While the Washington Football Team's new mascot is shrouded in mystery prior to Wednesday's much-hyped announcement, three things are for certain: Some people will love it, some will hate it and others will cling to the old Redskins moniker.
We're certainly not wading into the pro or con pool about Redskins, but know that a team's identity and mascot can be a deep-rooted emotional tie to an organization or school.
But the upcoming unveil got us thinking about the possible new name.
So we know that Redskins is out. And that seems to be a trend across the country as there are 46 high schools, according to the MaxPreps database, with that mascot as many have changed names in the past several years.
But what about the so-called front-runners to replace WFT?
The team has said it's down to three names, but the Associated Press reported Admirals, Armada, Brigade, Commanders, Defenders, Presidents, Redhawks, Red Hogs and Sentinels are in the mix. One of the favorites — Red Wolves — is apparently off the table due to trademark issues with a certain NBA franchise.
There are 14 high schools that claim Admirals as their mascot, including Farragut high schools in
Knoxville, Tenn.,
Chicago and
Farragut, Iowa.
Only
Coastal North Carolina HomeSchool (New Bern, N.C.) boasts of being the Brigade, while there is no rooting section that can say it cheers on the Armada. There also are no fans of the Hogs, but there are five high schools that root for the Commanders, including
Friendship Christian (Lebanon, Tenn.) and
E.D. White (Jacksonville, Fla.).
The colors will be Burgundy and Gold, but rumor has it that the Washington Football Team on Wednesday will choose Commanders to replace Redskins. Friendship Christian of Tennessee is one of five high schools with the Commander mascot.
File photo by Brad Jones
Of the 28 schools claiming Defenders, Warrior Run actually has a cooler-sounding school name than mascot. There are seven Presidents listed in the MaxPreps database and not coincidentally many are tied to actual presidents like Grover Cleveland, Warren Harding and Franklin Roosevelt.
The one fun name on the list — Sentinels — probably has zero shot to replace WFT simply because of the movie "The Replacements" starring Keanu Reeves.
And because no one asked, we looked and there are no "Football Team" mascots around the country, according to our database.
But what about other "D.C.-centric" names not on the list? Well, here are 10 more we think they could've/should've considered and their high school counterparts.
• Bullets. There are four high schools with the same name as the NBA franchise's former nickname that was a nod to a munitions factory in Baltimore.
• Senators. Again a link to multiple MLB teams that played in D.C. There are 16 high schools that honor the Senators, including
Carson (Carson City, Nev.).
• Monuments. There are no high schools with that nickname, but it would be an easy marketing ploy for the WFT, we think.
• Democrats or Republicans. Now this is fraught with peril depending on which side of the aisle you're on. Still, there are two high schools with Democrats — both named Jefferson in
Portland, Ore. and
Los Angeles — while none that call themselves Republicans.
• Soldiers. This is a nod to the fallen laid to rest just outside of Washington, D.C. at Arlington National Cemetery as well as all the men and women serving the country and working at the nearby Pentagon. There are eight prep Soldier mascots, including
EskDale (Utah).
• Battle. Four high schools have taken on "Battlers," including
Gettysburg (Pa.). But considering many Civil War battles were found near the District of Columbia, it is appropriate ... as well as kind of cool.
• Law. We think this is a marketing bonanza — "Laying the Law" has a great ring to it — and while there are no prep "Law" mascots, there's one Lawmen,
Law (Milford, Conn.), and one Lawyers,
John Marshall (Cleveland).
• Finally, another that's funny but likely dead on arrival would be Criminals — and, again, that's probably more favorable depending on your side of the aisle and who's controlling the government. And interestingly enough,
Yuma (Ariz.) is indeed called the Criminals. The name came about based on Arizona's territorial prison in Yuma, but also from a 1913 football game in which Yuma beat the Phoenix Coyotes. According to the school's website, The angry "Coyotes" dubbed the Yuma High players the "Criminals." At first "Criminals" was a fighting word. Before long, students and teachers wore the name with pride, and in 1917, the school board officially adopted the nickname. Yuma High School has been proudly called the home of the "Criminals" ever since.
An unlikely choice to replace Redskins as Washington's mascot is Senators. Carson of Nevada proudly claims Senators and would be a good nod to Washington sports history as the District of Columbia has had several baseball franchise with that moniker.
File photo by Timothy Tsukamoto
