(ASHBURN, Va.) — After two years of speculation, the Washington Football Team revealed its new name and new look on Wednesday as the Washington Commanders.
“One legacy. One unified future. We are the Washington Commanders,” the Washington, D.C.-based professional football team announced via Twitter.
The team dropped its former name in July 2020 after years of complaints over its racist connotations toward Native Americans.
“On July 3rd we announced the commencement of a thorough review of the team’s name… Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the team said in a statement on July 3, 2020.
The team adopted the generic “Washington Football Team” two weeks later, though it was only supposed to be in place for the 2020-21 season. The team decided to keep the name for another season as it worked out a new name and complications over copyrights.
Washington co-CEO Tanya Snyder, owner Daniel Snyder’s wife, told ESPN in September that it had narrowed the final eight candidates to Armada, Brigade, Commanders, Defenders, Presidents, Redhawks, RedWolves and the current Football Team.
However, team President Jason Wright announced last month that RedWolves, one of the most popular names on social media, will not be the team name due to copyright issues.
“Early on we understood Wolves — or some variation of it — was one of our fan favorites,” Wright wrote in a post on the team’s website. “As I’ve said all along, we take feedback from our fans seriously, and because of your interest in this name, we put Wolves on a list of options to explore fully. Once we began looking into Wolves, however, we became aware of a notable challenge: trademarks held by other teams would limit our ability to make the name our own. And without Wolves, variations like RedWolves wouldn’t have been viable either for these and other reasons.”
Daniel Snyder had long said he would “never” change the team’s name despite the outcry from activists and many Native American groups. However, following the racial protests in summer 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hand of several Minneapolis police officers, and a letter to team sponsors from dozens of shareholders, Snyder announced the team would launch its review of the name.
Wright said last month the team name had already been decided, though it has not leaked. Washington legend Joe Theismann, who led the team to a win in Super Bowl 17, appeared to possibly reveal the new name will be the Commanders in an interview this week with CBS Sports Radio, when he said, “I think the Commanders is a name that is going to be one that hopefully people like going forward. There were so many different options.”
He later told The Washington Times, however, that he did not know it would be the Commanders for sure.
Wright said he hopes the new team name will satisfy the fans.
“And while we’ve always understood it would be a nearly impossible task to select a name that all of our fans would identify with as their first pick, we are very excited about our final selection, which aligns with our values, carries forth our rich history, represents the region and, most importantly, is inspired and informed by you, our fans,” Wright wrote in January.
ABC News’ Rosa Sanchez contributed to this report.
(ASHBURN, Va.) — The Washington Football Team will reveal its new team name Wednesday after two years of speculation.
Washington dropped its former name, the Redskins, in July 2020 after years of complaints over its racist connotations toward Native Americans.
“On July 3rd we announced the commencement of a thorough review of the team’s name… Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the team said in a statement on July 3, 2020.
The team adopted the generic “Washington Football Team” two weeks later, though it was only supposed to be in place for the 2020-21 season. The team decided to keep the name for another season as it worked out a new name and complications over copyrights.
Washington co-CEO Tanya Snyder, owner Daniel Snyder’s wife, told ESPN in September that it had narrowed the final eight candidates to Armada, Brigade, Commanders, Defenders, Presidents, Redhawks, RedWolves and the current Football Team.
However, team President Jason Wright announced last month that RedWolves, one of the most popular names on social media, will not be the team name due to copyright issues.
“Early on we understood Wolves — or some variation of it — was one of our fan favorites,” Wright wrote in a post on the team’s website. “As I’ve said all along, we take feedback from our fans seriously, and because of your interest in this name, we put Wolves on a list of options to explore fully. Once we began looking into Wolves, however, we became aware of a notable challenge: trademarks held by other teams would limit our ability to make the name our own. And without Wolves, variations like RedWolves wouldn’t have been viable either for these and other reasons.”
