ACOB S3E6 Sports Brands
SPEAKERS
Blake Howard
Jon Contino
Tracy Clark
Blake Howard
00:00
Team names in the trends of sports design are very different than they were when Cleveland first became a baseball club. If you think about the classic teams like Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, these team names would never exist today. I can't imagine if there was like a brand-new sport with a brand-new team. And you know, it's just like, hey, we're the Miami, you know, blue shorts or something. Like, what's wrong with you? Like, why would that be a name? You know, it comes from such a time period. It feels natural, and it feels right. It's quirky, and it's funny, and it's like, no one thinks about it.
Blake Howard
00:49
Hey, everyone, welcome to a Change of Brand, a show featuring behind the scenes stories of rebrand glory, drama, or disaster. I'm your host, Blake Howard. Today, we get to combine two things that I love, branding and sports. We're going to look at the many challenges and tensions that face the beloved brands in the world of athletics. Namely, why is it so hard to change? And it's going to be a little different. Instead of diving deep into one rebrand story, we are going to cover a lot of ground with several for my sports lovers out, there think more like zone coverage then man to man? And for my non-sports listeners. Well, are you sure you clicked on the right episode? Nonetheless, you might learn something today. Over the past few years, we've seen many rebrands pop up from the professional sports leagues across the globe. Today we'll focus mostly on the National Football League and Major League Baseball here in the United States. There seems to be two main reasons to change to become more relevant or to remove a stain the legacy of a racist stereotype mascot, the latter obviously requiring a lot of effort to make the wrong more right. Speaking of wrong the two brands we will talk the most about will be the Cleveland Guardians previously known as the Cleveland Indians, a major league baseball team, and the Washington Commanders an NFL team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. Before we go there, however, let's get more backstory on sports branding in America and why so many teams have taken on racist tropes. Here's brand strategist Tracy Clark, for our briefing.
Tracy Clark
02:43
Noted activists have pushed for change since the 1960s. Racist team mascots have endured in America, from grade schools, high schools and colleges all the way up to professional sports teams. But where did these images even come from? The United States has a long history of racist imagery as it relates to African Americans. You may want to check out our season two episode on Pearl Milling Company for a deep dive on that. But there's a similarly disturbing tradition of Native American culture being twisted into ugly stereotypes from the Boston Tea Party to baseball. As the population of white settlers grew in the 19th century, the United States government started reneging on its agreement that Native American tribes were sovereign nations, and initiated several policies that undermine tribes right to self-government. As a result, Native Americans were systematically exterminated through warfare, foreign disease and forced removal from their homelands. Once white America rendered Native Americans invisible, they reimagined indigenous life, reducing entire cultures into caricatures via tomahawks, headdresses and war paint. This romanticized image of the Native American appeared on a wide variety of consumer products in the 19th and 20th century from motorcycles and cigarettes to butter and beef jerky. By the late 19 century sports teams were in on the act. The Atlanta Braves considered Major League Baseball's oldest team began as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871. Not to be confused with the Boston Red Sox, the team changed its name to the Boston Braves, a name that survived moves from Milwaukee and finally Atlanta. Throughout the next century, racist team naming prevailed overwhelmingly though racist imagery in sports centers around Native Americans. According to the National Congress of American Indians, today, an estimated 19,122 American elementary, middle school or high schools use mascots bearing names related to Native American people or culture, or even outright slurs. In professional sports many teams stubbornly refused to change their names and logos, namely the Atlanta Braves, who compete in the MLB, Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL, and Kansas City Chiefs members of the NFL. Only the Florida State Seminoles have the endorsement and permission of the native tribe to use their name. The university rewards their permission with a program that pays 80% of tuition for admitted students who live on the Seminole reservation. However, there are two notable examples of longtime holdouts taking a step in the right direction by enacting team name changes. After decades of public pleading and pressure, the Washington Redskins announced in 2020 that they would officially retire the Redskins brand that had endured since 1933. Although the team’s name contained a literal racial slur, Redskins leadership defended its use by citing public opinion polls, and varying definitions of what the word actually means. In the wake of George Floyd's May 2020 murder, social pressure began to mount. Finally, when big name sponsors like Amazon, Nike, Target and Walmart, began pulling their Redskins merchandise from stores. It was apparent that time was up for the Washington football team, as it was known for 18 months before becoming the Washington commanders. 2020 was obviously when many brands had a reckoning, because that year the Cleveland Indians also announced that it would be changing its name and dropping its controversial mascot Chief Wahoo. Similar to the Washington Redskins, for decades, activists and ordinary citizens had been petitioning the Cleveland Indians to change the team’s name that had been in use since 1915. In particular, Chief Wahoo was derided as the Native American equivalent to blackface, a grinning, wide eyed caricature playing on the most stereotypical images of native people. Also similar to the Redskins, Cleveland's team leadership argued that it meant no harm with its name and image and fell back on the excuse of tradition rather than making change. After May 2020s global protests on July 3, the Indians officially announced it would undergo a review of its name and logo. Meanwhile, only three states have passed legislation to ban racist mascots and two states have even blocked bans. Why have the pleas for respect and equality fallen on deaf ears? We'll jump back in to examine this overdue change of brand.
