Former President Donald Trump is once again lacing up his cleats and getting his head back in the game of professional sports branding. This time, he's going long, threatening to sack the Washington Commanders' new stadium deal unless the team reverts to its former, controversial name: the Redskins.
At a time when WFT's name isn't even WFT, but its location is Washington, and the company's social media and official Internet site remain very basic at best, Trump made it crystal clear what he wants: no Redskins, no stadium on his own personal social media playground. He added: "I just may put a very powerful restriction on them that when it comes to sports, if they don't change the name back to Washington Redskins, and eliminate the disgusting moniker 'Washington Commanders,' I won't allow a deal to be made for them to build a new Stadium in D.C."
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The Commanders, who officially discarded the Redskins name in 2020 amid a long-overdue racial sensitivity team name reckoning, have not given any indication they will reverse course. Owner Josh Harris said flatly, "There are no plans" to go back. With NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser by his side, Harris is determined to bring the team back to the site of the historic RFK Stadium, Trump or no Trump.
But The Donald believes doubling down on old grudges could gain him some political yardage. In his posts, he described the Redskins name as part of the team's "heritage and prestige" and then aimed at Major League Baseball's Cleveland Guardians (formerly the Indians). He noted that the name change very likely cost Cleveland political capital, noting, "MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!" MIGA. Yep, that happened.
The Guardians ' president, Chris Antonetti, answered as if he were at a championship parade level. "It's a decision we've made...we are excited about the future," he told Cleveland.com. Translation: Thanks, but we're good.
Trump's insistence on a name do-over has gained some political allies. Senator Steve Daines of Montana said that the Commanders' rebrand was a form of cultural erasure. Note that the original logo honored a Blackfeet chief. Daines, like Trump, thinks bringing the old name back would be a way of paying respect to the past, not of disrespecting it.
And, yes, there is a movement supporting Trump's thrust. Some 100,000 people have signed a petition urging the Commanders to reinstate the Redskins branding. However, fan noise does not always sway billion-dollar franchises, nor does it sway league commissioners.
Meanwhile, Trump keeps treating football like it's a political campaign, heaving memories as if it were a Hail Mary. Only the Commanders won't play ball.
No one's punting just yet, except that with Trump calling audibles from the stands, the NFL might need to replay the replay on this one. Because if this is their idea of a playbook, it's political theater more than a football strategy.
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