5 new Washington Commanders nicknames to end name-change cycle forever

No. 2 Washington Commanders alternate name: Hogs

‘Redhogs’ was on the 2022 list of name finalists, an homage to the ‘Hogs’ nickname that has circulated the fandom for decades. Again, there’s no need to shoehorn ‘Red’ into the name here — trim it to ‘Hogs’ and you have a short, simple, phonetically pleasing name that has cultural ties to the franchise.

Hogs aren’t as traditionally mighty as wolves, but wild hogs have a gnarly reputation and it feels appropriate to have a pig-themed team. It’s called a pigskin, after all. Hogs are known to charge their prey with heads down and tusks bared. Washington has always been a running back team focused on winning wars waged in the trenches. ‘Hogs’ embodies that.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are proof that pigs can be effectively marketed as fearsome sports mascots.

No. 1 Washington Commanders alternate name: Redtails

Okay, slight departure from the “keep red out of the name!” argument here. Redtails wasn’t on the list of finalists a year ago, but it has been circulating around the Commanders fanbase for a while. From Cody Benjamin at CBS Sports:

"“‘Redtails’ has been a longtime fan favorite for its historical ties to the Tuskegee Airmen, the famous African-American pilots who fought in World War II. It also bears some resemblance to Washington’s best-known nickname.”"

There’s something fitting about using the Washington football nickname to promote diversity, even at the most basic level, after years of shamelessly using a racist mascot. ‘Commanders’ is already a military term, as were several of the name finalists a year ago. This checks the capitol-city patriotism box while also spotlighting a historic landmark of diversity and inclusion in America.

There’s already a plane-themed team in the NFL, but nobody takes the Jets seriously. Maybe, just maybe, folks will take Redtails seriously. More seriously than Commanders, at the very least.