Blake Howard
07:35
Sports brand changes are difficult on their own, but when you layer in a name change or a mascot change, it can be downright crushing. Fans see these brands as an extension of their own identity in childhood and memory. It's very personal and very emotional. Even without changing a name change is hard. Let's take a quick detour from name or mascot changes to talk about a visual example of a rebrand the LA Rams.
Video VO:
08:05
This is Orel Hirsch of the Los Angeles Rams.
Blake Howard
08:14
The Rams are a football team worth about $4.8 billion in the NFL. They introduced a new logo and refreshed their visual identity in March 2020, roughly four years after moving from St. Louis to Los Angeles. With most sports around the world completely shut down at that time due to COVID-19. A leaked image of the new logo hit Twitter, and things promptly got out of control. A few days later an official press release came from the organization about the change from the front office. Likely due to poor timing this logo debut was arguably the most hated logo in NFL history. They removed the literal depiction of the sacred RAM which had been in place since 1941 and replaced it with a generic swoosh horn shape that forms part of the A in LA. I personally think it's not too bad but I'm mostly sitting on the bench and all alone with that opinion. Some compared it to the Internet Explorer logo. Others said it reminded them of the United Way or a new morning news show. One official report said “the logo looked like total butt” and no that was not Bart Simpson reporting. The biggest problem is that the generic shape looks too much like the other LA NFL team the LA Chargers. Both teams in the same city now have abstract forms that aren't too different from each other and fans were raging. One redeeming part of the LA Rams rebrand story, however, was their CEO Kevin Demoff flipped the negative press into something positive. He started a campaign to raise money for the COVID 19 outbreak and said he would read the top 10 meanness tweets if they raised $2 million and it worked.
Kevin Demoff
10:13
“Trash if you will on toilet paper, don't worry.” “You can now get it on NFL show.” “The new LA logo definitely appeals to the younger generation. Since it looks like an athlete type brand, 2020 can't get any worse. Right?” “He's making sure the New LA Rams logo is the major way of social distancing” “This actually looks like some freshman college student in graphic design made it in about six minutes.” “Kevin Demoff is such a douche.”
Blake Howard
11:06
This LA Rams change is just one of many examples that I cherry picked for this episode. I could have chosen the failed Columbus Crew name change and logo update of 2020 a Major League Soccer Team or another one from the MLS the 2021 failed rebrand of CF Montreal, which they recently abandoned. Another example that's maybe a little bit more vintage is the launch of the Toronto Raptors in the NBA with a Barney like mascot. If that one catches your attention, I highly recommend listening to 99% Invisible episode 311 for a deep dive into the Toronto Raptors uniform design story. It is fantastic and I'll link to it in the show notes. Between these examples and many more it leaves me with this question. Why are brand changes in the sports arena so hard? To get some insight on that question, I got the chance to talk to designer and creative director John Contino. He's an influential staple in the design and branding community and proud New York native.
Jon Contino
12:17
Long story short, I've been drawing my whole life, came from Creative family that kind of just nurtured it.
Blake Howard
12:23
He's worked with some big brands, Hulu, Google, Coca Cola, Disney, Whole Foods, Spotify, and more. But most relevant for today's conversation, he's worked a lot in the sports and entertainment space and understands many of the factors at play. He's helped the Miami Dolphins, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and recently helped the Chicago White Sox introduce a secondary logo script wordmark.
