Washington Name Series: Burgundy & Gold

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August 6, 2021

by David Earl

Simple and Widely Known

While this week’s poll shows that a majority number of people are not in favor of the Burgundy and Gold name option, the majority also agree it’s not terrible. One reason, as Doc Walker has said many times, is that it has followed this organization for decades and became synonymous with the Redskins name. Though many nicknames have come and gone but embedded themselves into the team’s history, such as the Hogs, the Posse, the Over the Hill Gang, and so on, the Burgundy and Gold moniker has stood the test of time. When these colors are mentioned, it generates memories of a history of great coaches, players, teams, and dominant championship teams about which all fans can reminisce. Even during these last few wretched decades under Dan Snyder, we had the Monday night miracle with Santana Moss vs Dallas and witnessed Sean Taylor‘s rise and heartbreaking death. While I’m sure some made the Hogs reference (and name “Skins” as well) often towards this team, the Burgundy and Gold has been a name that’s been repeated time and time again when discussing this team.

Using a color-based nickname isn’t exactly a rare concept like the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Browns (yes, I know “Brown” is the last name of founder Paul Brown . . . but still, it’s a color).  These are iconic teams with very rich histories. Also, consider the St. Louis Blues, as the organization was named in honor of W.C. Handy’s classic composition “St Louis Blues”. Each organization above had a direction in which their respective names had some sort of direct correlation to their organization’s history, such as Cleveland and their former owner. So when considering the Burgundy and Gold as the nickname, the idea of it being a lazy way out doesn’t resonate with me because of its ties to this organization’s past.

Native American Imagery A Concern?

I guess the argument here could be made that these colors being kept might go against what Jason Wright is wanting to achieve in eliminating any and all Native American references. While these colors will be associated deeply with Native Americans to many people, there has to also be some sort of common sense which needs to be applied. They can’t just strip the fans of everything after retiring the name as they did; plus, without anything keeping the fans connected to the team’s history, we might as well be an expansion team. To be completely honest, a complete overhaul of every aspect of this team simply retiring and disconnecting from this team’s past while creating a completely new organization from the ground up spits in the faces of fans like myself. It’s tragic enough how the fans lost a beloved name, so allowing the fans to hold on to a simple color scheme may mean more than many might want to realize. As far as the team separating from Native American references , this color scheme of Burgundy and Gold is untouchable regardless of any potential backlash in my opinion.

Oh, It Could Be Much Worse!

The Hog Sty’s Alex Zeese broke down some of the more terrible names and I can tell you Burgundy and Gold looks like a slam dunk compared to these names. I guess we could use Josh Norman and his bow and arrow celebration as a logo behind the name Archers or slap a gold cowboy buckle on the burgundy helmet then call the team the Washington Belters. Let’s brighten our Sunday afternoons cheering for the Washington Presidents or give out a wicked mean MEOW from the endzone seats as the fierce Demon Cats. This list could go on but I think you got the message. Regardless of the direction this team goes, this rebranding has surely become nearly impossible if the goal is to try to please the majority. So when replacing the iconic Redskins name how could you believe Burgundy and Gold plus the story it tells is just a lame option. While yes I’d love to see an innovative direction under the new name that could rally most of this fan base together, sometimes the best solution has been starring you tight in the face. Keep It Simple!!!!