Washington picks Commanders as new NFL team name

Reuters Videos
2 年前

"Today's a big day for our team, our fans. A day on which we embark on a new chapter as the Washington Commanders."

The NFL's Washington Football Team announced on Wednesday that they will now be known as the Commanders, the end result of an 18-month rebrand process that included more than 40,000 fan submissions, countless surveys and focus groups.

"The Washington Commanders? I don't know."

"I don't hate it."

Fan reactions to the new name was mixed. On social media, some were in favor, some indifferent, and some vehemently opposed.

Some predicted the new name would be shortened to the Commies, most likely by fans of rival teams. While some of the feedback was negative, it paled in comparison to the uproar over the team's original name that was widely seen as a racial slur against Native Americans.

The team's co-owner Dan Snyder had long fought off public pressure to rebrand and went as far to say the team would never change their name.

But amid calls for racial justice, following the death of George Floyd, and a threatened loss of sponsors, including PepsiCo, Nike and FedEx - which owns the naming rights to the team's stadium in Landover, Maryland - the team ultimately dropped the longstanding previous name Redskins following a years-long campaign from critics.

The team has won three Super Bowls and is one of the NFL's marquee franchises, ranked by Forbes last August as the league’s fifth most valuable franchise at $4.2 billion.

Many other American professional and college sports teams have nicknames on Native American themes, including the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Blackhawks. Both have defended keeping their names.

Major League Baseball's Cleveland franchise said last July they would change their name to the Guardians from Indians after the 2021 season, a move that drew praise from Native American groups who had long viewed the old name as disparaging.