Jon Contino
12:48
Well, I've always, always, always loved sports design, like that's one of the things I used to draw as a kid. I was you know, as you can see, like I I'm a huge baseball fan, and a huge sports fan, but I also loved the design of sports. So, I would always draw logos, constantly, especially like all the New York teams that I grew up loving Yankees, Jets, Knicks, the Islanders, all that kind of stuff. And then you know, all the other teams that I really liked their logos too, especially like thinking back to the 80s like the White Sox, the Dodgers, Philadelphia Eagles like just trying to think the Giants you know, like teams that I just like really felt like their marks were really fun. I would just draw them I would draw the uniforms. I would draw the stadiums. I was just super super into it. I loved playing street sports, street football, wiffle ball, stickball, handball, basketball, like everything that I used to play on the street is what I love even more than playing like the real version, you know, on a baseball diamond or field or whatever. And I feel like that's where there's so there's so much of that that's so much more relatable.
Blake Howard
13:56
John broke into the tight knit community of professional sports design when he was invited to speak at the MLC conference, a conference for creatives in the sports world. He was an outsider at that point. But during the event, he made some friends and contacts. And one day he got called up to the big leagues.
Jon Contino
14:13
The biggest thing that kind of broke it for me was getting to work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and kind of helping them to refresh their identity in 2017 and 2018 to prepare for the Superbowl. And then once we did that, then I started working with them on a consistent basis as a consultant, Creative Director, and then rebranded the team again in early 2020 pre pandemic, right before the Tom Brady trade happened. And then yeah, and then I've been with them ever since. And I've worked with teams, other teams since then. The White Sox which was great because they were one of my all-time favorites. The Red Sox which was one of my all-time most hated the Dolphins and uh, you know, just like, like just a bunch of teams. And then you know, conversations with other teams and stuff like that. But, ya know, I was just kind of thrown into sports design just on a whim and I wanted to make the most of it because it's kind of where my heart's been for so many years. And I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to be a part of it.
Blake Howard
15:15
But I want to know, more specifically with sports, like, why is rebranding a team so darn difficult? Like, why? Why is it? Why is there this unique niche called sports, that if you touch a team's logo, or jersey or identifiers, it's like, you know, people want to riot in the streets. So why do you think it's so hard rebranding in the sports world?
Jon Contino
15:42
That's a great question. Because there's so much, there's so much to say, as an answer, right? So, when you rebrand sports team, you have a handful of things that you have to deal with, number one, the owners, right. So, the owners are number one, billionaires who spend a lot a lot of money on a lot of super talented players. But also, the thing that people forget is, they're also spending money on people in the front office, in the back who work in the bowels of the stadium, who are just like the marketing people, the salespeople, there are so many people that are almost like, so much more important than the players on the field, it almost seems like that it's very easy to forget that they're caring for this, like little city of people that just have to keep things moving. And there's all these different things that they have to take into account, when you change something it's in and it even comes down to it's just like, you know, well, the salespeople need this. So, it has to look like this. And then the stadium, people need things to look like this. And this can change and we can't do this and we can't change, you know, this color blue to this color blue, because we just retrofitted the stadium when it got wet, you know, like it was all weathered. And then, you know, this Pantone blue doesn't match, just like there's so many things you have to worry about. So that's number one, right? Then there is the league, and the league's rules about when you can rebrand and how many times you can change it and what colors you can use and how you can do all that kind of stuff. And then there's the licensing partnerships, Nike Fanatics, all those types of things, and all those companies that have their hands in other people's pockets, you know, like saying like, well, we have the rights to, you know, this merchandising and this merchandising, but we also supply the uniforms, or we do this or we do that, or we do the other thing, you can, you know, a lot of teams have these really tight relationships with these companies that are in charge of essentially doing all these things and we didn't even get to the fans yet. So, like, it's the fans who are the ones that buy the stuff, even for teams that kind of have like branding that you don't necessarily like, it's something that people, you know, cover themselves in, you know, whether it's every Sunday, or every weeknight or every, whatever the sport is that you're into, you know, they've invested in their stuff too. Even the Jets, they’re always a perfect example. Because my dad would always complain about Jets Green, and he was like, I can't wear it with anything, you know, but like, as a fan, you buy all that stuff anyway. And that's kind of like you, you invest in that and then it becomes part of you. And then when it changes, you're just like, oh, it's like, it's kind of like a shift in your own identity at the same time. And there's just so much and now you know, now of course we have social media and all those types of things where people can be so much more vocal and so much more crazy about their opinions. And, unfortunately for like the minor when it comes to like design stuff, where it's just like, it's like arbitrary opinions and not kind of like factual based stuff. It's almost just like, well, it's taste versus taste. And it's just like some people are like I hate that color red. And it's just like, oh, we got to go back to the old red, you know, and it's just, it's very hard to please everybody, and fulfill all contracts. And, you know, like, make sure everything logistically works out. It's a beast to go in and rebrand the team. Now a lot of teams need it desperately. But like to think about that undertaking on top of also running the team and doing all that stuff. It's just like no one wants to deal with it.
