Never let it be said that President Donald Trump is a man without strong opinions, or the ability to adapt his favorite acronym to fit any occasion.
President Trump opined on Sunday morning that the names of the Washington DC NFL team (previously the Redskins, now the Commanders) and the Cleveland MLB team (previously the Indians, now the Guardians) should be changed back to their original names, correctly noting that the tenor of the country has changed since 2020 (when the Redskins officially dropped their name – the Indians announced they would be changing their name after the 2021 season).
It’s worth noting that neither name change happened without controversy – Washington couldn’t decide on a name right away, but since it was so important to not be the Redskins anymore, the team spent two seasons as the “Washington Football Team” before settling on the name Commanders in 2022. Cleveland picked the name “Guardians” and then was sued became someone in their legal department didn’t do their due diligence, and ended up having to settle with the roller derby team that already bore the name.
It also should be pointed out that both teams still live off the legacy of their previous names. Washington won three Super Bowls under the Redskins name, and two championships in 1937 and 1942, before the Super Bowl was even created. Cleveland won both its World Series titles under the Indians name, and still sells Indians-branded items, and thanks to the “Major League” movies, there is always a market for “Vaughn” Indians jerseys. The name changes are also only a few years old, so there isn’t much emotional attachment to these names by fans.
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