As announced earlier this morning, the Washington Football Team is now set to reveal their new name/identity on February 2.
This change will be both welcomed by many and resisted by many. That is only natural when you are dealing with people, a long-standing tradition and where there has been much emotional and financial investment.
In a video released by the organization, Doug Williams reflects, “We have been ‘Redskins’ all of our lives, but whatever the change is, I am hugging it.”
Desiring a public acceptance, Washington GM Martin Mayhew expressed, “I hope it is something that embraces DC and the culture we have here.”
“We believe we found a name that our fans and our team across the DMV and beyond can really rally behind,” Washington team president Jason Wright declared, announcing the date.
Damon Jones, WFT Chief Legal Officer reflected on some of the complicated issues and that they were, “Looking at all the similar names and logos that might be out in the marketplace, and how to be sure that you create enough distance from rights that other folks have, (so) that you don’t get yourself into legal trouble.”
“In searching the intellectual property landscape, its extraordinarily complicated for something like this that is going to be this famous and this widely used” continued Jones.
Consequently, a fan favorite, “Red Wolves or Redwolves” was ruled out officially. No doubt this was done now, to eliminate a larger disappointment at the time of the actual announcement.
Seeing they were not going to go with “Redwolves” it is probably wise for Wright to have gone ahead and broken that news to the fans now.
Here is a brief mention and glimpse of the new uniform:
First look at the new threads
@Vistaprint pic.twitter.com/udpnXtdoSv
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) January 4, 2022
It now appears that the beloved HTTR may cease to exist.
Whatever the choice will be, a lesson that should have been learned is for Wright and Dan Snyder to avoid the politically correct, horrible over-reaction by the MLB Cleveland franchise who announced they were transitioning from the Cleveland “Indians” and becoming the Cleveland “Guardians.”
We earnestly hope Wright and Snyder won’t similarly blow this transition.