Washington commanders should have chosen the name Red Hogs

Doug Williams looked a bit surprised. And judging by his faltering, it seems he doesn’t even endorse the new name of the Washington Soccer Team.

Washington commanders.

Franchise National Football League officially revealed its long-awaited secret with Wednesday’s rebranding, burying the name Washington Soccer Team on NBC’s”TODAY“shows. It has been using that generic moniker since dropping the previous name, long seen as a racist insult to Native Americans, in July 2020 after critics Business funding threatens to withdraw business.

During the announcement, Williams, a team executive and the first black quarterback to win the Super Bowl, sat next to Team President Jason Wright, the first black team president in the NFL.

“We’re the Commander,” Williams said.

“It’s what allows us to tie the rich history and unrivaled legacy of this franchise with new traditions going forward,” added Wright.

The NFL team, valued at more than $4 billion, still has the same problems – there are new sexual harassment allegations surrounding the owner, Dan Snyder, allegations that Snyder has denied.

And now the team has its new brand. But it missed an opportunity to revisit a fun part of its past with its name change. Here’s why.

The short-lived American football union owned Commander San Antonio franchise before the league ends in 2019. It is therefore likely that the name was sought after the football property filed for bankruptcy. The union owes more than $40 million, $7 million of which goes to MGMwas the original investor in the AFF, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Throughout the search, Wright, who took over as president in August 2020, solicited fan feedback for a new name. He wrote in a blog post that the franchise could not go along with the Red Wolves fan favorite because of the branding held by other teams. And the President, another rumored name, is the least favorite in the NFL fan polls.

Research firm Morning Consult found Defenders to be the most appropriate. Next are the Admirals and Commanders.

But leading up to the name reveal, I became curious as to what a true fan would think. So I called my good friend Ron Burke, a lifelong Washington football fan, and he told me about the Hogs.

The Hogs moniker originates from 1980s offensive linemen, including Pro Bowlers Jeff Bostic, Joe Jacoby, and Russ Grimm. The team is coached by longtime assistant Joe Bugel, who coined the nickname “Hogs”. The unit helped Washington appear in three Super Bowl games during the 1980s, winning the 1982 and 1987 seasons.

“The name is there, but it never works until you start winning,” Grimm said in an explanatory video Origin of Hogs. Grimm, who is known as “Porky”, said: “The fans – they made it as big as it really is”.

The group is fun and has personality. Hogs thrives on their annual “5-hour club” gatherings, which began in 1982 and take place after practice sessions. And according to Jacoby, they made Hog t-shirts that they wear every Thursday or else get a $5 fine in the group. Proceeds help fund their annual Hogs party.

“You have to be ugly, you have to be fat, and you have to be a peddler to be in the 5-hour club,” former Washington manager Don Warren jokes in the video.

After researching Hogs, I thought the name would fit the team well and the business would stand out. The cargo game is already there with the Hog noses. Fans may wear their clothes again is “Hogettes.” And Ron had some suggestions on how the franchise could honor the original Hogs in the first few seasons to help reintroduce history and rebuild the franchise.

The Red Hogs. Ron agrees. My CNBC colleague Dominic Chu even chimed in on Twitter to endorse “Warthogs” — but that was after the group went with the Commanders.

“That’s what we are,” Williams said. “We have to get on with it. And I like the name. It has a good sound to it. Commanders Washington.”