Why some Washington fans want Hogs, Red Hogs to be the team name originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Ever since the announcement in 2020 that the then-Washington 'Redskins' would be changing their name, there have been thousands of fans that have shared their opinions of what the new identity to be. One of the more popular names to resonate with the fan base is Hogs or, a variation of it, Red Hogs.
It's one of the final 10 or so names that the fan base has generally accepted as an unofficial 'finalist' for the new name. It was one of the eight names co-owner and co-CEO Tanya Snyder said were finalists, but those remarks were quashed by a team spokesperson who clarified that her list didn’t necessarily reflect the organization’s final candidates.
Hogs - or Red Hogs - stems from an era of the franchise that overlaps with the Super Bowl-winning teams in the 1980s and early 1990s. Offensive line coach Joe Bugel used the term as a nickname for the team's dominant offensive line. The original 'Hogs' were Jeff Bostic, Russ Grimm, Mark May, Joe Jacoby, George Starke and Fred Dean. It was quickly welcomed by the fan base and hog snouts began popping up at RFK Stadium.
Eventually, a small group of fans became known as "The Hogettes" for their garb worn at home games. "The Hogettes" dressed in old lady attire and wore plastic pig snouts. For decades the group was a staple of Washington Football games.
Now it's a term of endearment to better days for the organization. Still, it is common to see pig noses amongst the fans at home and on the road.
Here's why some of the fanbase want Hogs or Red Hogs as the team's new name:
Alex Zeese @Alex35332 (host of Hog Sty podcast); fan for 30+ years
“I tried to remain neutral about all the names that were out there… but I will say, I think Hogs kind of grew on me. I’m a bit of a history nerd too so going back to something that ties into your past is a good way to move forward and who doesn’t play up on nostalgia these days, right?”
Clint Childs, @clintchilds; lifetime fan (35 years)
“Well, I just think it's unique, unique only to us. When you think of the Super Bowls in the 80s and 90s and you think the Hogettes, I mean I have a Hogette calendar from last year. Like it's a thing. I went to the Buffalo game and I went to the Vegas game and I saw hog noses there as 'Skins fans. When I see that, it means Washington football. It means winning and that's what it means to me and other fans. The HTTR thing, that had a huge push in the past couple years, that's why I wouldn't mind Red Hogs just because that hashtag was massive on social media for us... And it's a throwback to when we were great and it could be a nice sign of things to come.”
“Can you imagine what a Washington Hogs merchandise catalog would look like? I mean, the things you could do, the things you could sell. And if these team reactions of the uniforms are that nice, I mean jerseys will fly off the shelf of Washington Hogs hats, shirts, true fans will take it in and buy it... If next Wednesday, if they say 'we're the new Washington Hogs,' I'll go on nfl.com and buy everything they have. I think a lot of people will too, other people, other fans.”
Chris Bryant @HogfarmerChris (34 years)
“I feel like that's one of the closest ties to our franchise history. The hogs were obviously an offensive line group in the 80s and 90s, but it manifested into almost like a secondary name for the team over the years with the merchandise and everything that they would do, the hog snouts and all that. So I think it's just kind of fitting, but I could understand if it wasn't used because it might not have so much ties to the city, to the DMV area.”
“I think some of the older generation of fans would be more accepting to it, but I'm not sure that's what the organization is leaning towards. I think they're trying to encompass the old and the new. So I feel like the new generation of fans might not be as accepting to that name.”
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On Wednesday, the wait will finally be over and the team will enter a new era with a new permanent team name. To this point the speculation has been endless, unblurred sections of video are overanalyzed (or are they?), and several Twitter accounts claim to know what the new name will be. Hint: none of their 'sourced' information matches each other.
For those looking to filter through all the weeds, this comprehensive guide of the name options should help.
NBC Sports Washington's Ethan Cadeaux, Mike DePrisco and Matt Weyrich contributed to this report.
