(New Poll) The Washington Commanders Brand 2.0: Beer Drinkers and Hail Raisers

[Commander PK]

Yup, it’s all guessing at this point. The problem is there is no name that is obtainable that would find most fans supporting it. If there was, we would have thought of it long before now.

 

[Boone]

I think 'that is obtainable' is more about whether there is a 'will' to do what it takes to obtain it. The NFL is the world's most powerful sports entity and so I tend to believe some of the 'barriers' that have been referenced are not truly insurmountable barriers. I also think they would be hard pressed to not be able to come up with something with greater support than there has been for 'Commanders' and it wouldn't have the stink of Snyder and Jason Wright and Ron Rivera all over whatever they came up with.

We have talked that aspect of the brand to death and by all appearances it is 'Commanders forever' so there's not a lot of value beating that dead horse.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

This isn't necessarily true. I think it's quite possible that Goodell and the NFL made it clear to that they don't support another name change. The Harris group could probably have done it anyway, but I'm not sure new NFL owners are going to die on that hill and it gives them an easy out so they don't have to tackle the monumental task of finding a name that most fans support. I am guessing just like you are - and my only point is, none of us know what the internal conversations have been, what drove the decision most, or what the outcome of a name change would have been.

The only thing I would say is I would bet all the money in my left front pocket numerous in-depth market surveys and studies were done to the financial impact of changing the name.

If the result was “we will all make more money” it would happen. The NFL would get on board quickly and Harris would pull the trigger.

It clearly wasn’t that. So here we are.

 

[Commander PK]

Commanders is better or equal to any name that isn’t a Wolf, a Warrior, or Sentinel. There are a few others maybe. Gladiators…Centurions, Spartans. Something overtly Greco-Roman if they went all in on that look.

To rebrand again to Presidents, Admirals, Monuments, or Armada just because it isn’t the name Dan picked would be asinine.

 

[Spearfeather]

To rebrand again to Presidents, Admirals, Monuments, or Armada just because it isn’t the name Dan picked would be asinine.

If they ever did re-brand again, they would never go with any name like those.
All of those are too simular to, and just as stale as Commanders.

I don't think picking another name just because it's not Snyder, is enough for them, also.

Another re-brand would only come because they genuinely think it would do better with the fans.

 

[Boone]

Wanting to get rid of the Snyder-Rivera-Wright stench and the horrible aftermath of the failed 'rollout' of Commanders, literally a name no fans supported, is a real sentiment. It's not the ONLY sentiment and no one said it was.

 

[Spearfeather]

Wanting to get rid of the Snyder-Rivera-Wright stench and the horrible aftermath of the failed 'rollout' of Commanders, literally a name no fans supported, is a real sentiment. It's not the ONLY sentiment and no one said it was.

I would love for them to get rid of the name, but on the name itself, so far, it doesnt look like the sentiment of the fans has been a large part of the equation.

 

[Commander PK]

I would love for them to get rid of the name, but on the name itself, so far, it doesnt look like the sentiment of the fans has been a large part of the equation.

I am pretty confident they have evaluated the situation and concluded there’s no substantial gain to be had by rebranding again—especially if the alternative names involve years of legal battles or backdoor negotiations. They’ve likely also realized that it will take a generation for this brand to fully establish itself with the fan base.

Winning a championship would accelerate that acceptance, or even just consistent winning for that matter.

I realize that some people of our generation will never like it no matter what they do and that is absolutely a valid position.

I also feel like where they screwed up from jump, was they let the fans think whatever won the popularity contest would be the name picked when that was never realistic or possible, and then waited until the last minute to say so.

 

[Boone]

When you actively solicit fan input (including lots of names that didn't have legal barriers to adoption) and then go out of your way to ignore all of that feedback and go with something Ron and Jason came up with sitting in one of their offices, you pretty much guarantee it's not going to go well. I would bet my house that 'Commanders' was a Rivera invention. He's always had some kind of weird wannabe military obsession, and it's just the kind of thing I could hear coming out of his mouth.

 

[Commander PK]

You may be right my friend…I also think the name and brand could be had on the cheap and that was also attractive to Snyder.

 

[Boone]

Probably right too. One thing we should all be able to agree on, the deed is done. Get busy living or get busy dying - there is nothing to be gained by denying reality. Best we can hope for is they build around the shit name and make it more visually and brand appealing to the extent that is possible.

 

[Spearfeather]

You may be right my friend…I also think the name and brand could be had on the cheap and that was also attractive to Snyder.

On this, I'll just say, they could have just stayed WFT, and as much as some people disliked it, it was as close to just being called " Washington " as we could get ( you could never get a trademark for just the word " Washington " ) and over time I think it would have fared just as well, if not a little better than Commanders.

 

[Commander PK]

I really think the classic visual identity returning is the key to this whole situation now.

When people watch the games, they will see the team they have always known. The name becomes secondary. Even though it’s unlikely, I’d be fine with them leaving the name Commanders off of all of the uniforms just like they did with the Super Bowl era. If they wear the classic threads from here on the name wasn’t on them anyway even when it was Redskins.

 

[skinsmarydu]

My pink Redskins ballcap was slap worn out, so I bought a burgundy "W" hat. That's as far as I'm going. Nothing with the C-word will ever be in my possession.
I grew up in NOVA. Waaaayyyy up in there. We call our fandom a "family illness". I'll never let go of this team, but I can't buy C gear. I just can't.

 

[NickyJ]

The Commanders is a poor man's team name. The Football Team/no name is a homeless man's team name. I'll take the poor man's team name. I want to call the team by a name. If there's no name, it's not a team to me.

 

[Boone]

If there were a 'do over' possible, they should have gone with 'Washington Football Club'. It's not a snarky protest name like 'Washington Football Team'. Yeah - it sounds like a soccer name but that's why it would've been a bit unique. It would've been grudgingly accepted, it would've been more consistent with the 'W' logo, and it's a hell of a lot better than 'Commanders' ever will be.

 

[ES1974]

And some of those poor rookies get given the Commander Tag….yikes, cringeworthy to the extreme.

 

[Boone]

And some of those poor rookies get given the Commander Tag….yikes, cringeworthy to the extreme.

 

[Hailer]

Yeah 2.2.2022 Commanders was horrific. But count me as open to, and optimistic regarding the future Commanders brand.

Washington Football Team and/or Football Club

Nameless team. No identity. Or perhaps the identity is just pissed off football fans giving the finger to the entities that forced the removal of the name. With sincerity, how is the nameless team supposed to resolve the ultimate Snyder stain of losing Redskins? Because we can call the team 'Skins and be slightly less off-base than if the team had an actual nickname? Because it's just different than the name the old clowns picked? No.. choosing to proceed with a no-name team feels way sillier than any name one could dream up. I know others feel differently but the arguments I hear in support of WFT/WFC just fall so flat for me.

[Any other name besides Commanders]

Impossible to find one that is more preferred by most fans than Commanders is today. Most will begrudgingly accept any name given enough time, so why reset the clock when the alternatives (besides Redskins) won't push us further into the stage of acceptance.

Can't wait for the new, but now new, unis.

 

[Single-Bar Facemask]

IMO, Commanders isn't terrible, IMO, it's just nowhere near as perfect as Redskins was.

It's not great, that's for sure. But it's not terrible.