Los Fresnos News

Washington Redskins to officially change their name

By DAVE FAVILA
LFN

After many years of debate and contention over the name, the Washington Redskins announced on July 13 that the NFL franchise will officially change its name.

The team’s new mascot, however, has yet to be revealed, although, according to reports, team executives have actually already decided on a new name, but are working out trademark issues.

The sudden decision came just a few weeks after team owner Daniel Synder had released a public statement stating that the organization was reviewing the team’s name. This, in itself, was a complete reversal by Snyder, who had in the past made it abundantly clear that the debated team moniker would remain unchanged under his watch.

And while the change seems to coincide with the current times where several monuments, products and symbols have come under scrutiny, reports have pointed to the fact that money may have been the true underlying reason for Synder’s change of heart as FedEx, one of the team’s main sponsors, expressed a desire for the name change.

The Washington Redskins were founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, changed to its current name in 1933 by then co-owner George Preston and then relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1937.

The team won two NFL Championships in 1937 and 1942 then went on to win three Super Bowls with the last one coming in Super Bowl XXVI in 1992 with a 37-24 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Since the 1991 season, however, the franchise has struggled to make the playoffs, much less contend for another Super Bowl. The team has not made the playoffs since the 2015 season, which was the last time it won the NFC East title, and in 2019 it had one of the worst records in the NFL, finishing 3-13.

According to Las Vegas oddsmakers, the team’s favored names to replace Redskins are the Redtails, the Generals, the Presidents, the Lincolns and the Veterans, in that order. Other names that have been thrown around include: the Monuments, the Capitols (as opposed to the NHL’s Capitals) and the Americans.

The team is expected to retain its burgundy and gold colors.