“We are the Commanders,” announced former Redskins quarterback Doug Williams.
That was on February 2, 2022, on NBC’s Today Show, with then-team president Jason Wright overseeing how the name would be announced. Wright was there along with Williams and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. When it came time for the big unveiling, Wright boringly turned to Williams and said, “Doug, what is it?” Williams then spoke those unfortunate words, “We are the Commanders.”
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Wright had been hired and was immediately trying to demonstrate a great vocabulary, assuring his listeners of his past success and business acumen. It was all presentation. “Image is everything” to the impressionable. Wright, who was in charge of the franchise’s business side, then displayed, for three years, an abundance of oversight failures as one thing after another on the business side became increasingly disappointing.
Owner Daniel Snyder and Wright originally came up with something really “creative” after dumping “Redskins,” which had been the team name since 1933. The two geniuses came up with the “Washington Football Team.”
Imagine that an NFL football team named itself the “Football Team.” Of course, it was mocked and ridiculed by many across the nation. The two guys who thought they were smarter than everyone else they employed had managed to make Washington the only NFL team without an official mascot. Think about it. Isn’t it still hard to believe they never saw that as a major red flag?
How did we get to “Commanders”? Early, Wright announced the team would never return to “Redskins.” Then he announced that “Warriors” would never be considered. This was ironic because “Warriors” was the first name that many in the fan base had expressed excitement about on social media. Then Wright said “Wolves” was also ruled out as was “Redwolves” though, that too had generated fan interest.
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Wright had some hired hands (now gone) who somehow saw “Commanders” as the suitable replacement for “Redskins.” They, like Wright, showed little to no appreciation for the franchise’s history. Wright got rid of the franchise’s historic throwbacks and introduced alternate uniforms that had absolutely nothing to do with Redskins’ history. It was all clearly intentional.
But then Wright even went a step further, when he claimed, “Commanders was “something that broadly resonated with our fans.” He smoothly slipped that claim into his presentation. Did it? To this day, how many in the fan base have you met who suggested and supported “Commanders” before the announcement?
Ah yes, February 2, 2022 (2-2-22) four years ago Monday… is the name any better today?
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Four years ago, new name was revealed