WASHINGTON — It's official: Washington's football team is now known as the Commanders.
Team President Jason Wright announced the new name and unveiled new branding Wednesday morning. Washington retired the name it had played under since 1933 in July 2020 following pressure from corporate sponsors, despite after activist groups, including the National Congress of American Indians, pushing for change for decades.
Head Coach Ron Rivera said the new name allows the organization to start a new chapter.
Following the announcement, reaction on social media was swift and varied.
Soon after word of the new name reached Twitter, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser made a call for the new Commanders stadium to be in the District.
"The next chapter for the Washington Commanders should be a return to winning, right here in DC," The mayor said in a tweet.
Both of the "Commanders" in the White House took to Twitter to chime in.
Meanwhile, our own Darren Haynes made it clear that he knew what the name would be all along.
In a statement, co-owner and co-CEO Tanya Snyder said that there had been 40,000 name submissions and countless focus groups to arrive at the Commanders name.
"This 18-month rebrand process has been a collaborative effort with our fans, alumni, players and local DMV community, all leading to today as we embark on a new chapter in our legacy as the Washington Commanders,"
But immediate fan reaction was less than enthusiastic.
"Two years for this?" tweeted fan Lee Hardwick. "Sounds like when we had a big rebranding contest and came up with the “Wizards." You would think all the marketing revenue the NBA and NFL has, names could be better."
It wasn't all negative, though. at the team store at FedEx Field, dozens of fans were seen grabbing up piles of gear with the new name on it.
"I love the new name, now all we got to do is win," one fan said.
And as Twitter user @dacovert11 aptly said, "I'm still going to howl when they score."
Another fan, who identified himself as, "Rev. T, the people's hype man," was all in on the Commanders name.
"I'm standing with what they call this team, because we are the mighty, the mighty, the mighty mighty Commanders! Get ready! Commanders, baby! Attention! March with me!"
No matter how you feel about the name, one thing is for sure: Winning changes almost anything. Let's hope the Commanders can translate the new name into some Ws.