Blake Howard
19:12
Yeah, well, it's one more thing to do. And I've never really thought about all of those aspects you just said. I think about the fans, mostly, you know, because most branding projects, it's about the customer more than anything. But in the what you just outlined is a big gigantic mess. I mean, it's like a big knot of cables. You know, like in the bottom of the stadium. It's like the IT guy in the stadium trying to fix the Wi Fi and he's like, what's going on?
Jon Contino
19:44
It's totally what it is. And it's like when I started working with the Buccaneers is when I first got really introduced to the chaos behind the scenes because I was just like, hey, if we're going to do all this stuff, like, why don't we redo the logo? Why don't we do this and blah, blah, blah. You know, like, I started getting in to it, and then like little by little like this person would say, we can't do that because of this. We can't do that. Because of this. We can't do you know, even as simple as saying, like the Buccaneers always have kind of like the creamsicle jerseys, which everybody loves is kind of like the throwback. But they're not allowed to use those creamsicle jerseys because of the fact that the NFL does not want players to change helmets, and the Buccaneers have pewter helmet, they can't go to a white helmet, because then they're changing helmets. And that's like a safety precaution type of thing. So, they can't just swap helmets like that, because the safety rules. So, it's like, even when it comes down to stuff like that, which is supposed to be just for fun. You can't even do that without like a ton of red tape. There's so much that goes into it. I mean, I'll still try and make every team change their logo. But like, you understand when they're just like we can't do that, you know?
Blake Howard
20:53
Yeah, yeah, totally. So, it's not as easy as just upgrading the artwork. It's a big complicated tangle of approvals, interdependencies, licensing deals and third party vendors.
Jon Contino
21:04
So, like, think, I wrote a brand guide book that was like 200 pages long to make sure that every single detail was accounted for. And then no one reads it. You know, and you try to make sure that everyone knows exactly what they have to do. But it's so much stuff that they're like, Ah, it's fine. I'll just copy what I see on the internet. And then you get stuck. And then it's just like, everyone's like, how come this is the wrong red? It's like, I don't know, I got to find out. Then you go and you track someone down. You're like, this is the wrong red. Oh, it's the right red. I got this. It's like, no, that's not the one. And CMYK is supposed to be RGB, it's like that is all that stuff. All those little details are like the most frustrating part about rebrands and managing all that stuff. Well, third parties have their own agenda. And you know, if the NFL or the franchises have their agenda, everyone is tight on what they need to do. But as soon as you bring in corporate sponsorship, or an event or whatever, everyone's kind of like certain levels of paying attention. So, it's just like once you kind of leave, you know, your outside walls and you know, you go out and you spread out then it's just like everyone cares a little bit less, then you have to watch them more and more. Some of the designers maybe don't understand as much, the marketing people don't care and they don't have designers so they just whip it up themselves. And it's like, It's pandemonium.
Blake Howard
22:19
In addition to all the internal pandemonium there is the fan, the real customer, and some of them are kind of crazy. Like soccer hooligans rioting in the streets, these teams become an extension of their own personal identity and start to represent more than just the sport itself. For me, for example, I am a diehard University of Tennessee football fan, Go Vols. And yes, the last decade has been brutal. But UT football to me is more important than just the sport. It's my memories of watching games with my family or tailgating before games in college with my best friends. That beautiful orange, which some people love transcends any logical response to it as a color. And to me, it's significant and emotional.
Jon Contino
23:10
I had a meeting with the Jets one time, and they were just like, what would you do with merchandising and stuff like that. And I said, as a person who grew up a lifelong Jets fan. I grew up five minutes from where they would practice. And I would go every summer to watch them practice with my dad and my brothers. And we were always fans and you know, everybody knows the history of the Jets and you know very painful to be a Jets fan and Jets fans are very like diehard and I said if I if I would make apparel for the Jets, I would do stuff that said like bad luck Jets or something like that and really dive into, like, the soul of the fan base. And I end like my comment was like if you made 50,000 T shirts that said like bad luck Jets or bad news Jets or something like that, like Bad News Bears kind of thing. And just played into kind of like the true underdog. Like, we've been beaten for so many years, but like, we're going to wear that as a badge of honor type of thing. If you took that out into the parking lot where people are tailgating, you'd be you'd be empty in like an hour, like those things would sell out like crazy like I would I would buy that in a heartbeat. And I, you know, from a corporate perspective, they were like, I don't think we can do that. And I was like I get it, I said but I think you're making a huge mistake.
