Jason Wright says name survey not meant to be WFT's final list originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The potential new team name for the Washington Football Team will always be a topic of conversation until the new moniker is chosen, but the debate as to what it should be jumped back into the forefront recently due to a survey the organization sent to some fans.
Those lists quickly made the rounds on social media, sending many into a frenzy as they evaluated the options and tried to decode what the survey meant. Team president Jason Wright was prepared for that to happen, but he wanted to set the record straight as to what was really going on.
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In his most recent President's Brief blog post, Wright explained that the survey was not an ultimatum for a decision on the name.
"I want to reiterate that the survey is not meant to be a vote -- or a meaningless exercise," Wright wrote. "Instead, it's an important step in our efforts to collect feedback on the types of names put forward by our fans and those we hope to bring into the family."
"The names included in the survey are not a final or a comprehensive list. Let me say that again: the names included in the survey are not a final or a comprehensive list," Wright wrote.
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In two survey documents obtained by NBC Sports Washington, names such as the Aviators, Wild Hogs, Presidents, Capital City Football Club, Ambassadors, Monarchs, Riders, Redwolves, Wayfares, Griffins, Warriors, Armada, Rising, Swifts, Commanders, Pilots, Rubies, Renegades and DC Football Club were all listed as potential options, with others thrown in as well.
Wright explained that the purpose of the survey was not to settle on a name for the future, but rather to gain opinions on a large assortment of names. Some of those may be on a final list, but that grouping is nowhere near being finalized.
As he has stated numerous times throughout the process, the creation of a new brand for Washington will take time and that has not changed. Even as the organization pushes forward, a new name is not coming immediately.
"Once we have a short list of finalists, we will still need to go through the months-long work of legal wrangling, trademarking, merchandising feasibility and dozens of other uninteresting but really important steps that go into the launch of a new name," Wright wrote. "That's why our new identity won't be on the field until the 2022 season."
It's no surprise to Wright that the survey created waves and some hysteria, though that was never its design. It did serve a purpose in the grand scheme of the process but he also wants to make it clear that it is by no means a final step.
