Washington Is Now the ‘Football Team’ Because Everything Else Was Copyrighted

The Washington football team will officially be going by what they’ve been referred to for a while.

The Washington Football Team.

The organization announced Thursday that, while it works through legal hurdles on the name they want — namely, trolls and opportunists snatching up the copyrights and trademarks — they will go nameless for now. Let’s be honest, it’s beyond time.

Many media members have called them “The Washington football team” for the better part of a decade, instead of the franchise’s official, racist nickname, but while they made this announcement today about their temporary identity, rookies — as recently as Wednesday — are still receiving apparel with the shameful former mascot slapped on.

It was reported on July 2 that Nike had stopped selling Washington branded apparel. The move prompted FedEx to release a statement that day, threatening to withdraw as sponsor of the team’s stadium in 2021 unless owner Dan Snyder took action. On July 13, Snyder finally caved to pressure and agreed to retire the name.

The burgundy-and-gold color scheme will remain a part of the team’s uniform. Numbers will be visible on both sides of players’ helmets. All-new “Washington Football Team” merchandise will be available at the NFL Shop in coming days.

Outside of the name change, Snyder has been wading through muddy waters over the past month, finding himself wrapped up in a number of controversies regarding work climate, sexual harassment, and the team’s minority ownership — representing an estimated 40% share of the franchise — wanting out.