Blake Howard
24:23
Brands in this industry become bigger than just the sport itself. Sometimes they represent the ethos of an entire community. And thus, the tangible expressions of the brand, the colors, the fonts, logos, chants, mascots, swag, etc. become more than artwork, they become symbols of pride and identity. That coupled with the logistical issues Jon mentioned, is what makes change so tricky in this industry. Okay, let's get back to two specific examples of clubs that had massive change in the recent years. First, the Cleveland guardians and then the Washington Commanders. On July 23rd in 2021, the Cleveland baseball team debuted their new name, the Guardians. They wanted something that paid tribute to their community and history. Progressive Field where they play looms in the background as you look at the hope Memorial Bridge, that is a central point for the city. It is a large structure adorned with 243-foot “Guardians of Traffic” statues that have stood there for nearly 100 years. These big statues are modeled after the Greek messenger god Hermes. Regardless, they are epic, shirtless men guarding Cleveland from traffic jams or fender benders or Space Invaders. They are now the inspiration for the new team name. In addition to the name, they introduced the fast ball logo, which is a winged baseball combo. They have a really nice secondary script with the letter forms jacking up and down similar to the hope Memorial Bridge design. They really love that bridge. They did a good job evolving as much of the visual history as they could in terms of color and overall look and feel. So be sure to see the change of brand for yourself at www.achangeofbrand.com. They also launched the new brand with this video.
Tom Hanks:
26:27
We are a city on the rise, forging into the future from our iron out past. Its history flows like a river through the heart of the city. The history that has given us miraculous moments, moments expand here, and over the games, moments that broke barriers and moments that broke hearts, moments that prove this is more than a game. We remember those moments, as we move forward with change. You see, there's always been Cleveland. That's the best part of our name. And now it's time to unite as one family. Because this is a city we love. And again, we believe together, we are all Cleveland guardians.
Blake Howard
27:22
Notice that voice? It was indeed Tom Hanks and the music was by the Black Keys. They spared no expense for that brand launch. Pretty quickly after the launch, however, they hit a big snag. The name was taken. In fact, that Cleveland Guardians was and is a co-ed nonprofit roller derby team based in the outskirts of the city. Even worse, they had registered the name as a federal trademark in 2017. After using the name since 2014. Naturally after the big news broke about the new Cleveland Indians team name, they promptly filed suit saying, “It is inconceivable that an organization worth more than $1 billion and estimated to have annual revenues of $290 million would not have at least performed a Google search for, ‘Cleveland Guardians’, before settling on the name.” Even a simple cursory search would have returned the plaintiffs website, www.ClevelandGuardians.com as the first hit. Fair point. The good news is that they amicably agreed to coexist after a few tense months. And likely the baseball team was well aware of the conflict. They just knew they had the money and the time to make that problem go away. But what about our New York sports branding insider Jon, what was his take on the change?
Jon Contino
28:57
It's not my favorite. I also am not really a fan of the name. Like I know, people will go nuts for like, bring back the Cleveland Spiders. You know, that probably would have been really cool. But it's also tough to write because it's like, in the year, you know, 2021 when they launched it. Team names and in the trends of sports design are very different than they were when Cleveland first became a baseball club. And it's like, if think about the classic teams like Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, these team names would never exist today. Like, I can't imagine if there was like a brand-new sport with a brand-new team and you know, it's just like, hey, we're the Miami, you know, blue shorts or something. Everyone would be like, what's wrong with you? Like, why would that be a name, but it's such a, you know, it comes from such a time period, that it's almost just like it feels natural and it feels right and it just, it's quirky, and it's funny and it's like, no one thinks about it. Like, you know Red Sox, White Sox? Why is it so many? There are so many teams they have to Sox, you know Cincinnati Reds used to be the Red Stockings, you know, like, it's like half of baseball was about Sox footwear, you know, like there's, it's just to think about that in today's context is absurd. So, it's like, when you think about Guardians, I think the first thing a lot of people think about is like superhero stuff, and, you know, everything is all powerful and aggressive and all that stuff when you look at it. And when you look back at the other teams, it's very much inanimate objects or nicknames for things, you know, like, like stuff that doesn't have like a particular mood behind it, like, there's no mood, and at least anymore to Yankees, there's no mood behind Red Sox, there's no mood behind, you know, like, a lot of things, you know, even you think about some of the teams that like, have some history, the Royals, the Giants, you know, like, there's stuff there, but it doesn't feel like epic, you know. I think the Guardians, the name sounds like very epic, which I think is counterintuitive to baseball, you know, like baseball is, is a is a paced game, you know, the excitement comes at the end, for sure. But like, for the most part, you go to a baseball game, you're sitting there in the stands, the sun is beating down on you. But for the most part, you lay in, put your arms around the back of the seat, you're talking to your friends, or your family member about like something that has nothing to do with it. Take a couple of seconds to yell at the guy at the plate, you know, and then you go back to your conversation. And then after about two and a half hours, you get excited, and everybody stands up. So, it's like, it's not an epic game. You know, so like, having an EPIC NAME feels just like very out of place. So, like, even the Spiders would have made more sense, I think because it's very much like, spider hangs out spider runs around spider makes web like, you know, it's just hanging out doing stuff.
