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If the Steelers changed their names, I don’t think it would bother me

The Washington Redskins announced Monday that they will officially change the name of their team, which has often been the subject of harsh criticism from Native Americans throughout the history of the franchise.

How will the Washington NFL football team change its name? This remains to be determined to date. However, whatever the new name, many Washington fans are so exasperated and disappointed with this, they say they will no longer support the team.

Somehow, I guess I can see where they come from. In all honesty, as a die-hard football fan who has followed everything in the NFL since the age of 7, I have said the name “Redskins” millions of times without even considering its insensitive nature. Therefore, I can understand why even longtime fans, with their hearts in the right place, would still be unhappy with this decision.

But would it bother me to the point of never seeing this team again? I have the brand identity, the colors and the rich history – and despite their difficulties with owner Daniel Snyder, believe it or not, the Redskins really have a rich history that includes three Super Bowl championships – I doubt that a name change would take me far.

As a Steelers fan forever, I don’t think it would kill me if they changed their name. I mean, it would be different. It would be sad. It would take time to get used to it. But at the end of the day, I don’t think it would bother me as much. Don’t get me wrong, I might be disappointed at the start with the new name which would almost surely be voted for by the fans, almost surely something to do with steel, and almost surely look like something a football team would be named in the 1950s.

But it would not be a break. Why? Because the name “Pittsburgh” would always precede “Ironmen” or “Hardhats” or whatever the new name is.

At the end of the day, Pittsburgh would still have a professional football team, and that team would always have a rich success story that included six Super Bowl titles and so many Hall of Fame, I don’t even want to googgle the actual amount at the moment.

We are trained to support a lot as fans, especially in the modern era, with a free agency designed to keep some players away as we get attached.

But the only constant is to have a team at the root for each season. It’s the link between the team and the city. It’s a bond that lasts through inexplicable playoff losses, losing seasons and even major scandals.

I support the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I support them because it is MY team that represents MY city. They fight to make me happy every week. Heck, they are there to give everything to people who have never been to Pittsburgh but who nevertheless feel a bond with the team.

A name is important, yes. But what this name represents is even more important. Whatever the reason the Pittsburgh Steelers changed their name, as long as the organization embodied the same spirit under the new name as it did under the old, it wouldn’t matter to me.

There are cities that have lost teams they loved and have been forced to fall for new ones – Baltimore and Houston are just two of those cities that come to mind.

If they could find a way to like a whole new team, I think I could find a way to like a new team name.

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