Dale Carnegie made millions from his self-help book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Commanders owner Daniel Snyder could write the bizarro version of Carnegie’s classic.
Working title: How to Make Enemies and Piss Everyone Off.
Snyder’s latest effort at mass alienation comes in the form of the franchise’s plan to unveil a new mascot on Sunday. Apparently, the team is adopting the “Hogs” for that purpose. Or, as those pursuing a trademark of the nickname for the team’s offensive line of the 1980s and early 1990s would say, co-opted.
The original “Hogs” are threatening to sue the team for trying to use a name on which they have squatted.
“Dan Snyder and the Washington Commanders are trying to profit off the original HOGS legacy by taking
that trademark and associated goodwill and brand equity of the original HOGS,” the players said in a statement. “The Commanders are using the original HOGS brand for commercial purposes with NO compensation to the men who’s [sic] blood & sweat equity built the original HOGS brand 40 years ago.”
The statement suggests that O-Line Entertainment, LLC will be suing the Commanders. The group includes
Joe Jacoby, Mark May, John Riggins, Fred Dean, and Doc Walker.
“The newly created Washington Commanders are a different franchise with a completely different team
name that we believe has no legal claim to the original HOGS legacy and brand created 40 years ago,” the statement explains. “On January 1, the Commanders are going forward with a ‘celebration’ of the HOGS. The original HOGS have tried to amicably resolve this dispute for many months now but to no avail with the Commanders before the January 1 event. Without substantial control and compensation, the original HOGS do not want to be associated with the Commanders under its current ownership and management and require that their legacy and brand is protected.”
The group says that it expects to secure a federal trademark in early 2023.
It’s just the latest self-inflicted embarrassment from ownership. Earlier this year, the Commanders unveiled a Sean Taylor memorial that looked like a poorly-dressed mannequin. (The mannequin has since been upgraded.)
So maybe the best move for the Commanders at this point will be to make no further moves, beyond assessing the bids that were submitted last week to buy the team, pick one of them, and move on.
