“Color is a powerful measure of loyalty and an indication of a brand,” O’Hara said. The team’s colors are “unique, and that’s who they are,” he said.
He said the name Commanders connects to the significant military presence in and around Washington, DC, although O’Hara said the name sounds a bit generic and may have too many syllables.
“It works with the region,” he said. “But it feels exhausted, not fresh.”
Some names were eliminated because they were used by other teams, or because there were concerns that they would infringe trademarks.
Eventually, four finalists went through a complete design process, which included seeing what they looked like on television, in print, on social media and on uniforms and helmets.
The alternative names included the RedWolves, Admirals, Generals, Armada and Presidents, names that appeared in Wright’s social media announcements and statements, which eliminated some names of controversy because they clash with trademarks held by other teams, including both variations of the RedWolves name.
Teams are sometimes renamed or renamed when they move to different cities or are sold to new owners. The Rams retained their name and colors, but changed their logo and uniforms when they qualified for the 2016 season of St. Louis. Louis moved to Los Angeles. In Major League Baseball, the Marlins replaced Florida with Miami in their name when they moved to a stadium within city limits. The current Cleveland Browns are a reactivated version of the team after Art Model moved his version to Baltimore and it became the crows.
In Washington’s case, the team faced calls from fans, sponsors and Native American groups for years to drop the previous franchise name, which has long been seen as a racial mockery of Native Americans. The team’s owner, Daniel Snyder, withstood that pressure and fended off legal challenges aimed at stripping the team of its brands.
