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Next Steps for the DC NFL Franchise Going for the Washington Soccer Team
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After weeks of uncertainty, the Washington NFL franchise went one step further by withdrawing its longtime nickname. On Thursday, Washington announced that they would be called the “Washington Soccer Team,” with immediate effect. This is not a name change and final rebrand for the team, it is just the name they want to use until the pending adoption of a new name in the future.
In addition to this name change, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Washington will not have any changes to its color scheme, but the original team logo on the helmet will be replaced by the player’s number in gold. The Washington Football Team will continue the process of withdrawing its team name and hopes to completely dispose of it in physical and digital spaces in the next 50 days, for the opening game of the regular season Sept. 13 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washington will wear these uniforms and helmets for the 2020 season, but will seek feedback from players, alumni, fans, sponsors, and the community for the new team name it will wear at some point in the future. According to reports, fans will be able to purchase “Washington Football Team” products at Fanatics and NFL Shop in the coming days.
This occurs after the club announced on July 13 that it had withdrawn the nickname “Redskins,” which had been associated with the franchise since 1933. The now-old name has been a controversial topic for years, with Native Americans asking to the team that changes from racial insult. The straw that apparently broke the glass in this effort was the power of corporate sponsors. FedEx, which is in the midst of a multi-million dollar stadium naming rights agreement with the club, said in a private letter to the team that they would withdraw their signage from the venue if the name was not changed, citing it goes against the “philosophy of people first “of the shipping giant. Along with FedEx, other major trading partners such as Nike, Target, Walmart, and Amazon have removed all equipment from the team from their websites.
Recent reports indicated that pending trademark issues were the only obstacle for the team to reveal its new identity. It remains to be seen when exactly Washington would like to change its name, either as soon as possible or at the end of the 2020 season.
Several Washington players, such as defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Ryan Kerrigan, posted edited photos of themselves in the new uniforms shortly after this report appeared, and they seem happy with the change.
