Josh Harris Speaks... Commanders is permanent name.

Harris upgraded the facilities and the stadium this year. He already has detailed more that he wants to do. I think this speaks to the neglect of the prior owner that in year one Harris needed to spend $100 million dollars and that wasn't good enough. Part of me wonders if all these expenditures play a part in the name change decision, too. After all, Josh Harris is rich, but he's not Bill Gates or Elon Musk rich. The amount he paid for the team was more than double his gross worth.

So, maybe adding in the cost of a name change this quickly after looking at how well sales were going and how happy fans were with the team felt like too little bang for the buck given everything else he's already paid out. Some on this board estimated a name change would cost at least $30 million dollars and while that isn't huge in NFL money, it's still a big chunk of change for uncertain returns.

Somewhere in his calculus he knows there's a percentage of name change fans who will never buy anything that doesn't say Redskins. Is that 5% of the name change crowd or 20% or 50%. We don't know. He might. He may have looked into it. I bet he did. If his research shows that the pro-Redskins faction won't be moved and might get further alienated by another new nonRedskin name... maybe he just thought that he'd rather spend on the team than the brand.
 
One thing we do know… he doesn’t feel compelled to explain his decision to the folks it impacts most. He wasn’t even going to put it to bed at the presser except he got cornered into doing so during follow up questions.

He doesn’t need fans to explain his motivations - he could do it himself. Except he doesn’t care to.
 
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Gonna be a lot of pro-Josh Harris propaganda that’ll get lapped up and echoed after this week because they are starting to realize just how big a hit he is taking with many in this fanbase.
 
After watching his interview on Command Center…if it wasn’t absolutely clear before it should be clear now. Everything he said both verbally and non verbally, the way he talked about the “Commanders way”, the new culture, how the name has meaning now…let there be zero doubt. They will expand and alter the brand in the years to come, but Commanders as the name is here to stay. If I’m being totally honest, I’m really not that surprised, and I remain grateful that he gave us a straight answer.

All the fans are going to have to decide how they want to deal with that moving forward.
 
Boone said:
One thing we do know… he doesn’t feel compelled to explain his decision to the folks it impacts most. He wasn’t even going to put it to bed at the presser except he got cornered into doing so during follow up questions.

He doesn’t need fans to explain his motivations - he could do it himself. Except he doesn’t care to.
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I think if he tried to explain it would just piss off people more. I mean he did give his "explanation." The name has become something meaningful inside the building. The players have rallied around it. But let's say he explained it and said it was a business decision. Fans would say he just cares about money and not the fans. If he said that the team rallied around the name then fans would complain that Harris has no feel for the history or tradition. It's a no win scenario. There's nothing he could say that wouldn't light a fire.
 
Commander PK said:
After watching his interview on Command Center…if it wasn’t absolutely clear before it should be clear now. Everything he said both verbally and non verbally, the way he talked about the “Commanders way”, the new culture, how the name has meaning now…let there be zero doubt. They will expand and alter the brand in the years to come, but Commanders as the name is here to stay. If I’m being totally honest, I’m really not that surprised, and I remain grateful that he gave us a straight answer.

All the fans are going to have to decide how they want to deal with that moving forward.
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I notice Harris didn’t use the name Redskins once in that interview, even when talking about Joe Gibbs, the Super Bowls, George Allen, Sonny and Billy, etc., and he closed with an emphatic “Commanders!” This seems like a shift from before, when he was not so intent on burying the old brand and selling the new. I can see why many longtime fans are irritated with him. It’s just strange to attempt embracing the past without speaking its name.

I was more optimistic before. Little things like the switch to burgundy jerseys and gold pants, which are more like our old colors, and bigger things like the tribute to Blackie Wetzel and outreach to old Redskins coaches and players, made me think Harris gets the importance of our traditions and heritage. I’m much less sure of that now.
 
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He pissed more fans off by listing everyone but the fans than anything he could possibly have put out there.

I think my criticism is valid. He has ducked the question for years with vague answers that poured fuel on fan hopes unnecessarily. He didn’t want to answer even now and was forced to. There is such a thing as giving folks the courtesy of the truth - but I also understand that’s not a very time-honored tradition in business circles.

And people saying he just cares about money and not what the fans want, that might be truth too.

As someone mentioned a minute ago, I doubt many fans want to run Harris out of town. I do think he deserves criticism here - this feels a lot more like Jason Wright than Adam Peters.
 
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I forget who I was listening to (I think it was Sam Fortier and John Keim). They were talking about the name and how this organization focuses on winning and building a winning culture. They don’t try and win the off season. They’re not interested in making headlines in April (or February in this case). They’re focused on the stadium, improving the headquarters, building a culture. They specifically mentioned how the players and coaches have built a locker room culture around being a “Commander.” That matters.

