The Washington Commanders are a Washington Football club. The Commanders play in the NFL as an NFC (National Football Conference) East Division member. The team’s home games are played at FedExField in Landover, Maryland. They are headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia.
The team played over 1,000 games, among the five NFL teams with over 600 wins. It’s the first NFL franchise with a fight song ”Hail to the Redskins” and a marching band. The franchise is valued at 4.2 billion and is considered the league’s fifth-most valuable team.
The team has undergone many updates and changes, starting out as the Boston Braves in 1932. They became the Boston Redskins the following year. In 1937 they relocated to Washington, D.C, and became the Washington Redskins. As a Washington NFL team, they’ve played under several names.
In 2020, pressure from NFL and team sponsors led to the name change. Criticism mostly came from the Native American community. The team played as the Washington Football Team before rebranding as the Washington Commanders.
The team won the NFL Championship in 1937 and 1942, Super Bowls XVII, XXII, and XXVI. They finished as league runner-up six times, losing in 1936, 1940, 1943, and 1945.
They have an overall postseason record of 23-18, with 14 division titles and 24 postseason appearances.
All of Washington’s championships were achieved in the same decade. From 1936-45 the team went to the NFL Championship and won two out of six times.
From 1982-1991 they appeared in the postseason seven times, won four conference titles, and won three Super Bowls. But from 1946 to 1970, Washington experienced somewhat of a drought and never reached the postseason. Since 1991 (their last Super Bowl win), they’ve won the NFC East four times with a winning record in nine seasons. Daniel Snyder is the current team owner.
Famous Washington Commander trademarks
The Washington Commanders have a unique history, a multi-billion dollar net worth, and over 600 wins. Let’s look at the registered trademarks owned by the Washington Commanders, registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), under Pro Football Inc.
The Redskins
The Washington Commanders still own the trademark rights to the ‘Redskins’ team name, although it’s no longer used. It was first used in 1932 and was officially registered in 1967 for use in:
- Entertainment services in football games and exhibitions
‘‘Native American’’ logo
One of the most controversial parts of the Washington Commanders (formerly Redskins) branding is the logo bearing a sideways profile of a Native American tribal leader. This logo is no longer widely used but has been in use since its registration in 1972. It’s registered for use in:
- Entertainment services pertaining to football exhibitions and games
- Football helmets
- Telephones, cellphone accessories including straps and covers
- Decorative magnets
- DVDs related to football
- Eyeglass cases and sunglasses
R logo
The ‘R’ logo consists of a stylized ‘R’ with a feather extending from the upper rear of the design. The ‘R’ logo was registered for use in 1990, and the trademark filing applies to the following:
- Cheerleading services as part of a football exhibition
Read more: Trademarking logos, step by step
Tackle diabetes
The Commanders have done a lot to tackle diabetes, including charitable initiatives. Following its first use in 2013, the trademark application was submitted in 2016. The trademark is registered for use in:
- Charitable services to promote awareness of diabetes
- Entertainment services related to professional football games and exhibitions
- Athletic, sports, and cultural events for entertainment services
Football helmet logo
The unique football helmet logo best associated with the Washington Redskins consists of a sideways view of a football helmet with the Native American Tribal logo on the side. This logo was registered In 1994 for use in:
- Posters, magazines, trading cards, books, notepads, poster books, paper stickers, and other printed matter
- Coaches‘ caps, wool hats, wristbands, tank tops, pajamas, nightshirts, jerseys, raincoats, parkas, and other clothing
Owners club
The Washington Commanders Owners club is a prestigious VIP suite available for premium patrons at FedExField. The trademark filing was submitted in 2000 for use in:
- Stadium services related to special lounge suites at sporting events
First Ladies Of Football
The ‘First Ladies of Football’ are the cheerleading squad related to the Washington Commanders. They were formed in 1962 and are one of the longest-running cheerleading squads. The trademark registration was completed in 2003 for use in:
- Paper products and publications, including calendars, books, and newsletters related to cheerleading
- Entertainment services related to cheerleaders and football exhibitions
Washington football team logo
The Washington football team trademark consists of the words ‘Washington Football Team, Est 1932‘ in a stylized burgundy font. The trademark filing is pending following its first use in 2020. If approved, it’ll apply to:
- Entertainment related to football games and exhibitions
- Clothing for men, women, and children, including sweatshirts, jerseys, footwear, and more
Washington Commanders
The new name has been used since the beginning of 2022, after two years of playing as the ‘Washington Football Team’. The ‘Washington Commanders’ trademark application was submitted in 2022, it is currently pending, but if it’s approved, it’ll apply to:
- Education and entertainment services in the nature of professional football games and exhibitions
- Providing sports and entertainment information online or by cable, satellite, television, and radio
- Arranging and conducting athletic competitions, such as professional football games and exhibitions
- Clothing, footwear, and headwear, namely, caps, hats, visors, headbands, ear muffs, wristbands, tops, T-shirts, tank tops, etc.
- Football fan club services
- Entertainment services, including musical and dance performances provided during intervals at sports events
- Educational services including physical education programs, radio and television programs, and live shows
- Football helmets
- Cellphone accessories and apps
- Decorative magnets
- DVDs related to football
- Computer accessories, including mousepads
- Sunglasses
- Accessories and jewelry
- Calendars, trading cards, printed books, and other printed matter
- Handbags, luggage, shoulder bags, athletic bags, and other bags
- Toys and sporting goods, including plush toys, stuffed animals, playing cards, and board games
- Marketing services, namely, promoting the goods and services of others by arranging for sponsors to affiliate their goods and services with various football personalities and the sport of football; dissemination of advertising for others via online electronic communications networks
Washington Football Commanders logo
The Washington Football Commanders logo consists of a circle within a circle split into four and the words ‘WASHINGTON FOOTBALL’ and the years 1937, 1942, 1982, 1987, and 1991 in the outer circle and the word ‘COMMANDERS’ across the center, plus a stylized ‘W’, 3-star designs, the word and numbers ‘EST 19 32’ in each of the four quadrants. The application is pending as of 2022, but if approved will apply to:
- Education and entertainment services in the nature of professional football games and exhibitions provide sports and entertainment information via a global computer network, a commercial online computer service, cable, satellite, television, and radio
- Arranging and conducting athletic competitions, namely, professional football games and exhibitions
- Football fan club services
- Clothing, footwear, and headwear, including hats, visors, headbands, ear muffs, and more
Wrapping up
The Washington Football team has played under several monikers, building an impressive reputation over 100+ years. With this unique reputation comes intellectual property, which can be worth more than physical property. To protect your intellectual property, you should submit trademark filings with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The Washington Commanders are a multi-billion dollar entity with an array of property to protect, so it’s no surprise that they have around 30 registered trademarks covering unique branding, their cheerleading squads, and some of their commercial services.
