The question of ‘if’ the Washington football team will change their name has pretty much gone by the wayside. What everyone is focused on now is a matter of ‘when’ that name will change.
This change has taken root quickly, as it was publically announced on just Friday that the team would be conducting a thorough review of the name and consider a change. However, we’ve seen over the past couple of days that Dan Snyder and Ron Rivera have been in discussions about a potential change for the past several weeks.
When you consider that Rivera was reported as saying “it would be awesome” if the name could change before the start of the 2020 season, you understand why things have been on such a rampant pace.
According to a report from The Washington Post, Snyder and Rivera have been discussing the name change for a while now, and they even have a few choices that they’re potentially looking at, though Rivera wouldn’t say what they were.
Rivera said he and Snyder have been talking about a name change for more than a month, roughly around the time tribal leaders, politicians and others started their latest push for Snyder to reverse his long-standing policy and eliminate a name that is a dictionary-defined racial slur. He added that Snyder started speaking in earnest with NFL officials about the move 2½ weeks ago and suggested the owner is ready to make the move.
While the talks were initially taking place, they obviously picked up steam this past week when a number of sponsors applied pressure to change the name, which culminated in Nike removing all Washington-related apparel from their website, vowing to not sell any more Burgundy & Gold merchandise until the name was changed.
So like we said at the top, a change feels inevitable at this point. The big question now is what that change will be to.
Rivera said he believes the most important criteria for a new name is that it is respectful of Native American culture and traditions and also is a tribute to the military. The son of an Army officer, Rivera was raised on military bases; he noted that many Native Americans serve in the military, and he believes the new name should reflect that. And he indicated Snyder agrees with that.
“We want to do this in a positive way,” Rivera said, adding that he wants to be sure the name won’t be “a joke.”
Options like ‘Redtails’ or ‘Redhawks’ or ‘Warriors’ or ‘Generals’ have all been mentioned, and there’s a handful of others that have gotten some play as well. If you’re waiting on the edge of your seat to see what it becomes, I bet you won’t have to wait for long; this story is moving fast, and it’s unlikely to slow down soon.
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