Will You Still Wear Your Skins Gear After?

[Monkeydad]

Interesting article on the transition.


https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...e-constraints/


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Experts expressed doubts about whether Washington could realistically complete an entire rebrand by the start of the season. Walsh, for instance, said it was possible to introduce a new name and start to make some changes around the team’s facilities before then, but added “there’s not a ton” that can get done in two months.


O’Keefe and Williams floated the idea of the team playing under generic burgundy-and-gold uniforms that just had “Washington” on them, while a new logo is designed. The Wizards’ transition from the Bullets took a full two years.

While Washington hasn’t solicited suggestions from fans, Walsh said there are steps a team can take to gauge public reaction. He noted that the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights got a good amount of feedback on each of their potential names when the team’s trademark applications were discovered.

Once Washington does settle on a new name, it will have to decide how it wants to introduce it to the public. Williams remembered the Wizards holding two big, televised press conferences — one for the name and another to unveil the jerseys and logos. Williams said the logo unveiling was held at a Modell’s Sporting Goods and everyone who attended the press conference received a T-shirt featuring the image.

But the circumstances around Washington’s change, in particular, could force a different path. Would a splashy press conference, for example, further upset the faction of fans who don’t want the name to change? A Morning Consult poll found last week that 49% of Americans do not want the name changed. Only 29% were in favor, with the other 22% undecided. O’Keefe said it usually takes six to 12 months for a team’s fan base to “get comfortable” with a new name.

“It’s always going to be a mixed bag at first,” O’Keefe said. “No matter how well the Redskins does with this process, you’re still going to have people angry because they love the old name and the new one is new. It doesn’t have any storied history. … At first, they’re still kind of (ticked) off that they lost a name that they cared about.”