With all of the buzz regarding a possible move to P.G. County and a new stadium, where do fans stand on the team's name? D.C. government has shown us the door, and P.G. County has welcomed us with open arms (so it seems). Should a name change reflect that?
I know almost all will disagree with this, but I think United should pick up the name that precedes each of our local NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB and WPS teams: Washington. DC has lost all claim to the naming rights. Incidentally, PG United makes no sense at all and I would be very much opposed to that. Since the argument was made that the 'united' in the name refers to stitching together the three jurisdictions in support of a team, I don't think that we can argue that we're stitching together Prince George's County. I can argue that our other professional teams, the ones whose names begin with Washington, do a fine job of uniting.
I never thought I'd be saying this, but given what has gone down in the past week, I would have no problem whatsoever if there was a name change to PG United or MD United. Perhaps I'm still bitter that the District has dropped the ball on this, but why should "DC" be splashed everywhere the next time we win the Cup?
I thought the DC was for the DC metro area. if they still within said DC they should keep the name. As the fans would still be from the same area, more than likely. Plus I would be pissed cause I would have to do some rework to my tat, that s$%# is expensive.
Were this a move to Arizona, Idaho or Missouri sure but no, in this case a name change would be wrong.
I have no problem staying with DC United. I have no problem changing to Washington United. I have a problem with "The United"!
But people use "DC" to specifically refer to the Distinct in contrast to other parts of the metro area, while "Washington" is a more generic term for the region (in common speech). I live in Arlington and have little problem saying "I'm from Washington" but saying "I'm from DC" sounds a bit odd unless you actually live in the city proper. That said, I wouldn't change the name. There's too much brand identity already established and there's no particular reason why "DC United" can't stand for the entire region even if "DC" is somewhat exclusive. The "United" part actually emphasized combining all the areas in the region to me. Also, I think that it's a good thing that the soccer team uses "DC" as opposed to "Washington" if only to provide some distinction in a crowded sports landscape. It helps to differentiate yourself from other similar products (in this case, other sports teams) and having a more distinct name has marketing/branding value.
That (seriously) does it for me. Hadn't thought about everything that had to change...painful changes at that. Keep it as DC United.
You are the first person I have heard make that distinction. Everyone I know from out of town uses 'Washington' and 'DC' interchangeably.
I can't even believe this thread exists. 13 seasons is a fairly short period of time, and yet during that time this team has still developed a tradition that means something. The word means something here like it doesn't to any other team in this league. And now some of you want to throw a chunk of that away. Furthermore, to anyone who's not currently a hardcore fan of an MLS team -- this includes any future fans of our team or any other team -- a look at the past winners of the Cup, the Shield, the USOC, and all the other hardware we've won would no longer list our team. Right now it looks impressive; but in the future, to the current neophyte, "Washington United has never won anything." Worst thread ever.
This thread is silly. It certainly should stay DC United, we're talking about the beltway here, not much of a move at all. Besides, this leaves the door open for 2030, when relegation is in place and the side DC City is promoted from USL 1 to MLS.
No kidding. I live in Takoma Park, MD. When I'm out of the area and someone asks me were I'm from, I usually say "DC" or "Washington, DC." I never say "Washington" to avoid confusion with Washington State.
Starting with the license plates on both my cars... I have heard this before. Sometimes when I'm speaking to people unfamiliar with the geography, I will just say Washington if I'm going to Rockville or something. I'm not from either, so it makes no difference to me, but sometimes people outside the area have preconceptions of what is DC and Washington. Hell, I bet half of America couldn't even tell you the make up of the nation's capital. I think the name should stay the same. Though I think a cup victory celebration should be had in Annapolis instead of DC.
You know, there were people who were seriously pissed that Van Halen didn't change their name after David Lee Roth left the band...even though both Van Halen brothers remained. Changing the name of the team would make an equal amount of sense.
Wow. That makes two threads I've started that have been dubbed "the worst thread ever." I'm on a roll! That said, if I was a P.G. politician, resident, etc. and MY tax money was going to pay for a new stadium for a team called "D.C." United, you can bet I'd be asking what was up with that. Tradition is great. It's what makes this team great. Too bad the city of Washington D.C. thinks that tradition is worth a bucket of warm spit and has done jack to keep their championship winning team in the District. Fact is, if the team leaves the District of Columbia, then I'd be hard pressed to argue they should keep the D.C. in their name. I think this is a valid issue worthy of debate. You disagree.
You missed the part where they said the stadium would NOT be paid with tax or lottery funds, but would be paid by DC United. Check it out on United's website. I agree with Bootsy. This is the worst thread ever. EDIT: "The stadium is projected to cost $180 million to $195 million, seat approximately 24,000 fans, and will be funded by D.C. United and new revenue generated by the team and stadium. It will not draw on the existing tax base or require lottery funds." from dcunited.com
My family have been fans of DC United for about 4-5 years now. We started watching one night when nothing else was on the tube and we were hooked with footie. We follow DC United as much as possible even if we can only make it to 1 or 2 games a year. (Frederick and not enough money). We are perfectly fine with DC United moving to Maryland even though we think Mo Co would be a better choice. The one thing that we couldn't agree with would be a name change. We love DC United. We love them in DC or in PG, but please lets not confuse ourselves in thinking that a move of this trivial amount of distance should result in changing a name that is the BEST in our football league.
You know. Sometimes I think we've said everything that can be said during the offseason. Then a thread like this pops up and makes it to page 3. This place can be really amazing sometimes.
Most Prince George's politicians hate the use of "P.G." as shorthand for the county name. The team will never, ever be P.G. United. Maybe the name could be changed to DCA United (for District of Columbia Area) if the technical border thing becomes a legal issue. Otherwise, I'd just leave it alone.