After two years with a temporary name due to mass backlash over the old name because it was considered a racial slur of Native Americans, the Washington Football team has finally chosen a new name. 

Washington, give a warm welcome to the Commanders. The new name recognizes the region’s links to the armed forces and will hopefully boost support in the once-proud franchise. Although the name has changed, the team will keep their traditional burgundy and gold colors. Washington had help from over 40,000 submissions from fans online and through the mail. The list started at 1,200 and eventually was slimmed down to 50. Those 50 names were sent to and tested by market research groups consisting of fans, season ticket holders, former season ticket holders, politicians and current and former players. Officials also sought out leaders across diverse Native American and indigenous communities for feedback. Finding a name for a fan base with such diverse backgrounds makes it very challenging to find something that will appeal to the whole if not the majority. 

“Our task was less of a marketing endeavor and more about finding a cross-section of unity. The team’s fans across the spectrum believed the new name should reflect concepts like resilience, grit, tradition and family,” said Jason Wright, the team’s president.

The alternative names included the RedWolves, Admirals, Generals, Armada and Presidents. 

Once they narrowed the list of names down to four they experimented with how they would look on TV, social media, in print and of course on uniforms and helmets. Ultimately they came to the decision to name the team the Commanders. The team’s logo will remain similar to what it is now with the addition of the slanted elements bordering the letter W, which is inspired by military rank insignia. The continuity of color will help the fanbases’ sense of community as they go through these changes. 

The team captain Jonathan Allen explained how he felt putting on the new uniform for the first time. 

“I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I feel like it really embodied not only what the players represent but also what this community and the DMV (Washington and its immediate suburbs) represents,” said Allen. “We’re gonna support it and we’re gonna go forward with it. We’re excited about the future.”

The new name is the beginning of a new era for the Washington football team, one in which they leave the harmful out-of-date name in the past and move on with hope for the future.