What NFL Teams Changed Their Names?
Contents
Here is a list of NFL teams that have changed their names throughout the years.
Cleveland Browns
In 1953, the franchise was founded as the Cleveland Browns. The team was named after its first head coach and general manager, Paul Brown. The team has used brown and white as their colors since their inception.
Why the change?
In 2015, the Cleveland Browns announced they would be making a change to their team name and logo. The new name would be the “Browns”, and the new logo would be a brown and white shield.
The team decided to make the change due to the negative connotation that the term “Browns” had acquired over the years. The team was also concerned that the old name and logo were not inclusive of all fans.
The new name and logo were well received by fans and critics alike, and the team has since made a return to success on the field.
How the change happened
owner Art Modell announced he was moving the storied franchise to Baltimore. In an effort to keep football in Cleveland, the NFL awarded the city an expansion team that would start play in 1999. The new team took the Browns name, colors and history. The Ravens, meanwhile, took with them Modell’s ownership stake in the legendary franchise.
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Redskins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division.
Why the change?
In recent years, there have been calls for the Washington Redskins to change their name, as it is seen as a racist term. In 2020, the team announced that they would be changing their name and logo. The new name has not yet been announced.
There are a number of reasons why the team may have decided to change their name. Firstly, the term ‘redskin’ is seen as a racial slur. It is used to describe Native Americans, and is seen as offensive. Secondly, the team’s name and logo are seen as racist by many people. The team’s owner, Dan Snyder, has come under pressure from sponsors and fans to change the team’s name.
It is not yet clear what the new name of the team will be, but it is likely that it will be announced in the near future.
How the change happened
In July of 2020, Washington owner Dan Snyder finally succumbed to years of pressure and announced that the team would be changing its name. The decision came after sponsors including FedEx, Nike, and Pepsi had put pressure on the team to make a change. Snyder had long resisted calls for a name change, but in the wake of nationwide protests against racial injustice, he finally relented.
The team is currently in the process of choosing a new name, and a decision is expected to be announced in the coming months. In the meantime, here’s a look at how the Washington Redskins got their start, and how they came to be known as one of the most controversial teams in sports.
The Washington Redskins were founded in 1932 as an expansion team in the NFL. The team’s original name was the Boston Braves, and they played their home games at Braves Field. In 1933, the team moved to Fenway Park and changed their name to the Boston Redskins. The following year, they relocated to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Redskins.
The name “Redskins” is a reference to the Native American heritage of many of the team’s fans. However, over time, it has come to be seen as a racial slur, and many people have called for the team to change its name.
In 2014, then-President Barack Obama said that if he were owner of the Redskins, he would “think about changing” the team’s name. In 2017, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that he would “encourage” Snyder to change the name if he felt it was offensive.
Snyder had always resisted calls for a change, saying that the name was “a unifying force that stands for strength,” but he finally relented in 2020 after sponsors threatened to pull their support from the team unless a change was made.
Houston Texans
In 2002, the Houston Texans became the newest team in the NFL. The team’s name was chosen through a fan vote, with the options being the Apollos, Bobcats, Stallions, and Texans. The Texans won out, and the team has been known as the Houston Texans ever since.
Why the change?
It’s believed that owner Bob McNair wanted a name that would better reflect the city’s energy industry, and many Houston-based businesses were on board with the change. At the time, the Astros were also in the process of rebranding themselves as an “energy company”, so it made sense for the football team to do the same. The “Texans” name was announced on September 5th, 2000, and they’ve been known as such ever since.
How the change happened
In June 2000, the Bob McNair-led Houston NFL Holdings announced its purchase of the Houston Oilers. The team played its first game as the Texans in 2002.
The change from the Houston Oilers to the Houston Texans was not without controversy. In fact, many fans of the team were outraged by the decision. Some even started a petition to try and get the team to change its name back to the Oilers.
Despite the protests, the name change was made and the Houston Texans have been known by that name ever since.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are members of the National Football League (NFL) as a part of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its home games at M&T Bank Stadium and is headquartered in Owings Mills. The Ravens were established in 1996, when Art Modell, who was then the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to relocate the franchise to Baltimore.
Why the change?
In 1996, owner Art Modell announced his decision to move the team from Cleveland to Baltimore. At the time, he decided to change the team name and logo to distance himself and the team from their Cleveland roots. After a fan vote, the new name became the Ravens, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven.” The team’s new logo featured a raven perched atop a shield.
The team has kept the name and logo since moving to Baltimore.
How the change happened
In 1996, Art Modell, then owner of the Browns, announced he was moving the team to Baltimore. As part of the move, Modell wanted to change the team name to distance his franchise from its troubled past and rejuvenate its image. After much public outcry and a failed attempt to compromise on the name “Browns,” the team settled on “Ravens” in honor of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven.”
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League, as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference South division. The team is headquartered in Bank of America Stadium in uptown Charlotte; the stadium also serves as the home venue for the Carolina Panthers.
Why the change?
In July, the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League announced that they would be changing their team name and logo, effective immediately. The announcement came after months of pressure from Native American groups and other critics, who said the team name and logo were racist.
The Panthers are not the only team in the NFL to have changed their name in recent years. In 2020, the Washington Redskins announced they would be changing their name to the Washington Football Team until they could find a new permanent name. In 2019, the Cleveland Browns changed their logo and uniforms after public pressure.
NFL teams have been increasingly under pressure to change names and mascots that are seen as offensive to Native Americans. In addition to the Panthers and Redskins, other teams that have come under scrutiny include the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks, and Cleveland Indians.
How the change happened
In July of 1996, Jerry Richardson, a former player for the Baltimore Colts, became the majority owner of the Carolina Panthers. Two months later, he announced that the team would be known as the Carolina Panthers. The name was chosen after a statewide contest yielded more than 20,000 entries and Richardson personally selected “Panthers” from a list of finalists.
