by some. The team’s burgundy and gold colors have been retained, but Native American imagery has been added.

Crystal Echo Hawk, executive director of the nonprofit organization IllumiNative, had called Wednesday a “momentous moment” and said they can “put a horrible chapter to rest. There’s still a lot of healing that needs to happen, so I don’t think the team’s work in regards to reconciliation and healing is over.”

“The NFL is not done,” Crystal Echo Hawk added. “The [Kansas City] Chiefs have to step up and follow the lead and be on the right side of history. Washington has shown these rebrandings can be successful. This is a good thing. All eyes turn to the Chiefs.”

The new name is significant for all Native Americans, but especially future generations, according to Ray Halbritter, the nation representative and CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises. “They’ll no longer be subjected to such an offensive and harmful slur every Sunday during the football season,” Halbritter said. “It’s a great moment for Washington fans. They want to support a team, to love a team, and now they won’t be put in position having to do that with a dictionary-defined slur as a name.”

On July 3, 2020, the franchise announced that it would conduct a full assessment of its previous name. It stated ten days later that it was dropping its old title and replacing it with Football Team as a temporary appellation. Snyder for years had resisted changing the name, telling USA Today in 2013 to “put it in all caps” that he would never make such a move. Some who have worked for Snyder said they believed he would rather sell the team than use a new name.

However, by the spring and early summer of 2020, this changed. In June of that year, the club’s sponsors FedEx, PepsiCo, and Nike received a letter signed by 87 investors and shareholders worth a total of $620 billion, requesting that they discontinue doing business with the team until its name was altered. When Adweek.com published this, a number of people, both current and former employees, expressed the same sentiment: “It’s over.” Most, if not all, were completely uninformed that a change was in the works. At the time, a small group of employees, including Snyder and Rivera, considered a new name, but it was shelved. There were reports at the time that trademark concerns were preventing a prospective new name.

When the franchise hired Wright a month later, the quest became more serious. Throughout the process, Wright’s group spoke with alumni, fans, and some Native Americans, and he kept supporters updated on the team’s website, whether through video or his President’s Briefs. Wright said in July 2021 that the new name would not include any Native American symbols or references. Last month, Wright revealed that one popular fan moniker, RedWolves, had been eliminated due to trademarks held by others. “Give it some time,” said former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann, who joined the team in 1974 and was a member of the team’s first Super Bowl victory after the 1982 season. I always tell them to give it a chance to sink in a little bit. 

“… It’s so much more than a name, it’s a new beginning as an organization,” Theismann added. “Things have changed a lot. People are not opposed to change. They’re opposed to being changed. We’re not trying to change anybody. All we’ve done is modified and changed the name.”

Throughout the process, Wright stated that he did not want to be perceived as an expansion franchise. During the previous two seasons, the squad had “1932” (the year the franchise was founded) painted on the field and “Football Team” emblazoned on signs.