After a 3-13 finish to the 2019 NFL season, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder decided that things had to change. He fired head coach Jay Gruden after six mediocre years, drafted star Ohio State defensive end Chase Young and changed the name of the franchise after 87 years as the Redskins. Snyder had a multitude of options and for a new team name eventually landed on “Washington Football Team.”
“When I heard that they chose the Football Team, to be honest, I kinda just laughed,” sophomore Thomas Joplin Van Meter said.
Van Meter, a diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan, had a similar reaction to other fans of rival teams.
“I thought they would’ve chosen something like Senators or Red Hogs, but they just went with a boring name,” said sophomore Colin Manzel, a Baltimore Ravens fan.
Snyder explained that the team name change was temporary, and so when he and team President Jason Wright released a list of names they had narrowed down to, no one was surprised. People, however, were surprised when they saw the names on that list.
The list of names is as follows:
- Red Hogs
- Brigade
- Armada
- Presidents
- Commanders
- Defenders
- Red Wolves
Most students immediately jumped on the name Red Wolves or Red Hogs, with some gravitating to Presidents or Defenders.
“I didn’t really like any of the names, but Red Wolves seems interesting,” freshman Rafa Cabral said.
In a recent Yahoo survey, the name supported most by season ticket holders is Red Hogs.
“Red Hogs would have to be my first choice. I just think the name is so sick,” sophomore Zach Simon said.
The Red Hogs choice pays homage to the “Hogs,” the famous offensive line unit from Washington’s Super Bowl winning squads in the 1980s and 90s. Fans of all demographics seem to agree that the Red Hogs would be a great choice, as it has the potential to have a great logo and honors the history of one of the NFL’s oldest teams. Other names still stand out, though.
“I think Armada would be interesting. It’s like no other name in sports,” Manzel said.
Brigade, Defenders, Armada, and Commanders are the four military-related names Snyder suggested. While they’re very different from what fans may be accustomed to, they embody Washington D.C and its history, unlike the “Red Wolves.”
But when “Red Wolves” was submitted in a fan contest back in 2020, players of the team and fans alike supported the name. Jonathan Allen, a star defensive tackle for the team, even promoted it on his Twitch stream. Others also like that it would work with the previous chant; instead of “Hail to Redskins,” it would be “Hail To The Red Wolves.”
“I think the name is even better than [Washington Football Team] because of the chant. We would get to keep it,” Simon said.
Washington has a big decision to make. But with their recent scandals, a name change seems imminent and would help take attention off of the team’s public spectacles.
