The Dan Snyder era is over in Washington, and there’s a new sense of optimism around Commanders football for the first time in many years.
New owner Josh Harris is saying the right things following his record $6 billion takeover of the team, and long-suffering fans are taking notice. More than 10,000 Commanders fanatics cheered on the players at training camp on Saturday — the highest attendance at the team’s Ashburn, Va. facility in eight years.
A lengthy barren era
The Commanders — known as the Redskins between 1933 and 2020 — were once one of the NFL‘s most successful franchises, and their home games routinely sold out. Washington won the Super Bowl three times between 1982 and 1991 — but under Snyder‘s ownership, the team’s prestige plummeted, as did the results on the field.
The Commanders have made the postseason just five times in the 21st century and haven’t won more than 10 games in a season in over three decades. But Washington has a core to build around, led on offense by elite wide receiver Terry McLaurin and a high-quality defense that sent three players — Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Jeremy Reaves — to the Pro Bowl last season.
The return of the Redskins?
Now that Harris‘ group is in charge, the possibilities seem endless for Washington and its fans. Public support is gaining for a new stadium, and the team’s controversial old name could even be back on the table.
A petition is making the rounds that could see the Commanders name dropped in the coming seasons, and replaced with the Redskins identity that offended many advocate groups over the eight-plus decades it was in use.
While reverting to the “Redskins” name would draw significant opposition, the push to rename the team again represents fan engagement that hasn’t been seen in the nation’s capital in years.
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