Daniel Snyder had long said he would “never” change the team’s name despite the outcry from activists and many Native American groups. However, following the racial protests in summer 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hand of several Minneapolis police officers, and a letter to team sponsors from dozens of shareholders, Snyder announced the team would launch its review of the name.
Wright said last month the team name had already been decided, though it has not leaked. Washington legend Joe Theismann, who led the team to a win in Super Bowl 17, appeared to possibly reveal the new name will be the Commanders in an interview this week with CBS Sports Radio, when he said, “I think the Commanders is a name that is going to be one that hopefully people like going forward. There were so many different options.”
He later told The Washington Times, however, that he did not know it would be the Commanders for sure.
Wright said he hopes the new team name will satisfy the fans.
“And while we’ve always understood it would be a nearly impossible task to select a name that all of our fans would identify with as their first pick, we are very excited about our final selection, which aligns with our values, carries forth our rich history, represents the region and, most importantly, is inspired and informed by you, our fans,” Wright wrote in January.
ABC News’ Rosa Sanchez contributed to this report.
(BEIJING) — One of the most popular sports at the Winter Olympics is about to get underway in Beijing: figure skating. Lacing up their skates for the U.S. Olympic team are various world champions, repeat Olympians and history-makers.
The U.S. has multiple athletes competing in all figure skating disciplines — men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dance. Each member of the team is eligible to compete in their respective Olympic team events.
The action kicks off Thursday night Eastern Standard Time, with the men’s short program team event, and runs throughout most of the Games.
Here’s a look at the 16 skaters representing Team USA at the Beijing Winter Olympics:
MEN’S
Jason Brown, 27
Brown made his first Olympics appearance in the 2014 Sochi Games, where he took home bronze in the team event and placed ninth overall — and also became known for his signature ponytail. After being selected as the first alternate for the PyeongChang 2018 Games, he’s in Beijing for his second Olympics — sans ponytail. The charismatic skater came in fourth at the U.S. Nationals, though fared well at the senior level, including medaling at both of his Grand Prix Series assignments, to make the Olympic team.
Nathan Chen, 22
One of the biggest names in the sport and a clear gold-medal contender, Chen is a three-time World champion (2018, 2019 and 2021) and comes into the Olympics winning his sixth straight national figure skating championship. Beijing marks his second Olympics; at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, he earned bronze in the team event though failed to make the podium in singles, finishing fifth overall. But he made history there, becoming the first skater to land six quadruple jumps in a single program while also earning the highest free skate score ever in an Olympic competition. The athlete took time off from Yale University to train for the 2022 Olympics and plans to return to the school in the fall.
Vincent Zhou, 21
Zhou returns to the Olympics after placing sixth in PyeongChang, where he made history as the first skater to land a quadruple lutz in the Games. He is a five-time U.S. national medalist, who took home bronze at the 2022 championships. Zhou, whose parents are first-generation Chinese immigrants, said he chose “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” as his free skate song in a nod to his heritage.
Watch the competition:
Feb. 3 at 8:55 p.m.: Short program team event
Feb. 5 at 10:50 p.m.: Free skating team event
Feb. 7 at 8:15 p.m.: Short program
Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m.: Free skating
WOMEN’S
Mariah Bell, 25
Bell is making her first appearance at the Olympics. She took the 2022 U.S. championship title — becoming the oldest U.S. women’s national champion in 95 years. She previously earned silver (2020) and bronze (2019, 2017) at nationals, and is the 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America champion. In her latest World Championships appearance, in 2019, she placed ninth. Her coaches include Olympian and figure skating star Adam Rippon.
Karen Chen, 22
Chen debated retiring from the sport after her 11th-place finish at the 2018 PyeongChang Games and enrolling in Cornell University. But she took time off from school to pursue a second Olympics appearance. She is the 2017 U.S. champion and took silver at this year’s nationals. Her fourth-place finish at the 2021 World Championships helped the U.S. secure three women’s entries for the Beijing Games.
