Another year and another potential name change is looming for the football team in Washington, D.C. More Washington Commanders Name Change Odds have come out. In 1933 the Boston Braves changed their name to the Boston Redskins before moving to Washington, D.C, in 1937. From 1937 through 2019, the team was known as the Washington Redskins. After years of controversy, lawsuits, and sponsors threatening to withdraw their support, the team dropped the nickname Redskins and moved forward as the Washington Football team for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
After receiving more than 40,000 name suggestions from fans, the franchise settled on “Washington Commanders” to pay homage to the US capital’s connection to the military. Following a season as the “Commanders,” the scandals and allegations against team owner Daniel Snyder continued to pile up, and other NFL franchise owners began to apply pressure on Synder to sell the team. In April of 2023, Snyder agreed to sell the team to Josh Harris for a record six billion dollars.
Before the start of the 2023 season, team president Jason Wright said, “We’re looking at everything, we’re discussing everything. It doesn’t matter what effort went in before or any of that stuff. If it comes to discussing it, we’ll discuss it.” Leaving the door open to change. With some odds floating around, let’s take a look at the options and what might be the best fit for the Washington Commanders’ new name.
NFL: Washington Commanders Name Change Odds, 2024 Edition
Washington Commanders Name Change Odds:
Football Team/Club 5/1
Spartans 8/1
Armada 10/1
Magic/Magicians 10/1
Red Hogs 10/1
Presidents 11/1
Ambassadors 12/1
Brigade 12/1
DC’s 12/1
Defenders 12/1
Red Tails 12/1
Senators 12/1
Sentinels 12/1
Wolves 12/1
Crimson 14/1
Owls 14/1
Red Pigs 20/1
Redskins 25/1
Monuments 33/1
Update: Magic Johnson, the new Washington #Commanders minority owner, said the team will consider a name change after this season.
Which name do you think the Washington team should be named? pic.twitter.com/oxyjHNW8ei
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 21, 2023
NFL: Washington Commanders Name Change Odds, 2024 Edition
Football Team/Club: The return to this simple name leads the odds board. When it was first announced this would be their original name change, the reaction was that it was the best they could do. However, if we’re being honest, the name grew on me, and maybe a return to something as simple as “The Washington Football Team” would be a good fit.
Spartans: Sure, the logo for this would be pretty cool unless they are referring to the Canadian apple Dessert, which might be a little weird (if Dan Snyder still owned the team, we couldn’t put it past them). Outside of Spartan Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning, there isn’t much significance tying the region with the name Spartans.
Armada: The Washington Armada doesn’t roll off the tongue. Yes, George Washington crossed the Delaware, but it wasn’t really with a naval fleet. How far do we want to reach on the team’s name?
Magic/Magicians: Maybe this name will magically disappear. It works for the NBA team in Orlando. Let them hold on to the Magic that the name provides them. Yes, Magic Johnson is part of the ownership group, but that’s not enough of an argument. Josh Harris owns the 76ers and likely doesn’t want to be promoting the name of a rival club in a different sport.
Red Hogs: Now, this is a name to bet on. Want to throw it back, tie in with the good part of the team’s history, and just have a sweet name? The “Hogs” anchored the Washington offensive line during the 1980s, leading them to three Super Bowl appearances and winning two of them (1982 and 1987).
Presidents: This one is pretty obvious; Washington D.C. is the home of the White House, which houses the President of the United States (your history lesson of the day). In today’s America, what is one of the most controversial things? Yep, you guessed it, the President. No matter who it is, half of the country loves them or hates them, and let’s be honest, there are a lot better names on this list (well, not Magic, but some of the others).
Ambassadors: “Wow, did you see what the Ambassadors did last night?” Is this the Monday morning office water cooler conversation anyone wants to have? Again, Washington D.C., politics, we get it. It’s still better than the Washington Magicians, but not by much.
Brigade: So, we’ve already done Commanders as a nod to the military. Do we need to do Brigade next? The Commanders lead the Brigade, so this is like taking a step back in rank, although maybe it’s deserved after the years of Daniel Synder. This would have been a cool name option the first time around, but you missed your chance.
DC’s: The Washington DC’s? If you came up with this name, you should be ashamed. If you bet on this name… but hey, good news, Magic fans, we found a worse name.
Defenders: What should we name the team? Hey, the local XFL team made it to the championship game. Maybe we should steal their name.
Red Tails: Alright, we’ve made it back to an actual cool name! The logo ideas here with the World War II airplanes in red and gold colors. At one point, this was the favorite for the team’s name back in 2020.
Red Tails also brings a cool piece of history with it. The Red Tails were the nickname for the Tuskegee Airmen, a cadre of pilots based out of Tuskegee, Alabama, who achieved distinction in World War II. Their name came from the stripe of red paint along the planes’ tails, used for easy identification while in the air. Originally known as “the red-tailed angels” for their ability to protect bombers on dangerous flights over enemy territory, their handle was shortened to “Red Tails,” and it stuck.
As mentioned, this is my favorite idea for a new Washington name. The “Red Tails” were part of the Tuskegee Airmen during WW2. pic.twitter.com/Zgf6nbV0B4
— Marshall Hook (@marshallhook) July 3, 2020
Senators: The Washington Senators were the professional baseball team in Washington, D.C., from 1901-1960 and are better known today as the Minnesota Twins. This would be another nod to the history of the city and a tie-in with its political relationships as well.
Sentinels: We’ve reached out to Keanu Reeves to see if he’s ready to reprise his role as Shane Falco and lead the Washington Sentinels in the 2024 season. We’re patiently awaiting his response. One Redditor did find the same entity that owned Redskins.com also owned DCSentinels.com, so there is that.
Wolves: Hopefully, this would be the Red Wolves, which is a much more appealing name than just the Wolves. Red Wolves would keep the “Red” part of the name, shine a light on the endangered Red Wolf population, and when facing the Philadelphia Eagles, it would sound a lot more intimidating than the Washington Magicians. Count me in on Red Wolves, out on Wolves.
Crimson: Next up in the Washington Commanders Name Change Odds, Crimson. Shout-out to the Crimson DC Whiskey Bar. Otherwise, just no.
Owls: Owls can be fierce predators, even sometimes taking down Falcons. If they are playing Atlanta, this is great news. There was also once a snowy owl overlooking Union Station. Maybe they can ask it to be their mascot.
Red Pigs: Why you would ever consider pigs when Hogs have already been thrown out there is beyond me. However, fans of the rest of the NFC East, and likely every other team, would love the memes and clowning that would come along with this name.
Redskins: 150,000 people signed an online petition to bring the name Washington Redskins back. When you consider the over 334 million people in the United States, it seems like a loud minority. For a long-shot bet, it may be worth it if you are a fan, but unlikely to happen.
The Washington Commanders WILL NEVER be going back to the old team name.
It’s done. It’s over.
Josh Harris told me, “I didn’t want the distraction. So we came out and hopefully we ended that conversation and got the focus back on football, where it should be.” pic.twitter.com/SGNxPiljmO
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) September 8, 2023
Monuments: A monumental mistake? Okay, maybe not that bad, another historical aspect of Washington D.C. The Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and, of course, the Washington Monument itself. Great places to visit, but they are not a great football team name.
