The Washington Football Team Rebrand Reveals a Commanding Lack of Emotional Intelligence

We all make mistakes. We all have things we need to fix. So we apologize. We say we’re sorry. As quickly as possible, because waiting to apologize — or even worse, being slow to correct a mistake — diminishes the impact of those actions on other people.

And definitely calls our sincerity into question.

For years, the nickname for the organization formerly known as the Washington Football Team was a point of controversy. Opponents of the name included tribal leaders, civil rights organizations, U.S. senators, and even President Obama. Even so, team owner Daniel Snyder said he would not change the name.

“NEVER,” he said. “You can use all caps.”

But then investors worth over $600 billion sent letters to partners like Pepsi, FedEx, and Nike calling for an end of their sponsorship of the team. Then some part-owners made their position on the name clear. Then FedEx, the stadium naming rights holder, formally asked that the name be changed. Then Nike removed Washington gear from its website. 

Then “NEVER” became “Washington Football Team,” which it remained until today when “Commanders” was announced as the team’s new nickname.

Imagine you’re Jeff Bezos and you realize “Alexa” is somehow offensive. Would it take you eighteen months to come up with a new name? Unlikely; you’re the king of making two-way door decisions.

Or imagine you’re Elon Musk and you realize “Tesla” is somehow offensive. Would it take you eighteen months to come up with a new company name? If you’re Musk, you would probably tweet a new name that night.

So why was Washington so slow to announce a new name? Partly timing; waiting for the offseason allows new merchandise to be produced and ready for the next. That seems like good business.

But it has the feel of a child told to clean up his room… who displays his sense of injustice by moving as slowly — begrudgingly — as possible.

Which could naturally call into question the sincerity of the process.

Take employees. Like most organizations, Washington claims to value diversity and inclusion. 

But imagine it’s your company, and your mission statement says, “We value diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment.” Yet your official company nickname is a term people have increasingly grown to understand is disrespectful and derogatory.)

You say you understand. You say you’re going to change the name, and in the meantime remove the old name from your branding. 

But then it takes you eighteen months to come up with a new one.

How sincere do you come across to your employees? What talk do your employees think you actually walk? 

While determining the “right” team name was important, ultimately names — like company logos — grow to have meaning. Think “Packers” is a great nickname? Hardly. But it has grown, over time, to have meaning; the word is much less important than what it has come to represent to Green Bay fans. Same with Browns. Or even Bills.

Taking a few months to come up with a new name? That wouldn’t have been terrible. People would have understood.

Taking eighteen months? That seems begrudging. Even petulant.