The Washington Football Team Announces Major Update About Its New Name
The Washington Football Team is still searching for a new nickname.
The team was known as the Redskins for nearly 90 years before it changed its name to the Football Team at the start of the 2020 NFL season. Now, team owner Daniel Snyder is revamping the franchise with a new name, but it won’t be coming in 2021.
The Washington Football Team name saga
Since 1933, Washington’s football team had long been called the Redskins. The franchise started in Boston but moved to Washington in 1937, and in the same year, it won an NFL championship.
But the historic name finally came under fire last summer as racial injustice swept the nation and woke culture started to become the norm. Fans started to complain that the Redskins nickname was offensive to Native Americans and must be changed immediately. So, Daniel Snyder was forced into some damage control as the public outcry started to outweigh the 87-year history of the Redskins.
In July of 2020, the franchise officially dropped its old nickname and rebranded itself as the Washington Football Team. Snyder didn’t want to rush into a poor name choice, so the Football Team nickname would serve as a placeholder until he came up with a perfect replacement for the Redskins.
The franchise plans to finalize a new name in the near future, and the Football Team even has a website for fans to follow along with the journey.
Follow the Washington Football Team’s search for a new name
When the Washington Football Team announced its new name last summer, it unveiled a website for fans to follow along for updates on the upcoming name change. At Washingtonjourney.com, fans can find the latest news on the name change, hear from head coach Ron Rivera, and even submit a name suggestion of their own.
The Football Team outlined its five-step plan to choose a new identity:
- Transformation – A new beginning
- Discovery – Throughout the 2020 season, we’ll be taking feedback from fans, players, community leaders, and key members of the organization. These suggestions will guide the creation of our new identity.
- Insight – We’ll run everything we hear through research to narrow down our choices and find the best approach for our new identity.
- Creation – We see the vision. Now it’s time to make it a reality. After reaching a decision, we’ll work with Nike, the NFL, and our internal team to start bringing that new identity to life on and off the field.
- Execution – Finally, we put our game plan into action—by unveiling and launching our new identity for the fans, the players, and the future. This will kick off the next century of Washington Football.
Washington hasn’t updated the website with any major information since last summer, but that changed this week.
The Washington Football Team won’t change its name until 2022
On Tuesday, the Washington Football Team updated its journey website with a timeline for choosing its next nickname. It turns out the Football Team will be sticking around for another season.
“New name, new era,” the website states in bold. “We’ve transitioned from our old name. Now it’s time to write a new legacy. The future of Washington Football arrives in 2022.”
Sorry, Washington fans. You’ll still be forced to root for the generic Football Team for one more year. The franchise will decide on its new identity next offseason ahead of the 2022 NFL season. Keep those submissions coming!
