It has been a head spinning holiday weekend to say the least for Washington Redskins fans. Heavy dollar investors have started putting pressure on partner companies to encourage owner Daniel Snyder to change the team’s moniker. This includes minority owner Frederick Smith, the CEO of FedEx. It has also been revealed by the Washington Post’s Les Carpenter that the name change has been in the works for weeks.
As expected, there are fans that are excited about this and then there are those that are enraged that tradition is allegedly getting trampled on. This includes those that saying that this will destroy the history of the franchise and just trying to erase what has been accomplished since moving to Washington, D.C. in the 1930’s.
I must disagree with those that feel the way the last two sentences of that paragraph. Evolving and moving forward is not trampling on tradition, nor does it erase what has been accomplished by the players that were involved. Much like what we do now, the stories will be told, and we will be reminded of what the glory days were and can be in this region. It is a part of societal evolution.
Yes, when the Redskins were the team of the south before the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tennessee Titans came along. When I was in undergrad at UNC-Greensboro, I would still see older generations wearing Redskins gear around town and even see it when I went down to Charlotte. There are still Redskins flags that were flying last year when I was in Kitty Hawk. There is going to be a generation of fans in those regions that will feel like they will lose some sort of connection to what their parents shared with them.
While this should be acknowledged, it does not mean it is not time to move on. This once storied franchise deserves to move on to being a respectable one both on and off the field. And if we are honest with ourselves and step outside of our fandom bubble, we tend to be the butt of a lot of jokes. Even the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars tend to get more respect.
It can be easy to look at this as losing traditions. I look at it as an opportunity to start new ones. There are those that are in their 30’s or older who were taught current traditions by their parents. Those parents might now be deceased and is a link to them that they are afraid of losing. I full heartedly get that. But for those that have kids, or are hoping to have kids, you have one of the most unique opportunities when it comes to sports. You can teach them new traditions that they can pass down for generations.
I am not saying it is easy to watch something go into the history books and museums. It is reasonable to have an initial negative reaction to change. It is also the easiest thing to do. The real work comes in building something as a community that everyone can be proud of.
A name change will not change the charity work that is done across the DMV, the First Ladies of Football will still be the First Ladies of Football, and the 3 Super Bowl trophies that reside in Ashburn are still ours.
I know that if I am lucky enough to have a child and they decide they want to root for the team I love, they will be taught the history of the team, but also I will create new traditions with them. At the end of the day, it is not about us. It is about the next generation and the generations that follow.
And to that I say, well worth it.
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Alan Lepore joins RedskinsReport.com while still doing outstanding work as an editor/writer at FullPressCoverage.com or @FPC_Redskins. You can follow him on Twitter @AlanLepore or on instagram @leporealan. Alan is a Villanova University MPA Nonprofit Management candidate and is a fundraising/development professional.
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PERSPECTIVE: New Traditions Created by Us Will Follow the Name Change - Sports Illustrated
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