Blake Howard
31:56
Spiders like to chill. You know, that's really interesting about the tone because you know, the Yankees, they might have like a bit of a grand tone to them, but they've built that through the brand over the years, right design choices, not through the name or meaning of the name; Guardians is big and strong and powerful and kind of sends you a direction.
Jon Contino
32:17
Right, right. And I mean even thinking like, like the Dodgers like when they were the Brooklyn Dodgers like I love that name. Because it's just about people just trying not to, you know like get hit or by a friggin trolley train on the street, you know?
Blake Howard
32:31
Yeah, it makes sense for a hockey team or the roller derby. Okay, let's blow the whistle. It's halftime. Let's take a quick break. And when we come back, we get Jon's take on the controversial rebrand of the Washington Commanders. All that more after the break.
Tracy Clark
33:00
Hey, everyone, guess what? Blake our fearless podcast host wrote a book. And if you are a CMO or brand leader of any kind, this book is for you. It's called Radically Relevant. And it's all about how growing brands can get unstuck and move forward with confidence. It's filled with examples, anecdotes, and even a few classic dad jokes. The best part is it comes with this radically relevant assessment so you can see how your brand is performing and stacks up against others in your space. The book officially launches this fall, but you can take the radically relevant assessment today for free and buy the book on presale. Just go to www.radicallyrelevantbrands.com. We'll also link it in today's show notes for you. Last but not least, don't forget to join along in more of the conversation on Instagram. See more about today's episode, share with a friend or send us an idea you might have for a future episode at a change of brand. All right, let's get back to the show.
Blake Howard
34:02
All right. Let's change gears and talk about professional football. Fun fact. Did you know the average NFL team is worth $3.5 billion dollars. It's one of the most watched, beloved and powerful sports organizations in the world. The Washington Commanders, were originally named the Boston Braves in 1932 and then the Redskins from 1933 until mid-2020. In July of that year, they announced the removal of their racist name and opted for a generic Washington Football team as a temporary solution. Eventually they rebranded as the Commanders and similar to Cleveland, they launched with an epic video.
Video Voiceover
34:54
We have one goal, one mission, one drive. To honor our legacy and fulfill our ultimate purpose.
We are battle tested, legends, leader.
Blake Howard
35:25
For the design work, they kept their legacy maroon and yellow colors and introduced a simple W with a stencil look as a symbol. Additionally, they had a simple word mark with Commanders nice and big. Large and in charge, like a good commander. They also had a secondary seal with the dates of previous championship years, which at first, they got wrong and had to rerelease the symbol with the correct dates. Now, I think the design work is okay. It's not what I would have pushed for as a creative director. But who cares what I think? What's Jon's take?
