Report: Redskins name change could happen before 2020 season
By Ian Cummings
Discussions surrounding the Redskins name have happened before, but this time, it feels different.
In the past, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has put his foot down. He’s had the financial and legal backing, as well as the support of his loyal fan base. But now, his team’s sponsors are leaving him en masse, free from the binds of any legal precedent, and fans, having recognized the degree to which the situation has escalated, are starting to brainstorm ideas for a new team name. Things are different, and it’s likely that the outcome will be as well.
It’s unclear at this point if the Redskins will factor any fan input into their name discussion, or if they’ll handle this transition completely in-house. But recent reports suggest that an official name change is almost a guarantee at this point, and that it may happen sooner rather than later — perhaps even before the start of the 2020 regular season.
According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, a name change for the Redskins could “potentially” happen before the start of the 2020 season. Additionally, in a piece by Washington Post writer Les Carpenter, Ron Rivera is on the record saying that “if we get it done in time for the season, it would be awesome.”
There’s obviously a great deal that goes into a franchise rebranding. Beyond the surface-level cosmetic changes to logos, uniforms, equipment, stadium decor, and other things, there’s also the less tangible task of establishing a new theme that can resonate with a fan base that’s known nothing other than the Redskins for almost a century.
It’s a tough task, to put it lightly; all of these things take time and money. But in the piece by Carpenter, Ron Rivera said that he and Snyder have been talking about the possibility of a name change for more than a month, before FedEx gave their ultimatum, and presumably in response to the wave of social upheaval impacting the United States.
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It’s hard to lay out a specific, concrete timeline for an issue such as this, but one thing is certain: This isn’t like the past. Dan Snyder is acknowledging the calls for change, and is actively working, along with head coach Ron Rivera, to come to a solution that’s in the best interest of all parties.