Commanders’ Josh Harris on Team Name: ‘Sports Are Supposed To Bring People Together’

Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris explained why the team will not be returning to their long-time nickname.

Whether Washington Commanders ends up being the permanent nickname for the franchise or not, new owner Josh Harris says that the team doesn't plan to return to the controversial team name they utilized from 1933-2019. 

Harris -- whose ownership group is preparing for their first season in control of the Washington franchise -- explained why despite speculation, the old nickname isn't going to be coming back. 

"Obviously, I grew up in D.C. and I was there during the glory years, so I understand why fans love the former name," Harris said. 

"But look, there was a portion of our fanbase that felt disrespected by the former name," Harris continued. "Sports are supposed to bring people together and not be a distraction. I don't want distractions ... I thought it was important that we end the conversation." 

Josh Harris is the new owner of the Washington Commanders franchise. (Geoff Burke/USA Today)

While it's understandable that there's nostalgia tied to the nickname that the franchise had dating back to when they played in Boston, said term is defined in the dictionary as "a contemptuous term used to refer to North American Indian." There was just no way after "retiring" the nickname prior to the 2020 season, a new ownership group was going to bring it back. 

It does, however, seem to be a relatively universal opinion that "Commanders" isn't a very good team name. Heck, the temporary nickname of "Washington Football Team" that was utilized in 2020 and 2021 was much more well received. 

The problem is that there are so many fans who will only be happy if the aforementioned nickname returns, and will refuse to embrace anything other than that. Given that reality, perhaps Commanders will remain on a permanent basis, because it would be quite the undertaking to try to come up with another nickname, only to have a percentage of fans not give it a chance.