Last July, the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins bowed to woke pressure to jettison the “offensive” moniker and adopt a new name that would not violate the sensibilities of any select group.
They landed on a name that was unlikely to make anyone upset.
In fact, the new name was so bland it was certain to avoid engendering any sort of passion at all — among foes or fans.
They would henceforth — at least for the 2020 season — be known as the Washington Football Team.
Analysts, fans, spectators, and even the most uninterested observers believed the name to be nothing more than an inoffensive placeholder, what with the impending season only weeks away.
But it just might be here to stay.
They’re keeping it?
Now, according to ESPN, Washington football fans could be stuck with the flaccid nickname permanently.
Team President Jason Wright claimed the organization and its fans have warmed to the name, the outlet reported Tuesday afternoon.
Wright said the club is considering Football Team as a permanent name because of alleged fan sentimentality and that the name somehow offers what ESPN said is “a strong connection to the past.”
Regardless of whether fans like it or not, they better be ready for it for 2021, because the Washington Football Team will be the only NFL franchise inside the Beltway. Any permanent name change won’t take effect until the 2022 season.
Wright emphasized that there is not a leading contender for a new name, ESPN reported, but noted that the Football Team handle has some sort of deep tie to the team’s history.
“There are a set of folks that have warmed to the Washington Football Team,” he said. “Some of the things that are emerging from that are the Washington Football Team has something that ties deeply to our history. It feels like that isn’t jettisoning all the things we have been in the past, whereas something that’s completely new might feel that way.”
Claiming that Football Team is not a “complete reset,” Dan Snyder’s top man alleged that a “substantial part” of the D.C. fan base feels the generic name “is a continuation of something” instead of being “something brand new.”
The club is taking suggestions for a new name and logo through April 5 and has received 15,000 submissions so far.
Wright said he is communicating with alumni, international fans, young fans, longtime fans, and members of the military, as well as using focus groups in order to “understand deeply held beliefs.”
Critics of the name change likely have questions as to whether the team ever actually discussed “deeply held beliefs” with, say, Native American groups before they changed their name. The Washington Post actually did — and got results that would likely shock most woke activists demanding “offensive” team mascots be erased.