The Washington Football Team's generic and uninspiring name will not last forever. Fans have been asked to submit ideas for a new team name. Whether or not those submissions will actually be taken into consideration, remains to be seen.
One thing is certain, Washington Warriors will not be a contender, despite it's popularity among diehard fans of the now-retired Redskins moniker. Team president Jason Wright insists the new name will have zero ties to Native American themes. Apparently the term warrior is offensive, even though dictionary.com defines it as "a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics."
Since it takes only a few people to complain about something now—whether it be a statue, a law, or a name—to yield rapid change, choosing the perfect team name seems impossible. That is, of course, unless the front office likes Flying Saucers as the new moniker. To the best of my knowledge, flying saucers are in no way, shape, or form considered offensive. So, why not move forward as the Washington Flying Saucers?
Furthermore, there is a history between flying saucers and Washington, D.C.
On July 19, 1952, shortly before midnight, the nation's capital was dealing with something straight out of a science fiction movie.
Air traffic control at Washington National Airport saw seven slow-moving objects on radar. The objects flew away at speeds exceeding 7,000 mph.
After realizing this was no laughing matter, two F-94 interceptor jets were sent to check things out. Each time they approached where the UFOs were shown on radar, the blips would disappear. Hours later, the UFOs were seemingly gone.
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| (Photo: YouTube) |
However, one week later, the UFOs were spotted flying back over the nation's capital. Radar operators confirmed this, with the mysterious blips reappearing on their screens. Deja vu kicked in as two more F-94 jets were sent to hunt down the UFOs. Just as the jets would reach their destination, the blips would once again vanish from radar.
The next morning, front-page headlines across the country referenced the incident, such as "Saucers Swarm Over Capital." Due to the mass publicity, President Harry Truman wanted an explanation from his trusted Air Force aides. Captain Edward Ruppelt, who supervised Project Blue Book—the Air Force's investigation into UFO sightings—said the events may have been caused by a temperature inversion.
Regardless of what truly happened in Washington, the public's fear and intrigue was real. This story can live on in the name of the Washington Flying Saucers.
