It’s a big question, too, for a team that started in Boston as the Braves, moved to Washington as the Redskins, and will play this season with the unusual moniker, The Washington Football Team.
An authority figure once told me: “You can never truly understand someone or something unless you know where they’re coming from.” That’s right, too.
The Washington football team recently dropped the team’s nickname because of longstanding concerns expressed by sponsors, fans, and others. For some, the former handle was viewed as a sign of respect for Native Americans.
Courtesy: The Sabre.com
Initially, the team was called the Braves because it played on Braves Field. Boston was the location back then, not DC, as it is today.
When the team moved its playing location to Fenway Park and to avoid confusion with one of Boston’s baseball teams (also named Braves), the team owner of the time, George Preston Marshall, changed the nickname to the Redskins. That was back in 1933. But Boston wasn’t into pro football back then, so Marshall looked to more the team to a more hospitable place.
The new logo was designed by Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, chairman of Blackfeet Nation and president of the National Congress of American Indians. Back then, it wasn’t looked upon as a race issue.
Over the years, the relocated team has had a vibrant history with great personalities like Sonny Jurgensen, Sammy Baugh, Darrell Green, Joe Gibbs, Sam Huff, and Art Monk. The team has been a 5-time NFL champion with the last Super Bowl win coming in 1991.
At issue, now, is how much of that history will be erased. A recent poll found that Washington fans support the name-change. But what will it be? One prediction is the ‘Redtails,’ while another is the ‘Warriors.’
Time will tell how this story turns out.
