April 29, 2024
You can bet on what you think the new name of the Washington Commanders will be. Even though the new ownership said in January that “a new name was not a pressing issue”, many say that the writing is on the wall and that it’s only a matter of time before the team changes its name once again. Talk about an identity crisis, yikes!
Sportsbook BetOnline.ag has even compiled a list of potential names and has assigned odds that you can actually bet on.
- Washington Football Team (again) +500
- Spartans +800
- Armada +1000
- Magic/Magicians +1000
- Red Hogs +1000
- Presidents +1100
- Senators +1200
- Wolves +1200
- Sentinels +1200
- DCs +1200
- Ambassadors +1200
- Defenders +1200
- Brigade +1200
- Red Tails +1200
- Owls +1400
- Crimson +1400
- Red Pigs +2000
- Redskins +2000
- Monuments +3300
One thing you can guarantee that it will not be is Redskins again. Not in the 2020’s. People are much too sensitive for that name to return. If I was forced to put money on it I would bet on the Red Tails. In an effort to make up for what they probably perceive as the “wrongness” of the Redskins name of almost 100 years, they will try to right it with Red Tails. This is the nickname the name of a famous air wing of fighter pilots who were all black, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
For my money, the best option on the board years ago when all this popped up was to simply change the helmet back to the old design of a, arrowhead decal (see main image) and call themselves “The Warriors”. It would have been a smooth and easy transition. Instead, stories circulated that the previous owner passed on acquiring that name years ago and not it was trademarked by another group.
Yet, another story says that the Washington Football Team approached some native American groups to ask their approval of that nickname and they didn’t like it. I’m not sure of the validity of either one of these anecdotes but you can find more information about that in this reddit thread. That nickname doesn’t even appear on BetOnline‘s list so I suppose it is totally off the table.
Someone else mentioned to me that they thought the Golden State Warriors have the rights to the Warriors trademark so Washington couldn’t use it. But that is not how it works. You are allowed to have the same name as another team so long as it is in another sport. See: SF Giants/NY Giants, Arizona Cardinals/Stl. Cardinals, FL. Panthers, Carolina Panthers and so on.
Conclusion
This could be a bet that holds up your money for a while. If they decide to stick to the Commanders it may be years before your bet is cancelled. This may not be the smartest way to risk your money.
