Walmart, Target pull Washington NFL merchandise from shelves

Add Walmart and Target to the stores pulling Washington merchandise.

The Washington NFL franchise might be on the verge of a rebrand after sponsors, players, and politicians alike have all expressed their opposition to their antiquated and offensive name and logo.

The Redskins have been feeling the heat from FedEx, the company who bought the naming rights to Washington’s stadium, and Nike, and now both Walmart and Target have hopped on that bandwagon. The retail giants have decided to stop selling any Redskins apparel. 

Washington could be days away from a complete rebrand.

Now that the financial power players have finally started to show some ambivalence as it relates to the name of this team, Washington could be forced to switch the team’s name. Luckily, they already have a few potential suitors lined up if they decide to erase a vestigial element of the George Preston Marshall era.

Of all the potential names Washington could choose if they decide to rebrand, “Warriors” and “Redtails” have gained the most traction. The latter, which already has the support of quarterback Dwayne Haskins, would honor the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American fighter and bomber pilots who served in World War II that had a distinctive red tail on all of their planes. Picking this name would keep “red” in the team’s name while allowing them to keep the classic burgundy and gold color scheme that has become synonymous with the franchise.

The former could allow Washington to continue using the Native American spear motif in their uniforms and marketing, but it’s a bit on the generic side and wouldn’t totally erase the ties to Native Americans. If these are the two finalists, hopefully, Snyder picks the right one.

For as mockable as the Redskins under Snyder have been, they have a promising nucleus consisting of, Haskins, Ron Rivera and Chase Young. Changing the name might be a sign that ownership is finally turning over a new leaf.