As the name and logo hold racist connotations, everyone, fan or not, have been calling for the Washington Redskins franchise to change its name for years. The call for change has only grown stronger amid recent protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
On Friday, the team announced that it would review the name, and social media has been proposing new names for the franchise since.
“In light of recent events around our country and feedback from our community, the Washington Redskins are announcing the team will undergo a thorough review of the team’s name,” the team said in a statement. “This review formalizes the initial discussions the team have been having with the league in recent weeks.”
People on Twitter have proposed a host of new names, many with meaningful stories behind them. Media personality, Pete M. Rogers, proposed the “Washington Redtails”, which would celebrate the Tuskegee Airmen. He even included mock up designs of a team logo and uniform.
“The name ‘Redtails’ celebrates the WWII Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first African-American military aviators in the US armed forces,” Rogers wrote. “The nickname ‘Redtails’ comes from their planes, which had a distinct crimson tail.”
Head coach Ron Rivera also mentioned honoring the military when discussing a potential team name change.
“the issue is of personal importance to me,” Rivera said. “I look forward to working closely with (team owner) Dan Snyder to make sure we continue the mission of honoring and supporting Native Americans and our Military.”
Another name floating around is the Washington Warriors, which has drawn some backlash despite its good intentions. Under the name, the team would keep some of its design elements such as the arrow.
“Folks tweeting about Washington Warriors with feathers and arrows on the logo missed the whole damn point,” Rebecca Nagle said on Twitter. “Native American cultures and our tribes are real, contemporary diverse and ALIVE. We are not cartoons. And we are not mascots.”
