The Washington Football Team now has a new name.
The team is now the Washington Commanders after dropping the team’s original nickname in July 2020, ABC News reported. It temporarily adopted Washington Football Team as the team decided on the new branding.
The team colors will remain burgundy and gold.
Co-owners Dan and Tanya Snyder, team president Jason Wright and former and current players were part of the announcement that was aired live on the “Today” show, WRC reported.
“It’s a name that has the weight and meaning befitting a 90-year-old franchise,” Wright said, according to WRC. “It’s something that, we believe, embodies the values of service and leadership that really define the DMV and this community.”
The team dropped the former name after years of arguments between the owners, Indigenous communities and activists over what WRC said was a “dictionary-defined slur.”
After being rebranded in 2020, the team dropped the logo that depicted a Native American man and instead had player numbers on helmets and “Washington” written across the front of the team’s jerseys.
In April, NBC Sports Washington obtained a list of names sent to season ticket holders to weigh in on.
The names included:
- Aviators
- Wild Hogs
- Presidents
- Capital City Football Club
- Ambassadors
- Monarchs
- Riders
- Redwolves
- Wayfarers
- Griffins
- Warriors
- Armada
- Rising
- Swifts
- Commanders
- Pilots
- Rubies
- Renegades
- DC Football Club
Despite the ongoing debates over the name, the team remained the Washington Football Team for the 2021 season, NBC Sports.
The list was cut down to eight front-runners in September after almost 40,000 fan submissions, WJLA reported.
The names included:
- Armada
- Presidents
- Brigade
- Redhawks
- Commanders
- Redwolves
- Defenders
- Football Team
The announcement was made Wednesday at FedEx Field. But hours before the official announcement, WJLA flew over the field and was able to zoom in onto a banner that read “Washington Commanders” inside the team store.