This Has To Be A Joke

This has to be a joke. Right? Are we really supposed to accept “Washington Football Team” as a legitimate NFL franchise? As far as I’m concerned, no. Management had a once in a lifetime opportunity to completely change and rebrand an organization in the biggest American sports league and this is what they come up with? They had the choice of ANY POSSIBLE NAME and opted for this abomination. The only parameters that needed to be followed were to not be culturally insensitive yet the new name is likely to offend anyone who cares about the team’s image. In a year where NFL games might not even be played, Washington has still found a way to lose miserably and disappoint their dying fanbase.

As I was writing this, it was announced that the “Washington Football Team” moniker would only be used for this upcoming season while the higher ups continue to decide on the permanent name. While I’m glad that we won’t have to suffer through multiple years of this, I don’t see why we’re being forced to go through one. How hard is it to come up with a name?

If they were worried about the public’s perception of new branding, why not go with the Redtails? The name and message behind it was almost unanimously loved by fans and media alike. I still wouldn’t be surprised if this is the route they take in the future but it annoys me that they’re still indecisive. Nobody was expecting a full logo and uniform shift in the first year, but the least they could do was a name.

The only potential positive to come out of this abhorrent name is the unintentional comedy that could come from the Washington Football Team miraculously winning the Super Bowl. The thought of an essentially nameless team hoisting a Lombardi would be a strangely iconic moment in sports history. For that reason alone, my anger regarding the situation has cooled, but just slightly.

IMAGE CREDIT: Patrick McDermott