Former Washington owner Daniel Snyder once said that he’d never get rid of the team’s former name. In time, he did.
Under new owner Josh Harris, the team has said it’s never bringing back the abandoned name and logo. And the team continues to send inconsistent messages about whether it eventually will bring back the logo, if not the name.
In May, we looked at the mixed signals the franchise had been sending, surmising that the team is testing the waters on the possibility of bringing back the logo, the name, or both.
Now, A.J. Perez of FrontOfficeSports.com reports that the team will be using the old logo on alumni shirts celebrating players who played for the team before the name was changed in 2020. The apparel is due to go on sale later this month.
But a team spokesperson tells Perez that “[t]here’s no appetite within the Commanders’ organization to bring the former ‘R’ icon with Native American imagery back as an official team logo even as part of a rebrand.”
There might be “no appetite” now. But appetites change. Especially when, as in the case of the alumni apparel, the team is rebooting the discarded recipe.
This seems to be part of a broader effort to ease the logo back into circulation. First, it’s alumni merchandise. Then, perhaps it’s a throwback uniform. In time, who knows?
The logo was never a problem, in and of itself. It was the word that had become, over time, a dictionary-defined slur.
And let’s face it. The political winds have changed. Those who oppose the prior logo and/or name are dismissed as “woke.” Many view last month’s presidential election as a referendum on that ideology — which, taken to its logical extension, will reverse many of the changes made four years ago.
The logo could be regarded as an acceptable compromise. Again, the name was the problem. Although baseball’s Cleveland Indians became the Guardians, the Chiefs continue to thrive without complaint, as to the name to the war chant to the tomahawk chop.
Times change. Appetites change. Ultimately, every pro sports franchise hopes to maximize revenue. Viewed solely as a business principle, the return of the old logo could generate a net financial gain for the Commanders
Then there’s the fact that Snyder is gone. That goes a long way toward opening the door for a dalliance with the old logo. The alumni gear represents the latest step.
Make no mistake about it. If the merchandise sells well and if the P.R. fallout is minimal, the team will continue to change its tune regarding the old logo.
Just like Snyder eating his words about the former team name, Harris possibly will be reversing course on the former logo. The only question is how long will it take?
It all depends on how the rollout of the old logo for alumni merchandise is received.