Alysa Liu, 16
The youngest team member, Liu, is making her first Olympic appearance in Beijing. The two-time, back-to-back national champion became the youngest to win the title at 13 in 2019. She had to withdraw from this year’s championships after testing positive for COVID-19, but was able to make the Olympic team after petitioning for a spot. Known for her challenging skillset, Liu is the first American skater to successfully land a quadruple jump in competition and the first woman to land both a quadruple jump and a triple axel in the same program.
Watch the competition:
Feb. 5 at 8:30 p.m.: Short program team event
Feb. 6 at 10:35 p.m.: Free skating team event
Feb. 15 at 5 a.m.: Short program
Feb. 17 at 5 a.m.: Free skating
Ashley Cain-Gribble, 26, and Timothy LeDuc, 31
The 2022 and 2019 U.S. champions are making their Olympic debut after skating together for six years. LeDuc is also the first openly non-binary athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics. Figure skating is in Cain-Gribble’s blood; she is the daughter of Peter Cain, an Australian who competed at the 1980 Lake Placid Games in pair skating with his sister, Elizabeth Cain. Her mother, Darlene Cain, also competed in ice dance for Canada. Her parents are among their coaches.
Alexa Knierim, 30, and Brandon Frazier, 29
The pair won the 2021 U.S. championships during their first season competing together, earning the highest score ever achieved in U.S. competition. They had to bow out of this year’s U.S. championships after Frazier tested positive for COVID-19, but they were able to be considered for the Olympic team via a petition process. This is Frazier’s first Olympics and Knierim’s second; she competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Games with her husband, Chris Knierim, where they won bronze as part of the team event. Chris Knierim has since retired and is now one of duo’s coaches.
Watch the competition:
Feb. 4 at 12:15 a.m. ET: Short program team event
Feb. 6 at 8:15 p.m. ET: Free skating team event
Feb. 18 at 5:30 a.m. ET: Short program
Feb. 19 at 6 a.m. ET: Free skating
Madison Chock, 29, and Evan Bates, 32
The 2022 U.S. champions are marking their third Olympic appearance together, while Bates marks his fourth, becoming the first American figure skater to compete at four Winter Games. The pair, who have been skating together for over 10 years, come into the Games ranked second in the world. The two are a couple both on and off the ice and find time to host their own figure skating podcast, “Unlaced with Chock & Bates.”
Kaitlin Hawayek, 25, and Jean-Luc Baker, 28
This marks the first Olympic appearance for the duo, who have been skating together for 10 years. The pair have earned bronze at four straight U.S. championships starting in 2019 and are the 2018 Four Continents champions. Baker is of Olympic pedigree: His mother, Sharon Jones Baker, represented the United Kingdom in ice dancing at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Madison Hubbell, 30, and Zachary Donohue, 31
After more than a decade as partners, this marks the second and last Olympics for the pair, who announced they plan to retire after this season. The decorated duo won the U.S. title in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and placed silver in the competition this year. They are also three-time World Championship medalists, most recently winning silver in 2021. At the 2018 Olympic Games, they were just shy of medaling, finishing fourth.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New Orleans 111, Detroit 101
Toronto 110, Miami 106
Milwaukee 112, Washington 98
Chicago 126, Orlando 115
Minnesota 130, Denver 115
Golden State 124, San Antonio 120
Phoenix 121, Brooklyn 111
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Philadelphia 3, Winnipeg 1
NY Rangers 5, Florida 2
Toronto 7, New Jersey 1
Boston 3, Seattle 2
Tampa Bay 3 San Jose 2 (OT)
Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)
NY Islanders 4, Ottawa 1
Nashville 4, Vancouver 2
Calgary 4, Dallas 3
Arizona 3, Colorado 2 (SO)
Vegas 5, Buffalo 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Auburn 100, Alabama 81
Kansas 70, Iowa St. 61
Michigan St. 65, Maryland 63
Texas Tech 77, Texas 64
Providence 86, St. John’s 82
Creighton 59, UConn 55
Tennessee 90, Texas A&M 80
Mississippi 76, LSU 72
After Monday’s episode of The Bachelor, Clayton Echard is seeing things little more clearly, which prompted him to issue an apology to contestant Elizabeth Corrigan.
