The Washington R-Words announced on Thursday that they’re going to, at least temporarily, be known as the “Washington Football Team.” This is, of course, what many media outlets have been calling them for years. While that is their short-term solution for 2020, I think the long-term fix should be a switch to either “D.C. Sentinels” or “Washington Sentinels.”
When it was determined by many that the R-Word nickname was an offensive racial slur, a number of publications stopped using it. Those decisions made a few headlines, but no one really noticed or cared. NFL.com, ESPN.com, and most of the major outlets still used the names, and the story about publications boycotting the name largely went nowhere.
A few years ago, Daniel Snyder famously said that the R-Words nickname wasn’t going anywhere:
We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER—you can use caps.
As we know now, “NEVER” just meant “until sponsors FedEx and Nike demand a name change and refuse to sell our merchandise.”
Why the D.C. or Washington Sentinels?
So, why go with the Sentinels moniker and go with either “D.C. Sentinels” or “Washington Sentinels?”
A few reasons. For starters, this organization needs a complete rebrand. On top of their current nickname issues, a recent story in The Washington Post exposed a toxic culture of sexual harassment and verbal abuse through the organization. They say they want to keep their color scheme (which they’re saying for 2020 because training camp starts next week and they don’t really have a choice) and preserve their history.
But what they need to do is distance themselves from at least their recent history. A complete rebrand and name change accomplish some of that. That other part—changing what sounds like an awful culture inside the building—will have to be part of an ongoing emphasis on improving their workplace.
Another reason is that becoming the Washington Sentinels would just be plain fun. As many know, the movie The Replacements, which came out in 2000 and stars Keanu Reeves, focuses on a fictional football team named, you guessed it, the Washington Sentinels.
Despite the audience score of just 66% and a Tomatometer score of 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s an excellent comedy that you should definitely watch. It’s based on the 1987 NFL Strike and the use of replacement players. The Washington Football Team won the Super Bowl that year, though the strike had ended and the original players had returned by then.
What better way to turn the page on a dark period in franchise history than by going with something light, fun, and marketable like Sentinels? Just try to watch this and not be inspired:
Could Sentinels really happen?
Probably not, but there’s at least one internet rumor giving the name some legs. A Reddit user (who is surely basking in this glory) discovered that the company that manages the team’s current website also registered the domain DCSentinels.com.
John Keim is shooting the rumor down, but journalism isn’t what it used to be. Reporters are wrong all the time (and that isn’t so anything specifically about Keim. He’s a solid reporter.) And if nothing else, Daniel Snyder is an unpredictable wild card. I wouldn’t rule out anything just yet.
So, I think Snyder and the Washington Football Team should adopt the Sentinels moniker.
Embrace it. Get weird. Have some fun.
Hire Gene Hackman to make the announcement. Have a launch party and invite Hackman, Keanu Reeves, Brooke Langton, Orlando Jones, John Favreau (once parties are allowed again, of course) and the rest of the cast of The Replacements.
Copy the exact uniforms used in the movie. Washington has some of the ugliest uniforms in sports anyway, and the uniforms in the movie look a little bit like New England’s throwback uniforms. You can work with that.
Go all-in and erect a statue of Footsteps Falco on the steps of the stadium. Philadelphia has a Rocky statue, and we freaking love it. It’s awesome.
Come on. How much fun would this be:
This is an idea that everyone can get behind. Even Eagles fans.
Pingback: Ranking the potential new names of the Washington Football Team