Former President Donald Trump’s recent warning was just as dire. That’s because he is speaking out against the new stadium deal negotiated for Washington’s NFL team, the Commanders. In response, he’s threatening to scuttle the deal. For one, he still insists that the NFL franchise change back to its previous name, the Redskins. This seemingly simple name change has raised an uproar nationwide, especially considering its blatant racist implications toward Native Americans.
The Commanders changed to their current name in 2020. This was the first time they’d reset the existing name, the Redskins label, which they’d carried since the team’s start in Boston in 1933. Trump’s threat coincides with President Joe Biden’s January signing of a bill that transferred federal land to the District of Columbia for the proposed stadium. This circumstance has raised significant questions about Trump’s involvement in the deal. Beyond that, it has supercharged the culture war that exists around team names and mascots.
Trump’s comments extend beyond Washington, as he has advocated for Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team to reclaim its former name, the Indians. He said that there’s a “huge clamoring” for this name to come back from fans.
“The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change. What he doesn’t understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!” – Donald Trump
In fact in his public pronouncements, Trump implied that reestablishing the Redskins name would add billions to the Washington team’s value. Josh Harris, the new owner of the Commanders, went out on a limb this offseason. He made it clear that the change to Commanders was permanent and will not be reversed.
The Washington football team’s courageous decision to remove the Redskins name in 2020 came after decades of advocacy and pressure. In December 2020, Cleveland announced it would be retiring its Indians nickname. Wikimedia’s team took this decision in light of increasing sensitivity to the insensitivity shown towards Native American culture.
His remarks have surfaced new interest in ownership dynamics in both franchises. David Blitzer, the new Commanders’ ownership group led by Harris, is a minority partner. He owns a piece of the rebranded baseball team, the Cleveland Guardians. This connection adds another layer of complexity to Trump’s involvement and potential influence over these teams’ identities.
“I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a stadium in Washington.” – Donald Trump
Deploying humor as a tool
Despite Trump’s claims, Josh Harris is all in on the Commanders’ new brand. He praised supporters for fully buying into the rebranding. They look forward to establishing a future in this community as the Guardians.
“We understand there are different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but obviously, it’s a decision we made. We’ve got the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future that’s in front of us.” – Chris Antonetti
As conversations go on about the new stadium and team branding, it’s unclear how Trump’s bombast will affect negotiations. The interplay between public opinion, franchisee choice, and congressional meddling will probably dictate the fate of both franchises in the years to come.
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