I've been a lifelong fan of the Washington Voldemorts, aka the Team Who Shall Not Be Named. For nearly two years, they've gone by the Washington Football Team, but this week, they unveiled their new name as the Washington Commanders.
In my opinion, it's a lateral move at best.
It was past time for the original name to change. Redskins (I'm going to go ahead and say it; it sounds weird tiptoeing around it) was never a term I viewed as racially charged; it was just the name of my favorite team. But I'm not the person who might have been hurt by it. I know there apparently were many Native Americans who didn't mind, but it just kept getting harder and harder to say, “Hey, it's no big deal.” We were using a name based on the color of someone's skin to describe a group of people who, by the way, weren't even those people. I can't imagine folks being OK with any other ethnic group being described that way.
When I first heard rumblings about this, 20-some years ago, I resented it. I thought people were accusing me of being racist for liking this team. I still don't remember how they became my favorite (as opposed to my oldest daughter, who roots for the Tennessee Titans because they were wearing more pink than the Cleveland Browns in a Breast Cancer Awareness Month game several years ago). But there were so many players and moments that meant a lot to me, and I didn't appreciate being vilified for it.
That was an overreaction. I don't think most people were calling fans racist, and if some were, well, they're wrong. But once I set that aside, I had to ask myself, why keep the name? I couldn't come up with any reasons, at least none that trumped some people feeling the term was a slur against them.
For a while, I figured they were going to be the Washington Warriors, which, given the spear logo and other imagery people expected them to use, didn't seem to be far enough removed from the problem. Also, there's already a much more famous team, albeit in the NBA, called the Warriors.
Oh. There was a team called the San Antonio Commanders in the short-lived Alliance of American Football? Huh.
I rolled my eyes a little when they used Football Team as a placeholder, but hey, it's nothing if not accurate. And it's a more impressive and intimidating mascot than, say, Cardinals. I mean Cardinals are beautiful birds, but they don't exactly evoke thoughts of strength and speed.
I even got a Football Team T-shirt and hoodie. I wanted a bit of memorabilia from this odd time, but I didn't want that to be the name going forward.
My choice was the Hogs, referencing the nickname for the dominant Washington offensive lines of the '80s and '90s. This celebrated the players like Darrell Green, Art Monk, Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, Dexter Manley, Doug Williams, Earnest Byner, Gary Clark, Chris Cooley, Gus Frerotte and Frank Wychek that made this team special to me. It kept the colors and acknowledged the history without maintaining a name some found hurtful.
Red Hogs was actually on a list of possible finalists that popped up online. Red Wolves was talked about a lot, though apparently there were copyright and other issues. Red Tails gained some traction. Referring to a renowned group of Black fighter pilots in World War II, it was among several military-themed options like Armada, Brigade, Admirals and Commanders.
The only one I didn't really care for? Commanders.
It does clear the most important bar: It's not racist or perceived as such. But other names that fit that bill, off the top of my head, include: the Washington Calendars, Washington Capes and Washington Calamari, and that's just sticking with C-A.
A good sports team name should project skill, strength and excellence, stuff like that. Sure, there are some odd choices out there, but many of those work because of context, history or both.
New York Knicks is short for Knickerbockers, which I always thought was one of the worst names out there. “Oh no! Pants!” But they were the Knicks, had been for years, so I accepted it. Then a friend pointed out that “knickerbocker” was an informal reference to New Yorkers. OK, I get it. My bad.
My favorite basketball team is the Los Angeles Lakers, which fails on several levels, except it's the name of one of the most storied franchises in sports history, synonymous with basketball excellence. Why they kept it after moving from Minneapolis, the Land of 1,000 Lakes, I don't know. But it's fine now. It's grandfathered.
I don't think anybody would name a football team the Packers these days, but Green Bay got its name from its original sponsor, the Indian Packing Co. (in hindsight, it's good they went with the Packing part). Grandfathered.
Commanders is meant to reference the military and the leadership that people associate with the nation's capital, such as the president, aka the commander-in-chief. But it seems to be trying to cover a lot of things.
Back in the NBA, Portland has the Trail Blazers, because of Lewis and Clark. Minnesota's baseball team is the Twins, as in the Twin Cities. In the NFL, the Steelers refer to Pittsburgh's steel industry.
I realize (read: Googled) that commander is a rank in the Navy and Coast Guard, but to me it sounds too general, almost like boss or manager or supervisor. It feels like it's nearly as generic as the Football Team, but without the humorous undertones.
At least they kept the colors, which I guess proves Jerry Seinfeld right: we root for laundry. But they introduced an alternate uniform that's predominantly black, which is something no other team has except every team from Pop Warner to the pros, and not just in football. Add the gold being more prominent than the burgundy and the social media posts questioning the placement of the “W” logo on the front of the helmet rather than the side, and these alternate uniforms make me think “What if Wario played for the Steelers.”
But.
I'm having some fun with this. If my favorite team adopting a name I'm not crazy about and occasionally wearing a uniform I don't care for are the worst things I have to deal with this week, this month, this year, I'll take it. And given the accusations against ownership for the way women have been they treated in the organization, I'd be grateful if this was the low point for the franchise.
It should go without saying that, if true, it's reprehensible and those responsible should be removed from the organization, up to and including ownership. But I was a fan of this team before that happened, I cheered them on for two years without a name, and I'll keep rooting for the players on the field.
I'll also be rooting for the folks off it who I hope are honestly trying to do the right thing. But I do that for every team in the league. Even the Cowboys.
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