WASHINGTON — As more D.C. sports fans adjust to having a new name for the football team, they're also restocking their closet and buying new Washington Commanders gear. Sports apparel website Fanatics announced that the Commanders were the top-selling team across all sports this week.
Fans embraced the change at a team event in Landover on Friday night outside FedEx Field.
“At first I wanted the name to be Red Wolves but over a few days, the name has grown on me,” one fan, Shunndell Coles, said.
“I think it’s great for D.C.," former player Rock Cartwright said. "They’re in command."
Lisa Delpy Neirotti, director of sports management at George Washington University's School of Business, said when it comes to all the new gear flying off the shelves, that benefits retailers rather than teams, which split the merchandise licensing revenue. NFL licensing to retailers, like Fanatics, accounts for more than $1 billion per year for the NFL, and that is split between all 32 teams.
Neirotti said NFL team names aren’t chosen lightly.
“When people do a name change they’re testing colors, they’re testing the name, they’re testing logos," she said. "And so there was a scientific process that went into the rebranding and thousands of people were asked questions, interviewed, whether it was focus groups, surveys, and it’s all part of a process and that’s why it took a whole year."
The new name also presents the opportunity for a new identity for the team.
“When the Washington Nationals came into town, there was no reason to try to convert older fans who had been following the Orioles for years," Neirotti said. "They needed to focus on the next generation. And so they sponsored youth little league teams across the region and building that brand name, and now they’ve got a great fan base.”
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