Washington’s 90th Anniversary meets mixed reviews

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July 14, 2022

by David Earl

Celebrating 90 Years

The team’s announcement begins with the Boston Braves and goes through to the current Washington Commanders, which is obvious, but the surprise here is the video plays “Hail to the Redskins!” With the focus on eliminating all Native American references, this was actually a nice touch for the older generation fans. During this promotional time, the interactions among fans and the discussions that have ensued are interesting. The promotional information and the teams plans can be found through them.Β  Today, I’ll discuss many of the talking points I’ve seen or heard and the guys on The Hog Sty Podcast had a great interaction on this 90th anniversary which is well worth a listen (click here). Let’s get into what has been, yet again, a polarizing and controversial topic surrounding this organization’s rebrand as the 90th anniversary now takes center stage.

The Patch Itself

Alex and Jamual had a good exchange on the most recent Hog Sty Podcast regarding how simple and bland the 90th-anniversary patch itself is. As the organization attempts to separate all ties from Native American references and has no established history under the Commanders brand, they clearly went the safe route so as to not offend anyone. While that is understandable, to many, this direction was never necessary as there are aspects of the Washington D.C. history and the team’s past that didn’t reference Native Americans, such as the Hogs, that could have been referenced in the patch design. The various perspectives on this seem to include the following:

  • Too Politically Correct: Although the Hail to the Redskins in the video was surprising, playing too safe gave one appearance of disrespecting the past. While I don’t think this was the intention, but the perception of some is louder than the possible true reality. Going in this direction prevented the organization from utilizing aspects of the past that could have made not only this 90th anniversary go over smoother but making this rebrand more acceptable to the older generation fans. Instead, it paints an unfavorable picture of Jason Wright and this new regime, in the sense that outside opinions are more important than the fan base itself. Fair or not, there is a legitimate concern that Jason, who is viewed as an outsider making decisions without any history tied to this organization, will never make the right decision with the fans in mind. This perception is one of the biggest issues among older fans, who feel that Jason Wright not only will disregard most of what they want to see, but will also go with a politically correct angle that will make them feel more and more disconnected.
  • Just Move Forward: This direction is a common theme among those who only knew Dan Snyder as owner which explains an absence of pride and honor in this organization compared to the older generations. This is not a knock against the younger fans because still being a fan after these two-plus decades shows a unique aspect of fandom that’s more than loyal, but is die-hard through and through. While it may seem fair to question this group of fans’ true fandom at the surface since they are willing to move on so quickly seems fair, this couldn’t be a more inaccurate assessment. These fans have put up with mediocrity and frustration with the Redskins name and are thus devoid of any attachment like the older generations. When given the idea of a fresh new start under this rebrand, of course they are far more receptive.Β  To this group, the approach taken in this 90th-anniversary patch not including any of the history signifies a fresh start. To them, this will create a new identity moving on to a new era of Washington football.

Just these 2 perspectives alone show just how polarizing this rebrand will continue to be and it features two very distinct mindsets going forward. There is a gap that Jason Wright and this organization most likely will never close and winning might not even be that answer to some extent. The only approach this fan base can take is simply to respect each other’s position entering this season while realizing there is no bridge between groups of fans.

90 Years of Washington Commanders Football?

This is an ongoing discussion that always ends with one fan saying another was never a true fan or something in that realm of resolution. There are “never-die” Redskins fans that will never consider this new rebrand to be a continuation of this organization essentially treating the Commanders as year 1 of an expansion team.Β  The other side of the argument is that it’s only the franchise’s 4th name in 90 years and the new direction is exciting and fresh. I see what those promoting this opinion are attempting to justify here but the Braves, WFT, and Commanders have only made up 3 years of the franchise’s history, and that doesn’t truly give respect to the history of the Redskins name. The Vince Lombardi year, George Allen’s over-the-hill gang, Joe Gibbs’ decade of dominance, and the attachment to Sean Taylor (to name a few) bring a level of reverence, and lumping the other 3 names to justify an argument is disingenuous, especially to the older generation fans. As I’ve stated before, the Redskins were more than just a football team to watch every Sunday for families over multiple generations. The Braves, WFT, and Commanders names just cannot touch this level of respect and attachment so it’s obvious why telling fans like myself to get over it and move on as if it’s as easy as switching on and off lights is just ridiculous (to be honest). However, it isn’t fair for the die-hard Redskin fans to judge the younger fans since they seem to be so willing to move on so easily. Given the level of team ineptitude those young fans grew up to watch, it’s easy to see why they are so accepting of the rebrand. They only know of the golden era through stories and highlights, so expecting them to embrace an era that the older fans grew up to love and cheer for is just unreasonable.

What Now!!!

I’m going to keep this short and sweet here: the only thing we fans can embrace each other on is we are Commanders fans regardless of the path taken to get to this point. Whether you are like me holding a loose tie to the Redskins era and counting this asΒ  essentially year one or you are a fan who has fully embraced this rebrand and incorporated it with the past, we have a common path here. In week one of the 2022 season, we will all be Commander fans. Let go of passing judgment on each other and don’t waste your time convincing the other side they are wrong. The only concern this fan base should have now, is how this organization will win in spite of this owner running this team, because he is most likely around for the long haul. Please quit the spiteful banter as you will get nowhere in the long run.