Washington Redskins
The NFL team in Washington is likely to have a new team name, though the Redskins’ colors will remain the same.
The franchise will continue to use Burgundy and Gold as their team colors, as Pro Football Talk. The logo will not feature any Native-American imagery but fans will have the same colors-scheme on their apparel that they are used to.
Pressure Continues to Mount for Name Change
FedEx, which owns the naming rights to the team’s stadiums through 2025, called for a new team name recently. Amazon is the latest retailer to pull Redskins’ products.
“With the announcement from the Washington team and the NFL, we are removing products with the team’s name and logo from our stores,” an Amazon spokesperson told Annie Palmer of CNBC.com. “Failure to properly close or delete all restricted product listings from your inventory may result in deactivation.”
It was previously reported that Nike—the company that has provided the league with their official jerseys since 2012—believes Washington will change its name and has taken down the current team’s merchandise.
In addition to businesses pushing for a change, Washington D.C. mayor Murial Bowser, is pressing the organization. During a recent interview with The Team 980, she said its “past time” for the team to change the name.
The franchise will look for a new stadium over the next few years and if they want to go back to D.C., possibly at the old RFK location, then a name change might be necessary to receive city funding. Getting the NFL franchise to change its name in addition to returning to D.C. will be quite a win for Mayor Bower.
Bowser has previously endorsed the team coming back to D.C., saying that “all of our teams should be playing within our boundaries.” She proposed using the site of the old RFK Stadium, which is pending demolition.
“We’re not going to chase them down and we’d like them be winners when they come,” Bowser said (via Yahoo). “We don’t feel like we’re in the position to beg for this type of development. We have a great site, we think the best site in the region. And when the time is right, we’re going to make sure the site is activated.”
Chaos in the Redskins’ Organization?
Many within the organization do not know what is going to happen next because owner Dan Synder is only bouncing ideas and taking advice from a small, “insular” circle of advisors. The Washington Post mentions that two of the members that Synder trusts are not even Redskins’ employees.
There are also rumors that Synder isn’t keen on changing the name. He’s said in the past that the name will “never” change.
The Redskins’ business operations have been “chaotic” over the past few months, according to Les Carpenter and Liz Clarke of The Washington Post.
“He seeks advice, but he only hears what he wants to hear. His favorite phrase is ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about!,’” one person close to the situation told the pair of scribes.
Not hiring a new team president after firing Bruce Allen is a major reason why. Allen didn’t produce on the field, though he kept the business side of things running and now there is a void at this critical juncture.
New coach Ron Rivera has received recognition for how he has rebuilt the football team and his ability to establish clear expectations for players. He’s also taken initiative to lead during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, outside of Rivera’s efforts, those Carpenter and Clarke write that the organization has been “paralyzed by the lack of a single decision-maker.”
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