Corrigan, 32, faced accusations of bullying from fellow contestant Shanae Ankney, 29, and was ultimately sent home during the rose ceremony.
On Tuesday, Echard took to social media to apologize for the shocking elimination, writing, “I’m sorry, Elizabeth, for what you’re going through. I wish I could have seen what was happening when I wasn’t there.”
“I obviously knew y’all weren’t in a good place, but at the time I thought it was, solely, petty drama,” he continued. “I would have sent Shanae home immediately for making fun of you for being neurodivergent, had I known.”
“Overall, the experience for me watching hasn’t been fun, simply because I’m seeing all the damage that I caused. I really meant well, but my actions weren’t always the best as I now can see the repercussions from my decisions. I can promise you I’m learning from the mistakes though and am doing everything in my power to come out the other side a better man,” Echard concluded.
Rihanna may be sporting a baby bump, but she’s also rocking the perfect red lip, thanks to the latest addition to her Fenty Beauty line: ICON, a new lipstick collection that’s modeled on her very own pucker.
The expectant mom describes the new lip color as “a curated range of 10 bold reds and classic nudes,” adding, “This soft-matte formula is everything y’all — it includes hyaluronic acid and vitamins C & E for comfortable, lasting wear.” The packaging is also refillable and, she says, “ultra luxe.” And, she explains, it also has a very specific detail.
“When it came down to creating the collection, I really wanted to add my personal touch,” Rihanna tells ELLE.com. “We designed the bullet [of the lipstick] to fit perfectly into my cupid’s bow, which is really defined.”
If you’re not familiar, a “cupid’s bow” is the part of your upper lip where the two curves meet.
The beauty mogul goes on to say, “The perfect red lip is the sexiest, most empowering thing you can put on when it comes to beauty,” adding, “When you wear a red lip, it exudes confidence. I love that anyone can put it on and feel strong and sexy with just one swipe.”
ICON will be available February 4 at FentyBeauty.com. It’s the perfect thing to go with your Savage X Fenty Valentine’s Day collection lingerie, which Rih’s been promoting on Instagram with a series of sexy videos. It makes you wonder how long ago she filmed those videos, because she certainly doesn’t look preggers in them.
The new Hulu limited series, which tells the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee‘s infamous sex tape, premieres today. The Baywatch superstar is played by Baby Driver and Yesterday actor Lily James, while The Falcon and the WinterSoldier‘s Sebastian Stan trades his vibranium arm for a pair of drumsticks to portray the Mötley Crüe rocker.
Speaking with ABC Audio, Stan shares that he feels Pam & Tommy will tell the truth of such a highly sensationalized story.
“You hear things about it, or you’ve heard something about it, but you don’t really know what happened, you don’t really know the true story,” Stan says. “I think it was a nice opportunity for us to be able to tell that story, finally, as it pertains to how it affected [Anderson and Lee], but also really, truly what happened.”
In playing Lee, Stan says that was “always conscious” of the real person.
“I think any time you’re playing a real person, it’s inevitable that you’re gonna be thinking about them, just purely from a sense of respect,” Stan says. “You wanna learn about that person as much as you can, and you wanna be able to go out there and take your best shot.”
“You’re not these people, you’re never gonna be these people,” he adds. “You can give it your best shot and your best guess. But, absolutely, you’re always conscious of them.”
The Pam & Tommy cast also includes Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman and Taylor Schilling.
Megan Thee Stallion fulfilled her dream of working with an icon from her Houston hometown, and now she’s setting her sights on two more megastars.
