Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

What do you think will inevitably come of the Commanders franchise? I'm raising this question because it really doesn't seem like Washington D.C. is embracing the new rendition of the NFL team from their city.

I'm watching some highlights of the games played yesterday and the stadium looked like it was about half full (maybe not even that). THe other day on the Pat Mcafee show they were pointing out just how shockingly few people were at the Commanders training camp. Sure we could say that it is just pre-season but I watched the Dallas at Washington game last year and I was shocked just how few people there seemed to be at the game against arguably Washington's biggest rival.

I get that the old name was something that needed to be changed but at the same time I could also totally see fans of the 'Redskins' not feeling like this was the same team that they grew up cheering for.

And probably one of the biggest challenges for the Commanders is that Baltimore is only about forty miles away from Washington D.C. For many the Ravens are probably just as close to where they live as the Commanders are.

They've also been terrible for 30 years. No conference championship appearances since 1991, no playoff wins since 2005. That might have something to do with it.

Jay Z wrote:They've also been terrible for 30 years. No conference championship appearances since 1991, no playoff wins since 2005. That might have something to do with it.

Snyder purchased the team in May of 1999, 'nuff said. The name change added to the teams lack of identity.

I don't think I've met a single Skins fan that uses the new name. Many are vowing not to spend another cent on them until the real name is officially restored. It's nice to see (similar to the Colts marching band) that the fans are still wearing the old gear, still use the old logo etc. They're not giving an inch and they are carrying on with their gameday traditions. This was forced upon them by a tiny minority of corporate bigwigs engaging in economic terrorism vs Snyder (not a sympathetic figure himself) the will of the vast majority of the Redskins faithful was ignored. It's inspiring to see a pushback of this magnitude. The fact that some sort of corporate gestapo was able to meddle and force this doesn't sit well with people. That cabal flexed its muscle and used the power it had to score some PR points at the moment as it could put out press releases saying we are threatening X if Snyder doesn't change the name....but in doing it they upset legions of fans. Those fans have power and a voice and a wallet too. The last thing they want are these non football elitist bigshots from sponsor companies overstepping their bounds and meddling with their team and traditions, or dictating to them what should and shouldn't be.

sheajets wrote:I don't think I've met a single Skins fan that uses the new name. Many are vowing not to spend another cent on them until the real name is officially restored. It's nice to see (similar to the Colts marching band) that the fans are still wearing the old gear, still use the old logo etc. They're not giving an inch and they are carrying on with their gameday traditions. This was forced upon them by a tiny minority of corporate bigwigs engaging in economic terrorism vs Snyder (not a sympathetic figure himself) the will of the vast majority of the Redskins faithful was ignored. It's inspiring to see a pushback of this magnitude. The fact that some sort of corporate gestapo was able to meddle and force this doesn't sit well with people. That cabal flexed its muscle and used the power it had to score some PR points at the moment as it could put out press releases saying we are threatening X if Snyder doesn't change the name....but in doing it they upset legions of fans. Those fans have power and a voice and a wallet too. The last thing they want are these non football elitist bigshots from sponsor companies overstepping their bounds and meddling with their team and traditions, or dictating to them what should and shouldn't be.

The only good thing Snyder has ever done was to push back against those wanting to change the franchise name. Now that the Redskins name has been done away with, coupled with their total irrelevancy for the past 30+ years, its like the franchise has been eliminated from existence. To top it off, the name of "Commanders" is incredibly lame. They could have gone back to the "Braves", or even the "Commodores" would have been better.

'We are no longer the knights who say Ni! We are now the knights who say ekki-ekki-ekki-pitang-zoom-boing!'

Bryan wrote:The only good thing Snyder has ever done was to push back against those wanting to change the franchise name. Now that the Redskins name has been done away with, coupled with their total irrelevancy for the past 30+ years, its like the franchise has been eliminated from existence. To top it off, the name of "Commanders" is incredibly lame. They could have gone back to the "Braves", or even the "Commodores" would have been better.

'We are no longer the knights who say Ni! We are now the knights who say ekki-ekki-ekki-pitang-zoom-boing!'

Warriors would have been another good choice. They could have kept the Indian theme, and went back to that 1971 logo (the circle with the feather attached that has an R in it. They could have changed that to W instead).

Bryan wrote:The only good thing Snyder has ever done was to push back against those wanting to change the franchise name. Now that the Redskins name has been done away with, coupled with their total irrelevancy for the past 30+ years, its like the franchise has been eliminated from existence. To top it off, the name of "Commanders" is incredibly lame. They could have gone back to the "Braves", or even the "Commodores" would have been better.

'We are no longer the knights who say Ni! We are now the knights who say ekki-ekki-ekki-pitang-zoom-boing!'

That's the same way I've looked at Snyder. The numerous negatives always had a last line of; "but at least he said he'll never change the name." Respect conviction.

Of course, changed the name.

When I was watching their game this past weekend -and the uniforms probably played a role- it felt like they were the generic opponent in a football movie.

Also, when they put the new fight song lyrics up on screen (via shot of the video board) I laughed to the immediate self-hum of, "Hail to the Commanders." Obviously no equal to/for HTTR. Would be like The Autumn Wind changing to being a kite, being flown just because ...

Get woke, go broke.

The team has been bleeding fans for quite a few years now. I have been a Washington fan since 1976 and I still am. I question if anyone changes their allegiance over the name change was ever a real fan. There is some debate as to what percentage Native Americans objected to the name but to claim that their objection to the name wasn't a primary factor is dishonest. Sponsors may have forced Snyder's hand but they didn't create the controversy. While I am not crazy about the new name I suspect if that had always been the name most people would be perfectly OK with it. After all if there had never been a team called the Packers and then in 2022 someone decided to name their team that I would probably scoff at that name.

Most of the first pre-season games I saw were played in front of light crowds.