The Washington Commanders have made a branding change that will please historical sticklers.
The club, which rebranded as the Commanders earlier this month, initially released a crest as one of its new marks that included years signifying the franchise's Super Bowl (and pre-Super Bowl) championship triumphs. The main issue: The years stood for the actual year in which the titles were won, not the season completed to reach such a summit.
Historically, record-keepers rely on the season's year to indicate such triumphs. The Los Angeles Rams are the Super Bowl LVI champions, a game won in 2022 but one that capped the 2021 season. And now, Washington will follow this lead with its updated crest.
The aforementioned sticklers will be quick to point out the Super Bowl did not exist in 1937 and 1942 -- those were NFL championships won before the NFL-AFL merger that followed the first four Super Bowls played between the two leagues to complete the 1966-1969 seasons -- but Washington is counting them all the same.
The Commanders' updated crest arrives at the end of a process that required the team to work with the NFL to get the league's approval on adjusted marks. With vendors and licensees involved, it wasn't going to be as simple as changing the years and moving forward. But with the NFL now on board, those vendors and licensees can proceed with producing new merchandise with the updated crest included.
"We have begun the process of updating our crest online and with vendors," the team announced Tuesday. "For fans that have pre-ordered a jersey, the jersey will feature the updated crest and will begin shipping by early July. Licensees are in the process of creating new merchandise with the revised crest and the new merchandise will be in market as soon as possible."
The crest with years included appears on the back of the team's home burgundy and road white jerseys, just above the nameplate. Those jerseys will require adjustments from manufacturers. The black alternate jersey, however, will remain the same, as it displays a simplified version of the team's crest that does not include the years of the club's titles. That crest appears on the sleeve of the jersey.
Washington's rebrand moves the Commanders into a new era of identity after two seasons spent as the Washington Football Team. With the crest issue now addressed, the franchise can move ahead with its new name.