The “Hot Girl Summer” artist won a Grammy in 2021 for Best Rap Song for the “Savage” remix featuring her idol, Beyoncé. Then she felt she had reached the pinnacle of her career.
“Because I’ve manifested Beyoncé, I feel like I have reached my ultimate goal,” the three-time Grammy winner tells People. “The Girls in the Hood” rapper has also recorded with many more stars, including Cardi B, Ariana Grande, and Doja Cat. Her next goal is to work with the richest female entertainer in the world.
“I also would really, really, really love to collab with Rihanna. Like that is my next dream collab,” Megan reveals. RiRi made news this week revealing she’s expecting her first child with her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky.
The 26-year-old entertainer has another superstar on her list following a TikTok remix video that went viral featuring Adele‘s “Water Under the Bridge” and her hit “Body.” The video shows Meg dancing and rapping, while Adele sings simultaneously.
“If Adele wants me to come get on the track, be the dancer, I’m there, I’m here for it,” says Megan. “Somebody tell her to call me because I’m ready!”
While the Houston MC dreams of music with Rihanna and Adele, she’s busy with several endorsements. The Glamour Woman of the Year honoree stars in a Frito-Lay Super Bowl Commercial, and she’s featured with Jennifer Lopez in the new Coach spring 2022 “That’s My Ride” fashion campaign.
Megan is also up for two more Grammys: Best Rap Performance for “Thot S***” and Album of the Year as a featured artist on Lil Nas X‘s Montero.
Wet Leg has premiered the video for “Oh No,” a song off the duo’s upcoming self-titled debut album.
The clip, which is streaming now on YouTube, features screenshots of comments people have left on Wet Leg’s videos since they broke out last year with the single “Chaise Longue.”
“The comments that complete strangers will leave on our videos are so funny and range wildly in sentiment,” says Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale. “Although we know it is bad for us to read them and we try to avoid it, sometimes it’s irresistible when you’re on your own; the 3 a.m. doom scroll really gets you.”
“For this video, we have obsessively selected our favorite bits from the comments sections across our socials, the good, the bad, the ugly and have repurposed them to make something new,” she adds. “It has been quite cathartic actually.”
Wet Leg the album arrives April 8. The band launches a U.S. tour in March.
Graham Nash, the British singer/songwriter who has made his mark on the music world with The Hollies, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, as well as a solo artist, turns the big 8-0 today.
Nash co-founded The Hollies with his childhood friend Allan Clarke in 1962. Graham mainly handled high harmonies with the group, while Allan sang lead. Among the British Invasion group’s hits co-written by Graham were “Stop Stop Stop,” “On a Carousel” and “Carrie Anne.”
In 1968, Graham left The Hollies to form Crosby, Stills & Nash with former Byrds member David Crosby and ex-Buffalo Springfield singer/guitarist Stephen Stills. The folk-rock trio’s self-titled 1969 debut reached #6 on the Billboard 200 and included the Nash-penned hit “Marrakesh Express.”
Shortly after the Crosby, Stills & Nash album’s release, Stills’ Buffalo Springfield band mate Neil Young joined the group. The quartet’s 1970 debut, Déjà Vu, topped the Billboard 200, and featured two enduring Nash compositions, “Our House” and “Teach Your Children.”
Other notable Nash-penned tunes include the 1971 protest anthem “Chicago,” from Graham’s first solo album, Songs for Beginners, and “Just a Song Before I Go,” a top-10 hit for CSN in 1977.
For decades, Nash continued to record and tour with CSN and CSNY, while also working solo and as a duo with Crosby.
Nash was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice — with CSN in 1997 and with The Hollies in 2010.
Graham has focused on his solo career recently after a rift with Crosby led to CSN going on indefinite hiatus in 2015.
Reflecting on reaching 80, Nash recently told ABC Audio, “I can’t believe how young I feel inside,” adding, “I’ve got so much to do, so much to accomplish, and I intend to do as much as I can before I pass.”
