Washington Name Series Recap
August 11, 2021
by David Earl
Forever Ingrained and Always Iconic
That image was from the kickstart article to my name series, in which I thought it was appropriate to pay one last homage to our iconic Redskins name. The way I saw fit was a nod to a name that was recently eliminated by Jason Wright because of a perceived connection to Native American imagery in “Warriors”. Although I found the overwhelming understandable support for his decision (62%) surprising, the fact that “Warriors” was dismissed by Jason and the organization for this reason seems rash. While Warriors certainly has its roots within the Native American communities it is not synonymous with them either. It was certainly a missed opportunity as Ron Rivera’s new culture within the locker room certainly could have aligned well with the military Warriors Ethos. This direction and branding could have been a seamless transition while beholding to a military theme Ron wanted since day one. Of course, I understand that renaming this team from Redskins to Warriors would be perceived as a slap in the face and slander towards Native Americans initially but the organization could have easily redirected it towards a more military-themed approach.
Polarizing Yet Popular Redwolves
This was easily our most popular poll question, with 80% selecting either love the name (56%) or simply indifferent (24%) but don’t hate the name. This name certainly has its following and, to be honest, is not a name that is too outlandish. The rebranding and marketing in this name option could be the most lucrative without a doubt. The wolfpack concept that would emulate the Dawg Pound in Cleveland and the concept art for uniforms and merchandise doesn’t fail to impress. This direction could absolutely resonate well to this fan base in time (especially the younger generations). The idea of the Redwolves name has ties to Native American imagery is just lazy because, if that was the case, then the Eagles and Bills need to consider changing as well. When you consider the value an NFL franchise can bring to this endangered species, excluding this name because of Native American ties could prove foolish or even irresponsible.
Not So Much Says The Fans
As a veteran, this is my personal favorite. It’s a great way to pay homage to the Tuskegee Airmen, although the fans think very differently, as 62% are against this option. While this name brings a strong military reference to the organization, the concerns among the fans range from Red Tails leaving open to “spanking” references and to having no DC or team history ties. I’ve also got the feeling from fans this option does exactly what Redskins name did which made a group of people a mascot thus creating controversy unnecessarily. As I somewhat get this concern (well not really), people need to understand the nickname Red Tails was given to this unit because of their aircraft’s red tail, which the Tuskegee Airman were responsible for painting. These military aircraft unit nicknames were typically given due to an identifying feature on this aircraft and the idea it is a name solely to identify African American pilots has no credence whatsoever.
Wrapping This up
- Redwolves: Leads the pack by far and truly seems to bring much more fan involvement. Also, this name projects much better going forward than any other name we’ve seen listed to this point. (Hog Sty poll results: 56.6% loved the name, 19.1% hate the name, and 24.3% were indifferent)
- Warriors: Yes Jason eliminated this name altogether, but it can’t be ignored that fans seemed unbothered. It’s a name, let us be honest here too, prematurely removed due to a politically sensitive culture. This was a potential missed opportunity that most fans seemed to like. (Hog Sty poll results: 62.4% thought not using Warriors was understandable, 24.3% thought it was irrational, and 13.4% were unsure but trust Jason)
- Wolves: This name had a very similar effect to Redwolves and another name with great rebranding and marketing potential. Everything that applied on and off the field to Redwolves translates in this name as well. (no poll)
- Burgundy and Gold: A very simple approach in a reference that has been truly synonymous with this organization for decades. Even with the support of Doc Walker and the reference this name makes, only 28% showed support. (Hog Sty poll results: 28.7% liked it, 29.2% hate it, 42.1% voted not terrible but no)
- The Hog Variation: Not only did this poll take in the fewest fan involvement, but it’s also a name most fans seem vehemently against any version of Hogs. Even though it represents an historic time in this team’s history, fans just don’t envision any version is the new name. (Hog Sty poll results: 17.6% voted for Hogs, 6.9% voted for Warthogs, 12.4% voted for War Hogs, and 63.1% voted for “All of these are terrible)
- The rest: This list, broke down by Alex Zeese, laid out some of the most ridiculous options like Deadmon Cats, Archers, and Wayfarers. With the exception of a couple, most fans just don’t seem too enamored of any one of these options.