The Name Game

Led by Team President Jason Wright, the Washington Football Team launched Washington Journey as a reach out to fans for submissions that will help guide the franchise as they seek a new name.

Whether a marketing cynic or not, it has undoubtedly generated debate across the fanbase and is a welcome interactive platform, especially for the younger generation, to submit their ideas.

The message was simple: the WFT were going to take their time over this decision and the steps/chapters have been laid out in a clear and easy to understand way. With the 5th of April 2021 deadline for submissions fast-approaching, here at UKHTTW we thought it would be fun to throw in a few suggestions from the UK.

First off, UKHTTW founder Christian Burt.

New name: Washington Revolution (aka The Revs)

My opening thought on NFL team nicknames: it is through longevity and occasional success, that team names are lauded and become part of the DNA of a franchise; the actual nicknames are often a mixture of uninspiring and ridiculous.

The Giants for example actually stole their name from the New York Baseball team of the time, who had been named Giants owing to the tall buildings in the Big Apple. Being named after skyscrapers does not induce fear into an opponent when you stop and think about it.

We know for sure that the WFT will continue to run out in burgundy & gold and that is to be applauded. We also know that the guys in the Front Office are not fearful of change and confronting past mistakes.

With this in mind, and of course given the obvious historical significance of the first President of the USA, George Washington, leading the American Revolution, such a name would rubber stamp the transformation that fans have waited to see in D.C for over two decades.

For branding purposes, both Revolution and The Revs are marketable to attract a younger fanbase and with a dynamic youthful roster, Revolution seems a fitting name.

An impressive “R” logo would certainly retain the history too.

One potential hurdle: The long-established Major League Soccer team in Greater Boston are the New England Revolution. But I am always all-in on upsetting any teams in the Boston area.

We welcome back Jason Davis to UKHTTW for his suggested new name.

New Name: Washington Red Hogs/Hogs

Words create perceptions, perceptions can create reality, and in this day and age of not offending anyone, the name 'Redskins' was forever retired in Washington on July 13th 2020.

Since the late 80s the Redskins logo, painted by my Dad on my bedroom wall, would be the identity of the team I followed.

But no one can disagree that the world has changed, and those once proud Native Americans of their Super Bowl winning 'Football Team' might have had a change of opinion along with many others with recent results and scandals.

So, what is in a name? The opportunity to start a fresh, start a new whilst remembering our history but to also reinforce the new culture that is being built and to engage with new fans, and a hope to deliver winning football.

The same identity I had when I was a boy looking at my bedroom wall.

Washington Red Hogs recognises that history whilst giving the fans something to attach themselves too. It could be argued the pig is not an endearing animal but let us not forget how fun those times were and for that reason I am all in on the Red Hogs to victory (pig snout and all).

Next up, Tony Wheat of Full Press Coverage.

New name: Washington Warriors

Since being temporarily rebranded as Washington Football Team after the retirement of the Redskins name, the organisation has carried out extensive consultation with fans, user groups and other stakeholders to find a permanent name.

A few things have been clear and consistent throughout the process. Jason Wright has said that they want to retain some link to the team’s history whilst bringing it up to date. What is also clear is that whatever the new name is, it will not be unanimous by any stretch of the imagination as there are so many opinions out there.

Cards on the table, I do not have a big favourite, but based on what Jason has said, a lot of the names that have no connection to the team’s history or the area, can be ruled out.

For me there are two viable options. One is ‘Warriors’, although it is a bit generic and unoriginal and there could be the possibility that objections are raised, however, it is a more widely applied term than simply to Native Americans.

The other is to either retain Washington Football Team or amend slightly to Washington Football Club. If pushed, I think I would go with Warriors with the ‘W’ as the logo. I do have reservations but that would get my vote.

There is the worry that Warriors is quite a common team name, with Golden State in the NBA and probably countless college/high school teams in a range of sports. If, however they are serious about a link to the history, Warriors ties in with that but also honours a wider group i.e., the military, which I know they are also keen to embrace.

And finally, coming at it from a totally different point of view, is long time WFT fan and artist pal Stephen Grant.

New name: Washington Cobras

This is a tricky one, and I wanted to go leftfield from history and the tradition of the state. Why do sport teams get their names? I believe both Washington Stallions or Washington Cobras sounds awesome and would encourage an exciting logo on the uniform & helmet.

Such names can influence inner strength & belief in our team’s promising future, being strong & sometimes feared animals, so I guess this could give such a drive.

The possibilities are endless with names and I guess sometimes it just scans well or has an obvious link to history. There are potential issues with copyright that might need to be overcome – imagine being the Washington Rangers and getting a phone call from the blue half of Glasgow!

I also thought of the Washington Warlords, but pulled back as this has the potential as offensive for those troubled by historical war events. Overall, I will stick with Washington Cobras as Stallions might be too connected to Denver Broncos.