I'd like to see how this pans out. First I'd like to make a collection of good names for our Washington Football Team which might replace the current one. I'm asking you for a team name or names and the reason why you think it's a good one. If you want to keep the old name, say so, and tell us why. Using the edit feature, I'll make a list of the names right here in the OP so that they're all together in one post. When we collect enough names, maybe after a week or so, I'll start a poll in this thread or make another thread with the collection of names in a poll. The membership can then choose from the list and we'll see what happens. If you post a name and I didn't put it in the OP, I must have missed it, so post it again or PM me.
This task of thinking of a good name is not an easy one. Please give it some serious thought. Think about what the name means by definition. Think about the team's heritage regarding its connection to native Americans - do we abandon it completely, or do we try to keep a distant implied connection? Think about how the team name flows with "Washington" (e.g. Washington Werewolves) Think about the number of syllables and how it would sound in our fight song - note that our current fight song
Hail To The Redskins has TWO DISTINCT MUSICAL NOTES associated with Redskins - RED and SKINS - which works perfectly - it seems likely the music was written this way deliberately with one note per syllable (so two syllables would work well [e.g. Hail To The Redwolves]; three syllables might work well depending [e.g. Hail To The Warriors pronounced WAR-yers; Hail To The Sentinals pronounced SENT-nals]; but three syllables doesn't work well with other names [e.g. Commanders]). Think about if/how the name can be shortened (e.g. Nationals to Nats, Federals to Feds, etc.), is it important for the new name to start with R? (e.g. HTTR), is it good or bad if the new name starts with "red" (think about our team colors, Burgundy & Gold)? If all the above is important, which are most important, which are least important? Will ownership embrace your idea?
Thank-you
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List of name possibilities in roughly the order they were suggested:
Werewolves - as in Washington Werewolves - has a great triple alliteration - envision the entire stadium howling and a really cool logo
Football Team - as in WFT - Washington Football Team - this was the name for several years, after Redskins and before Commanders
Football Club - as in Washington Football Club - a nod to American football's roots (rugby, RFC)
Redwolves - "Red Wolf" holds significant importance for the Cherokee Nation and other Indigenous tribes, known as a protector and teacher
Red Wolves - see above - the red wolf's range once included the eastern seaboard incl. the DMV - they are social animals which live in close-knit packs
Commanders - keep the existing name
Representatives - shortens nicely to Reps, fits well with DC as the center of government - plus, our entire fan base "reps" our team
Wolves - nice but it appears that any name with "wolves" in it may be complicated due to TM restrictions - but this article is 3 yrs old - https://tinyurl.com/2tj6px8b
Warriors - could imply honoring native Americans or could imply the US Military w/ diff branches honored at halftime w/ free tix for service people and potentially vets
Sentinels - it has a military feel and the Pentagon is located nearby - it was also the name of the team in the movie "The Replacements"
Revenuers - with IRS on the helmets - terrifying - and the refs deserve a thorough auditing, HTTR
Redfins - Redfin Pickerel, an ambush predator, name fits fight song, starts with an R, starts with Red, HTTR will still work, actual range is Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, DC
Founders - relates to our region
Presidents - relates to our city
Redhawks/RedHawks - a predator - fits well replacing old name for many reasons
Red Storm - fits well replacing old name for many reasons
Burgundy & Gold - that is who we are - team logos, uniforms, stadium, even this site
Nationals - cut a deal with our baseball team for cross marketing, St Louis did it with the Cardinals
Redskins? - ownership, as in the majority owner, has stated repeatedly this name will not be coming back, so there's no point in putting this in the poll next week - sorry
Redhawgs - works well for many reasons and it implies our beloved hogettes, this spelling may help skirt a potential TM issue
Redhogs - see above - this name was a favorite of the WFT front office several years ago, apparently, along with Commanders, Defenders, and Armada
Warthogs - plays with our past and the alliteration sounds nice
Senators - a nod to our DC Sports past
Braves - embrace our original team name in 1932, honor our Native Americans, and it's already in our fight song
Georges - borrow from Buffalo's playbook - The Washington Georges
Federals - OG USFL
Red Tails/Redtails - from the Tuskegee Airmen who served in the US Army Air Forces during World War II. Google it.
Underground - in honor of Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and social activist who was born in Maryland
Duelists - dueling was once a common practice among politicians and gentlemen to settle disputes in DC
Wolverines - these are not wolves, so maybe no potential TM issues, right? They are known for their strength and ferocity. Nice alliteration.
Warpath - it's in our fight song!
Copperheads - they are local in the DMV and they are deadly. And copper is almost a gold color.
Red Cloud - a significant historic figure and a prominent leader in the Sioux tribe in the 19th Century - one of the most important native Americans in history
Blackfoot/Blackfeet - aka Blackfeet Nation or Blackfoot Confederacy, a native American tribe, one of the largest in the US
Commodores - give the Commanders a promotion
Admirals - gives the Commanders an even bigger promotion, sounds better in fight song
Warlords - nice alliteration, fits in fight song
Potomacs - name stems from the Patawomeck Indian Tribe, based in Stafford County, Virginia along the Potomac River
Legends - because in a few years we'll be 100 years old, and we've had a lot of legends on the team (Baugh, Jurgensen, Riggins, Gibbs, etc.)
Spies - because CIA HQ is right across the river in Virginia, and NSA is only a few miles up the B-W Pkwy in Maryland
Red Foxes - lots of foxes in our area - highly adaptable - cunning, intelligent
Lobbyists - DC is famous for them, and like our players and coaches, they're often from out of town
Guardians - emphasizes protection and strength
Monuments - pays homage to the iconic landmarks in the city
Columbians - technically refers to residents of the Territory of Columbia (pre-1871), stems from Christopher Columbus, not to be confused with Colombia
Colonials - the region is within the original 13 colonies
Metros - because the DC metrorail was once regarded as the best in the country - might have TM issues with MY Mets
Lawyers - because DC has more attorneys than any city in the nation
Red Dragons - starts with red - might appeal to the younger generation
Wyverns - nice alliteration, mythical creature often depicted in European folklore, resembles dragon, fierce and powerful, symbolizing strength and protection
Redcaps - a dangerous, evil goblin from English/Scottish folklore, known for its red hat soaked in the blood of its victims
Snakeheads - the northern Snakehead is an invasive species and voracious predator first introduced in the US in the DMV in 2002
Americans - because it's inclusive of all people in America: native Americans, old European immigrants, new immigrants - it will be the new America's Team