Jump to content
Washington Football Team Logo
Extremeskins
Forum Rules and Guidelines

Now that We Are the Commanders....What Will Be our Mascot?

DCdangerous

By DCdangerous
in The Stadium

 Share

Recommended Posts

DCdangerous

DCdangerous

Posted
Posted

So after two years of fans promoting different names and concepts online and in person, our Washington Football Team officially became the Commanders. Not overly accepted, but it was safe, a small reference to our local surroundings (similar to NY Giants). and trademarks were there for the taking. Our uniforms have been presented, and most likely remain that way for the next five years. So our journey is over, right?

Not quite.

I think we all can agree that the new name feels...incomplete. Because there are still a few things missing. A fight song, a shorthand nickname, and yes, a mascot. While everyone can bring in potential fight song lyrics and shorthand nicknames in this thread, the primary focus is to come together and discuss what could be our next mascot. Because let's be honest, our old name didn't exactly give us an opportunity to create a legit. We had superfans like Chief Zee, but never a costumed exaggerated being meant to bring a balance of lighthearted fun and intimidation.

Now some may argue that we don't NEED a mascot. But that argument only worked when we were WFT. Our team is no longer just a football team in Washington with nearly 90 years of history; we have a new name. Packers/Giants/Chargers/Jets are the ones who don't have a mascot, but they have history and their city to make up for no mascot.  We can't act like we have been Commanders this whole time because that can't be faked. And to be honest, the Commanders name doesn't really give personality. Commanders is generic and doesn't have a precise reference. The name claims to be all about leadership and service. But there are different forms of services that are here in DC. Police, Coast guard, Navy, White House, and a variety of armed forces leaders. Our team name doesn't give much to encompass them all. So a mascot is a great way to share a lighthearted and fun image of our team to make up for the generic name.

I know you all feel burned out with the name change journey. But I bet WSH's marketing team is tracking all the dialogue on social media and other platforms to see what fans are creating. So they are still listening to their fans and continuing the journey to finish the whole Commanders package.

First I need to get this out of the way. I am aware and fine with fans making mascots like Cobra Commander and Commandalorian. And it is cool that they they are ready to become new superfans for our team with a nice tongue in cheek reference. But WSH would never officially use an existing IP as a mascot. And having a merch deal with Disney doesn't mean we are free to make a Star Wars based official mascot.

Until a new spread of mascot ideas come to fruition, right now the first Commanders mascot people are suggesting would be a Hog. It makes sense, it was a name for our OL in the 80s and 90s, and we have a charity organization revolved around the hogfarmers. And it definitely has a connection to team history that Commanders doesn't.
I personally am not a fan of a hog for a mascot. While the Hogs were widely known, they didn't represent the whole team. When you think of hog mascots, they are mostly wild tusked red hogs, like Arkansas Razorbacks. Our reference of a hog is the pink domesticated type. Not exactly an animal that can be seen as a leader, more like a follower. That's why front line infantry are usually called the grunts. And when we had the opportunity to name our team the Red Hogs, it didn't go past the "semifinal 8" names. I am sure you all think otherwise, but this is my opinion, not law.
 
1176215124_HOGX.jpg.534f7d94a9e90a17b9a8dfca6f14a741.jpg

If you know who I am, you know I have been pushing for (Red)Wolves since the beginning. And while I am bummed that the trademarks for (Red)Wolves were too much for WSH to maneuver, I knew that the animal itself can still be seen as a mascot for the Commanders. All the traits that a wolf projects also are traits projected by the Commanders name. Leadership, loyalty, intelligence and duty to the group.

But probably one of the biggest connection a red wolf has to what Commanders represents is that many squads and groups in different departments of the armed forces use a variant of a wolf as their nickname. And these are only the active ones:
TimberWolf (104th Infantry Division)
Wolfpack (8th Fighter Wing/3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion)
Greywolf (3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division)
Shadow Wolves (ICE)
Arctic Wolves (1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT))

People who excel in leadership and service like those in the armed forces know to use an animal like a wolf for a nickname because it strikes fun AND intimidation. While the hog may be fun, it is not always intimidating.

While the name didn't get selected, that doesn't mean the passionate fanbase that wanted the name didn't disappear, and that the effort done by that group of fans still counts as part of our team history. The name was one of three finalists (Commanders, DCFC, and Red Wolves) and the marketing team for WSH can still see the potential of the red wolf that they didn't fully achieve.

While Red Wolves was blocked by Arkansas State and Minnesota Timberwolves who owned TMs that they wouldn't share, their trademarks do not include mascots. In fact, mascots are trademarked by their name and not their "species", Like Titans' T-Rac, or Boston's Green Monster. So WSH would not have to worry about being sued by AR St or MINN.
And for those who think we can't have a red wolf mascot because Chiefs have a wolf mascot (KC Wolf), keep in mind the NFL has no problem having multiple animal mascots. There are 2 horse mascots (DEN and IND) and two dog mascots (NO and CLE). As long as our wolf is red, we are within our rights to have another wolf mascot in the NFL.


715502119_redwolfX.jpg.e9d026a75d81c4ebf3bc7073f4969da6.jpg


But instead of bashing each other back and forth with one animal winning, there is a way to bring to please fans of both animals, and even fans of others.

Meet Bryan Flynn. An artist who didn't just make a hog mascot concept, he made a trio set of mascots for Washington. Each one representing a name, an animal the fanbase wanted (a hog, a red wolf, and even a redtail!), a department in the armed forces (land/sea/air), and an area of the DMV

DC - Hog - Army - DC

Meri - Red Wolf - Navy - MD
Val - Red-tailed Hawk - Air Force - Virginia


This got very popular last month. And it shows the Commanders listened to the people from all sides.

Now while one may assume that each team only has one mascot, a couple of teams have multiple current mascots, not just real-life animals but costumed ones.

Browns - Brownie Elf, Chomps
thumbnail1.png.466396abdaa13926a9708edb25bb22cc.pngthumbnail2.png.2ed0bd2541e1c37707d3e2ec024b98e9.png


Saints - Sir Saint, Gumbo

 

thumbnail3.png.3ca607ab289648f8399b194d05efbdb3.png

 

This could be the way to bring in not only the fans who want to preserve history, but the current fans who wanted something fun to balance out the safeness of the name Commanders.
With three mascots, it won't matter if one of the three becomes the primary mascot and the other two as secondary mascots. All facets of the fanbase will feel like their voices were heard.

So I have shared the pros and cons of each animal, followed by a compromise. Hopefully this concept gains steam again this year.

What are you thoughts for what the mascot should be?
  • Like 4
  • Thumb up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bacon

Bacon

Posted
Posted (edited)
35 minutes ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

An oversideCommander_Dan.0.jpg

 

Our Dear Leader, Comrade Daniel Snyder will be the mascot of this his Commanders.

 

Imagine how inspiring it would be to see this on the field every game 

 

Screenshot_20220202-065354_Chrome.jpg

Edited by Bacon
  • Haha 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Commander PK

Commander PK

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 3/15/2022 at 5:22 PM, DCdangerous said:

What are you thoughts for what the mascot should be?

 

You poor poor man. 😄  

 

For me, the way I'm leaning these days is a dog or maybe a hog.  In the early years of the team they had a dog mascot named "The Dutchess."  I think that would be the best at this point and a cool nod to the distant past and origins of the franchise.  Here is The Dutchess with the 1942 Championship team.  

s-l1600.jpg

Edited by Commander PK
clarification
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...