Changing the name on a whim, to grab cheap headlines would have been much more a Snyder move—impulsive and counterproductive.

It was an very interesting perspective.
 
He is in a very difficult spot on the name…he is also trying to navigate the politics of it all while trying to secure a new stadium. Maybe the criticism of him in this is justified…I just think he is in a tough spot and no matter what he does somebody isn’t going to be happy. Josh did not create this situation, but he is having to take some heat.

I do agree with burgold’s take that the more details he gives the more people will just pick him apart.
 
Faithful Fan because I think at this point he has come to the conclusion that it is counter-productive to what they are trying to do to bring the old name up. We are now a forward-thinking organization and that is overall a very good thing.

I do hope they make the changes we have heard about to the uniforms, giving us some news on that front may help to soften the blow. Maybe our top draft pick holds up an altered home jersey?
 
Riggo44 said:
I forget who I was listening to (I think it was Sam Fortier and John Keim). They were talking about the name and how this organization focuses on winning and building a winning culture. They don’t try and win the off season. They’re not interested in making headlines in April (or February in this case). They’re focused on the stadium, improving the headquarters, building a culture. They specifically mentioned how the players and coaches have built a locker room culture around being a “Commander.” That matters.

Changing the name on a whim, to grab cheap headlines would have been much more a Snyder move—impulsive and counterproductive.

It was a very interesting perspective.
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This isn’t just about publicity and jersey sales to many of us, and it’s not just about having a good team last season or next, it’s about our identity. It feels we’re losing 90 years of history. I suppose it’s much too late now, but I was hoping to keep more of the old, and I don’t think it would be impulsive and counterproductive to do so.
 
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In my opinion it comes down this magical season. When people go through something like that together, it changes things. Whatever plans and openness people/owners/players/coaches had pre magical season about the name were affected by what they went through and experienced together. And in Harris' and potentially other owners case it pushed them towards there is no way we can change this now. If we went 6-11 I highly highly doubt they close this door.
 
COWBOY-KILLA you are probably right that the season shut the door on a full rebrand, and for me if that really is the truth I wouldn’t trade what we just had this season for a name I like better.

The experiences that I had with my family and friends including the friends here (old and new) are what I carry forward now. My son is 13 and for most all of his life his Dad’s team was a bag of shit. I often felt guilty for bringing him up as a fan when I could have just told him to pick the Ravens or any other team he wanted. This year we made memories that made it all worthwhile. I am so happy that he doesn’t have to feel embarrassed anymore to wear the team gear. We are relevant again…even if it’s as the Commanders.
 
Don't forget our history, culture and our past, but also open your arms and embrace our future. Otherwise you are going to be fighting this for years which is just going to make you miserable.

Honestly? In my opinion? It is our job to be the stewards of this great franchise and be the bridges between the past and the future. My son is 27 years old almost 28 and he has never seen what we saw this year. Let us be the grown mature men and women to teach and lead the future Washington fans. Let us understand and accept this responsibility and do our jobs well.

We cannot change yesterday, we can only change tomorrow. Be the best Washington fan that you can be and teach others to do the same.

HAIL!
 
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If they had won the SB I probably would have understood not wanting to change the name, but they didn't make it to the SB. They still have work to do.

This decision might look questionable facing the tough schedule next year. They could easily be back at 7-10 if the breaks just go the other way next year and losses start to pile up.

Then all the new bandwagoners will stop buying their stuff, and with many of us already boycotting their won't be many sales.
 
A slightly nostalgic move with uniforms and maybe logo would ease some of the negative take from us Washington Redskin fans. It would also increase sales by introducing the new uni's to fans and future fans. It would also remove a little more of the lingering Snyder stench.

I did not expect a name change but that decision should have been shared sooner
 
Feels like the "he couldn't have done any better" and "he was going to take arrows either way" POV is a bit of a losers mentality.

He could have done better, he should have done better, and sure you take some arrows either way...but, less if the name wasn't actual trash or borderline racist. In the end Harris just didn't have the stones to do what is right.

Also, it is really, really sad that this fanbase and franchise is so hard-up for anything positive that folks think a single good season is the reason you make a decision that will effect the franchise for the next century. It's short sighted and stupid, all because of some jerseys JD5 would have sold either way.
 
I'm still saying there's a chance he'll change the name at some point down the road. When I say chance, I mean somewhere in the 1% to 2% range. Which basically means it's not going to happen.
 
Mark The Homer said:
I'm still saying there's a chance he'll change the name at some point down the road. When I say chance, I mean somewhere in the 1% to 2% range. Which basically means it's not going to happen.
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A Lloyd Christmas chance, then? :)
 
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