Jon Contino
36:00
I was super disappointed by that one. I think, from my understanding the whole, the whole transition from the Redskins to the Washington Football Team was almost an overnight type of thing where it's just like, we need to do this, and we need to do it right away. And I think they knocked it out of the park with what they did overnight. I think, and it's almost one of those things where I wonder if this is like a true testament to not focus grouping stuff and not having, you know, a million people weighing in and having the time to be able to water something down. Because if they indeed had to turn it around, like almost in like 24 hours, they did a killer job. It looked awesome. I love the name, Washington Football Team, like it was just like a real throwback. And it would have been one of those things too, that if they kept it, they probably would have adopted a nickname within a certain amount of time after the club kind of like reestablished its identity in the city and with the fans and all that kind of stuff. And it probably would have been ok. It was always like, you know, New York baseball club, Boston baseball, like that was kind of like the way the whole thing started. And, you know, those nicknames were then adopted later on, as they kind of became part of the community. And I was, I was excited to see that that might be the case. And then when they finally did their official, rebrand as the Commanders it was just like, all right, it almost was just like, well, we have this design now. And now let's try to like shoehorn the Commanders into it. And it's like one of those things that I don't, you know, like, a lot of times, especially on the internet, people will be like, what are the designers doing blah, blah, blah. Like, I know, it's not the designer’s fault. Like, they did their job, they did a good job. And then it was just like, well, we already invested in this. So how do you squeeze these new things into what we did at that point. And it just, kind of kind of a bummer, because it's a missed opportunity. There was definitely a lot of really great concepts and thoughts. And I thought, you know, a lot of times when you get that many people chiming in on stuff, you get a lot of garbage, where you're just like, I can't listen to another word that a person has to say, but I thought everyone was like, really thoughtful, and really put some good ideas out there. It is very rare that that type of thing happened and I mean, Commanders is fine, but it's also kind of like, I already forgot the name. And I have to you know, I work with that logo on like scheduling and stuff like that and yes, it's just a name that just doesn't it doesn't stick with me. So, it's just like, I get it but like, like Washington Football team definitely would have been better I think.
Blake Howard
38:39
So, the name is a bit bland and forgettable. Perhaps there were some better ideas contributed by the fan base. In September of 2020 months after losing the Redskins name. The team launched www.washingtonjourney.com, a website that allowed anyone to submit their ideas for which direction the team should go with its branding. One idea in particular surfaced by designer Jesse Alfre. He concepted and designed an entire rebrand, suggesting that they should change to the Columbia Red Tails. Inspired by the distinctive red-tailed P 51 Mustangs flown by the Tuskegee Airmen in World War Two. They were the first all African American flying squadron. He redesigned the uniforms, swag, and even cast a vision for what the stadium could look like. We will link to that also in the show notes. After the new brand identity debuted, there was a lot of blow back, mostly on the name the Commanders which is easily shortened to the “commies”, which is not a great nickname for our nation's capital. You know, freedom at all. According to a city-wide Washington Post poll, close to half of DC residents have a negative view of the team's new name with 32% disliking it and 17% saying they hate it
Jon Contino
40:03
I could definitely see them rebranding within in less than 20 years, like totally new name and everything I could see that happening. And the visuals to me were, they were pretty understated but it felt like it was somewhere in between. It was like the Washington football team, they just had, you know, had that kind of action-oriented typeface that you know, you take like some of the edges and you just add like a little notch to it. So, they kind of like rolled with that, but then they had like a stencil W that they put on things. And it just felt like why like the stencil was this in between it wasn't like this cool pictorial symbol. It wasn't this like weird abstract form. It was just like a stencil of a W like, why even stencil it just make it a W you know,
Blake Howard
41:05
I guarantee there are sketches and rough drafts out there that are awesome. And it's just like someone, someone at the top somewhere was just like, we can't do that. I'm not doing that, you know, like some kind of like, rich guy thing to say, hey, what about that W, can you stencil that? Stencils are tough. You know, some billionaire that was like, I just had my yacht redone. And I saw this stencil in the middle of this yacht. I think the dynamics that go into play that maybe can result in design outcomes that you don't love. Pretty similar to what could happen in corporate rebranding, you know, there's a lot of cultural aspects, a lot of leadership aspects that will trickle down into those decisions around the execution. I'm curious, though, you know, you've worked with Nike and Lululemon. And in a lot of other brands, outside of, you know, the direct sports area, what do you think is different about, you know, the sports projects, compared to those types of, you know, other sectors of work?
