Washington Football Team reveals new name and logo
On Wednesday, the Washington Football Team revealed its new name, revamping a fresh identity for an NFL franchise known for 83 years as the Redskins.
Last week, a non-official name for the Washington Football Team got out to the public sphere and caused some murmurs around the league.
Turns out those leaks were true.
The WFT finally revealed its new name and logo on TODAY after 18 months of market research: 'The Washington Commanders.'
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Commanders team president Jason Wright told Craig Melvin “ it’s a name that has the weight and meaning befitting a 90-year-old franchise. It’s something that broadly resonated with our fans, and it’s something that we believe embodies the values of service and leadership that really define the DMV (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) and this community. It’s also something important that we could own and grow for the next 90 years."
Ron Rivera on Washington's name change: a new era
Head coach Ron Rivera commented on the name change and shared that the new identity reflects a new era for the franchise.
"To me it really is about renaming the team," Rivera told TODAY. "But I also think it's about turning the page to a new chapter. We’ve had a lot of unfortunate things that have happened. But as we go forward what I’m trying to do is, hey, buy into judging us now and where we’re headed as opposed to where we’ve been.”
Washington has won three Super Bowls, since they've started playing in 1932 as the Boston Braves. They were the Boston Redskins from 1933 until 1936, before moving to Washington in 1937. Their nickname remained the same until the end of the 2019 season.
Why the Washington Team had to change their previous name?
Due to the Redskins' racist connotations, Washington was pressured to change their name.
In selecting the new name and a fresh identity to Washington’s team, team officials have held focus groups and received more than 40,000 fans’ submissions.