Washington Name Proposals Garner Attention

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April 23, 2021

by David Earl

The List Of Proposed Names

The organization dropped a list of possible new team names a week ago and the overall reaction was more negative than positive, for the good reason. Those on the outside want the true diehard fans to just let the Redskins name go and move on, as if it’s just that simple. While they continue to scream about how racially disturbing the name is and only a racist would care that deeply to hold on to the name, we all understand just what that name meant to us all. We invested our time, money, and emotions for a team that carried the name “Redskins” with reverence and pride. We never mocked Native American history with a tomahawk chop nor used a caricature of an Indian as the logo. In fact, we embraced the large Native American following for a name that originated in pride and honor as it was derived from their own history. While I could easily continue, the moral of this rant is that moving on from a name with such a rich history and which is filled in anything but racial bias isn’t that easy. So when we see names like Griffins, Rubies, Demon Cats, and Wayfarers, the voices will absolutely be heard. One of our own, Alex Zeese, wrote up an article WFT is Belter, in which he gave his quick thoughts on this list (a suggested read for some humor).  The fans also had their own thoughts:

While this list of names certainly drew some support for names like Warriors, Red Tails, and Redwolves (more on this later), the initial wave of comments I noticed was overwhelmingly negative. It isn’t clear whether the team was simply keeping the fans in the loop and up to date or they wanted to solicit more reactions (. . . and reactions they got). The one evident theme I noticed is just how over the fan base is about the name change. Maybe it’s just an effort by the team to lessen the blowback of just possibly keeping the name as it stands today. I mean would they at this point? Regardless of their intention the team absolutely heard the backlash of the fans:

The Polarizing Redwolves Debate

Since the day Fred Smoot began pushing the Redwolves last year, it’s developed a rather serious cult following. This name has oftentimes dominated social media timelines with debates (at times heated) back and forth to a similar level of the RG3 vs Kirk Cousins cultists. As many will point to how revered the animal is for Native Americans (somewhat paying homage to Redskins) while also originally indigenous to the area, some detractors find the name to be a childish youth team name. Sure, having a stadium called The Den and a section of the stadium called The Wolf Pack filled with howling fans may attract younger fans does add a positive pitch. Now consider (as many older fans will attest) that going from the history at RFK singing Hail To The Redskins chanting “We want Dallas” to howling and growling in the stands doesn’t exactly honor the team’s rich history either. Regardless of my personal feelings it’s undeniable just how ridiculously polarizing this name has become.

The Redskins name carried a long history of not just honor and pride among the fans and many Native Americans – the name itself became a generational symbol of family and unity. In one of the harshest areas of our country because of its political landscape, the Redskins name was something that always brought families of all generations together. It wasn’t a name that many looked at as a slur as they look upon a false origin of the word “Redskin”. In fact, the name itself didn’t carry the weight from its true origins from the Native American people themselves which carried an honorable and prideful meaning. None of that mattered as the Redskins were a team rich in history and pride that became more than just a name but of lore in many fans. The symbolism of the name ran deep in the veins of the fans passing from generation to generation which brought together families, friends, and complete strangers during the game time experience. The name held great sentiment within most of the fanbase, which never once showing hatred or disrespect to Native Americans (many of whom felt a great loss after Redskins was retired) by using a caricature as a logo or waving our hands doing the tomahawk chop. Long story short, the majority of this fan base will not just settle for any name and will not be pressured to accept a name just because society deems it necessary. The only way a new name will truly be accepted is by getting this organization back to respectability and WIN!!! So whether it’s Warriors, Redwolves, Red Tails, or just the remaining Washington Football Team, just get us back on top raising the Lombardi Trophy again.