You won't believe this NFL team's new name and logo

Washington's NFL team announced this month that it would be dropping its name, Washington Redskins, as well as its logo. According to CNN, the team has faced building pressure to change the controversial name, which has long been denounced by Native American groups. The team has now announced a new name: Washington Football Team. How on earth did they come up with that?

If it sounds a little uninspired, don't worry – the name is only temporary. Pending adoption of a new name, the team will go by Washington Football Team for the duration of the 2020 NFL season. Also gone is the team's original logo (featuring a Native American in profile), replaced with a temporary logo (below). If the team is looking for tips for its new identity, our logo design guide is a great place to start.

According to a blog post on the team's website, the temporary name and logo will allow the team "to undertake an in-depth branding process to properly include player, alumni, fan, community, and sponsor input". The team has begun a "50-day process" of retiring all previous Redskin branding from uniforms and physical spaces. The team also shared new uniform concepts (below) showing the temporary Washington Football team branding.

Fans have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the new name, with many amused by the apparent lack of thought that went into it. Even basketball player LeBron James had something to say about it:

Still, we can't help but admire the team's refusal to rush into a quick rebrand, and can forgive the slightly self-explanatory temporary name and logo. It'll be interesting to see what Washington Football Team eventually becomes – football team logos are incredibly precious to their fans, and redesigns can go either way. Some are  popular, like the new logo for Iceland's national team, and some aren't – as LA Rams recently found out the hard way. 

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