Revised: 7/13/2020
The US Patent office has officially removed the trademark protection previously held by the Redskins on the grounds that it is disparaging to Native Americans.
From the 2-1 ruling the following was released.
“Petitioners have found a preponderance of evidence that a substantial amount of Native Americans found the term Redskins to be disparaging when used in connection with professional football,” the ruling said. “While this may reveal differing opinions with the community, it does not negate the opinions of those who find it disparaging.”
Original Piece: The Washington Redskins continue to come under fire and for once it has nothing to do with personnel moves or play on the field. The team name is coming under fire due to its offensive nature. It is fairly obvious to anyone that the team name, Redskins, could be considered a derogatory slur to Native Americans. Ten members of Congress have urged Dan Snyder and the Redskins to change their name. These same members have sent letters to all of the owners of the 31 other NFL teams as well as FedEx, the Redskins sponsor.
The team name has been part of a long standing legal battle from individuals looking to eliminate the trademark protection. Dan Snyder, the owner of the Redskins, has gone on the record that he will never change the name. The question is whether the NFL and its owners will apply pressure to Snyder to change the name and preserve the perception of the league.
Now whether you are in the camp that believes it is just a name historic to the franchise or you are a person that believes it is a slur and carries a negative connotation I am not going to try and convince you either way. To me it is fairly easy to see but I am not here to sway your personal opinion. Instead I wondered what other names would be fitting of the franchise. Below is a list of some possible names for the organization if a name change occurs.
Washington Heroes –
A bit corny? Sure but when you have a team that represents our nation’s capital and all the great individuals in our nation’s history why not pay tribute to them. What better way than to call them heroes.
Washington United –
What better way to show respect after changing a historically derogatory name than to trademark the new name with the opposite approach? Sure there is already a DC United but that is nothing Dan Snyder can’t resolve.
DC Destroyers –
Edgy and effective. A new era of football in the nation’s capital could be personified by a team out to destroy the rest of the league and return glory to the organization in need of it.
DC Aggressors –
What better way to pay homage to the offense that will be managed under the new franchise quarterback, RGIII, than to name the team after the style of offense I can see this organization playing for the next five to seven years.
DC Power –
In our nation’s government all of the power players in politics from elected officials to lobbyists all have a presence in Washington. Why not use that to leverage the teams new name. A strong name to go along with the strong and sometimes misguided will of the teams owner.
Above are a few team names that could usher in the new generation of Washington football. Are there any that you would vote for? Any others that you might deem fitting for the football team from our nation’s capital? Sounds off and let’s see what all of you come up with.

5 Comments
cfergy
June 11, 2014 at 1:38 pmi have a little Cherokee blood and im not affended im proud of the name and look as I am w/ Chicago blackhawks, fsu Seminoles. Atlanta brave, and cleaveland Indians, Im proud to here those names no racist or assamed , and why is it a big deal.its hornor, if you give native American some $$ just like the nole every thing will be fine , grow up America,not everything is hate.
Zachary Cintron
May 31, 2013 at 11:21 amI believe the biggest problem with changing the name is that Washington would need to completely rebrand new name, new logo, new color scheme, and more. I don’t believe that there is a name change solution that allows the team to keep anything they currently have. It’s going to turn into a battle just because of the money behind it all.
Adam Solowiei
May 31, 2013 at 2:33 pmZach,
You make a good point. My thought is many of those hurdles could be overcome and the money to that compared to the perception of the league are polar. And while I agree it would be expensive the anti trust issues would be far more expensive to the team and the league. thanks for the comment. Great points.
JR Williams
May 31, 2013 at 8:09 amThe team should be named after the actual Tribe in that area..
Perry Ball
September 25, 2020 at 5:22 pmThat makes the most sense to me. I quote from the following article back in 2013 when the suggestion to change the name of the Washington Redskins was originally heightened:
“In an article in The American Spectator, the current chief of the Patawomeck Tribe, John Lightner, said that while he was not offended by the current name, he would support changing the team to the Washington Potomacs.”
“And I think what you have to do is look at where the name Redskins originated,” he continued. “There are some that give the term Redskin a negative connotation — to indicate that it was created by the white man to offend the Indians — but in reality the term Redskins came from the Indians. And they referred to themselves oftentimes — in treaty negotiations, in meetings with the early settlers – as Redskins. So it’s not a term that the white man created; it’s actually a term that the Indians themselves created.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2013/05/29/retired-patawomeck-chief-says-hed-be-offended-if-redskins-change-name/