Washington Redskins Rebranding = $$$

It happens almost like clockwork in some form of fashion. Someone re-hashes the old adage of using Native American names for sport teams, like the Washington Redskins, which just happen to be the flavor of the year. Let’s put aside the obvious fact that many people forget that there are more teams out there with Native American names then just the Washington Redskins of the NFL. Let’s also put aside the 81-year tradition that the Redskins have played under the name and had no real issues that I am aware of. To add fuel to the fire, in 2004 the University of Pennsylvania concluded in a study that over 90% of Native Americans find NOTHING offensive about the name. That study alone should put this story to bed, but of course it never really goes to bed. It just takes a nap for a little while until some new reporter on the job is running out of questions to ask and wants to try and drum up a little interest for a possible column in for his paper.

The sports fan inside of me says there is nothing wrong with the name. It has sufficed for 81 years for heaven’s sake. Why now all of a sudden do we want to change it? It has already been proven with multiple polls that Native Americans as a whole do not find anything wrong or offensive about the name. This is a great example of free speech though. When one person has an issue with the name, we all have to listen. As much as the Redskins may not be doing all that well winning football games, you have to understand that they are actually the 3rd most valuable NFL franchise behind the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots.

So let me help those out there that are “for” the rebranding. STOP arguing about the name being offensive. As I wrote above, it has already been proven time and time again that the name and mascots of sports teams are not offensive to most Native Americans. If you are going to continue to keep arguing about this, let’s talk about some actual reasons it would be good to rebrand a sports team.

Unlike already established brands, a complete rebranding can cost millions of dollars. The process of coming up with a new name, mascot, colors, etc. is not all that expensive in the grand scheme of things. For a franchise of the NFL you are probably looking at $500,000 up to $1 million. The real cost comes with changing names, colors, mascots, etc in the stadium. It does actually cost a pretty penny to have your name plastered everywhere and logos on every seat in the house. It should be no surprise to consider spending another $5 million to $10 million in just rebranding your stadium.

Where a sports team will actually see money back into the franchise is with an increase in apparel and souvenir sales. Everyone will want to own a new t-shirt or sweatshirt. Fans that bought gear 10-15 years ago, will eventually rebuy gear with the new monikers and new fans will be excited about the new name, colors, etc. Unless you are a new franchise/team in the area, many organizations only get once chance to capture that “new” customer. Rebranding a franchise and team gives you that option to capture a “new” customer. The old customers will always be there, especially football fans around the local area. You will of course hear complaints for the first season or two, but the overall effect of the new brand will succeed any rumblings you hear on the bottom end.

Rebranding does not have to mean that you throw everything away and start from scratch. Use the old Redskins moniker as a tribute night for promotions to gain even more revenue into your franchise. Rebranding, if done correctly, can be a huge success for teams like the Washington Redskins and should not be overlooked, even by a stubborn owner.