Hogs Haven
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.
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Here’s how Sports Illustrated summarized managing partner Josh Harris’s recent comments about the Commanders brand:
[W]hen speaking with media this week owner Josh Harris shut down a name change from Commanders, however, when talking about uniform colors, he mentioned they would be going back to “our” brand.
[I]t does not seem as if the Redskins will be making a comeback anytime soon. While there has been recent merchandise and...such representing the former team name, the name itself seems to be off the table for Harris and the rest of the organization.
However, it does appear that they are looking to get back to a more classical look when it comes to the uniforms rather than the gaudy red uniforms we see now. The current uniforms lack much creativity and don’t really tie in anything that represents the community that is the DMV, so it is likely that Harris and company are looking to get back to the roots of the franchise when examining the next look of the Washington Commanders.
More comments on the Commanders name from Josh Harris:
Harris said the name is here to stay after inheriting it when he and his group bought the team from longtime owner Dan Snyder in 2023.
“I think it’s now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff, so, we’re going with that,” Harris said. “Now, in this building, the name Commanders means something. It’s about players who love football, are great at football, hit hard, mentally tough, great teammates. It’s really meaningful that that name is growing in meaning.”
Harris, who grew up as a Washington football fan, had previously said upon taking over that the team would not be going back to its old name that Snyder dropped in 2020. Aspects of the team’s history, including old uniforms, could return, and it’s unclear if there would be a new logo.
“As far as rebranding and bringing (back) our past, which obviously I grew up with and all the Super Bowl championships and our future together, you’re going to see us head back towards honoring our past and bringing it together with our future,” Harris said.
This has encouraged people to do more of what they were already doing — that is, making proposals about the look and trying to predict what’s going on.
Based on listening carefully to what Josh Harris has and hasn’t said in the 19 months or so that he has owned the team, here’s what I think probably will and probably won’t happen....