Jon Contino
41:56
I think for a lot of the things we talked about, this, the sports aspect of things is, is so strict, because of all those elements. When you work with other brands, I almost feel like sports allows community to help steer them, because it's the fans that kind of, like that drive them from a from an emotional standpoint. Whereas I think a lot of other brands outside of that, they try to steer their clientele, in an emotional direction. So, it's kind of like, it's a lot easier for them to make significant aesthetic changes, because they say, well, we want our customers to feel like this. We want them to do this, we want our, you know, our premier customers to like this. And we want them to be able to do X, Y, and Z. With sports, though. it's just like, people show up to games, and people talk about it, and people write about it. And they have strong opinions that affect kind of the direct product on the field. Like, how many times have you ever heard of a player, you know, who's maybe in a little bit of a slump, and the way the media is attacking them, it kind of hurts them more. And that's, it's almost like the people out there where it's just like, well, this person supposed to be so great, how come they're failing. They're the product that you're dealing with, it’s still a person with emotions and feelings, and, you know, like a psychosis that they have to deal with. And it's just like, whenever you get into a slump, you know, it's like one of those things, I stubbed my toe, I dropped my dinner on the floor, it's just, it's a snowball. And other companies don't really have that effect, because their product is not people. This product is people. So, it's kind of like the reverse effects. So, you can't really play that same game. So, when I go in, I work with a corporate or anything that's not sports related, we dictate what it's going to look like. And then people kind of conformed to it, with sports it’s totally the other way around, people kind of dictate it and then the product kind of conforms to the people. So, I think, in that aspect, it creates a very different approach to how you work with it. And at the end of the day, like you're still doing the same thing, but you have to think about it from the reverse end.
Blake Howard
44:16
Man, yeah, that's good. That's really good there. I'm a big Atlanta United fan. And one of my favorite players has been a slump. And there's a local reporter, who is not to be named, but man, he dogs that player all the time. And it drives me crazy because I'm like, this guy's you know, he's a he's a husband. He's a father. And you just rag on him constantly. Imagine if while you were designing all day, there was someone on Twitter that was like, oh, boy, he just he did command Z again. Oh, look, his Photoshop layers. Oh, they're all unorganized. He's losing it. Okay, so Jon wasn't a fan of either sports rebrands we discussed, but he's kind and gracious and knows all of the challenges at hand. Even with those tensions in mind to him, it's all worth it.
Jon Contino
45:13
It's one of those things that you have to tell younger designers to remember too, it's that when you, first get into design, you make things because you love it. Then when you follow design as a career, you make things because you think other people will love it, not because you necessarily love it. So, you'll do things to try and get business, you'll do things to try and get people to pay attention to you, you'll do all those things. But then once you finally get comfortable in in your own skin, as a designer, and as a creative person, you realize, no, I'm just going to make the stuff that I like. And if people like it, they'll gravitate towards it. Because the way I'm doing it is authentic, it's real. It's not influenced by anything else, where it's just like, you know, there's no focus group, and it's just what I think is great. And, people are always surprised to just be like, oh, hey, I like your opinion. And then it kind of relaxes a person a little bit more, because then they realize like, oh, all those things that I was working into actually is for something. So, I think the same thing goes for sports, right? It's just like, I'm doing this because I love sports. I'm doing this because I love having you know, a cool hat or a jersey or going to a place and seeing the design up on a on a big billboard or on the wall or on the scoreboard or something like that. Just to see it in the context of, something else that I really love is what makes it worth doing.
Blake Howard
46:41
Yeah, that's good, man. I love it. I mean, that's true about all design, right? Who knows what the future will hold for those grinding it out and designing for the big leagues. But one thing is certain, the changes and turmoil will continue to come. And teams that keep racist or degrading stereotypes as a part of their name or mascot or brand will face challenges. And for those that are brave enough to confront it, the answer might be simpler than you'd expect. The Washington Football team would have been a fine name. Did they even really need a mascot? Just win games and no one will care. Or let's take my hometown baseball team the Atlanta Braves for instance. They are coming off a championship season, and as of this recording, they just set an MLB record for most consecutive wins in a row. Underneath all of that success, however, is a growing liability with the tomahawk chop, Native American characterized merch and the name Atlanta Braves itself. One brilliant solution suggested by Puya Aunot, a Braves fan based in Atlanta, is to just drop the S from Braves and rebrand the team to the Atlanta Brave. Think about it. Many courageous leaders hail from our city, Martin Luther King Jr, John Lewis, Hank Aaron, Gladys Knight, etc. We are the land of the brave, and all you have to do is Tomahawk chop off that last letter in the name. As for Jon's take on the future of sports design? Well, he's hopeful.
Okay, that is a wrap and the end of this special sports rebranding episode. Thanks to Jon Contino for his take on these changes and giving us his perspective today. To see more visuals from today's episode, head on over to www.achangeofbrand.com. And if you liked today's show, you felt like it was a winner, share it with a friend or leave us a review on Apple podcasts.
Today's episode was edited by Gabe Kitzman, fact checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part by Pamela Hinman, and produced by Patrice Fielder. Special thanks to Tracy Clark for our brief in and Rachel Jackson for today's artwork. I'm your host, Blake Howard, signing off