Major Tuddy Just Another Major Dud
*Writer’s note: I’ve held off on writing this for a couple days given that it felt like what happened to Damar Hamlin should be what NFL fans really focus on for a bit. Given that there are positive reports coming out, I figured a return to more regular topics was ok at this time. On to the blog:
The Commanders unveiled their latest attempt at connecting with fans this past weekend when they put potbelly porker Major Tuddy on display against the Browns. In what is an obvious attempt to try and reconnect older fans, Dan Snyder and the Commanders marketing team gave the greenlight for the organization to try and shove this down our throats. I’ll give them this, the idea of a hog mascot isn’t a bad one based on the team’s history, but the execution of this has been just another joke we can attach to Snyder’s name.
Let’s start with the basics. The team decided the right time to put Tuddy out there was against the Cleveland Browns of all teams. Why would you debut something that is meant to excite a fanbase against a team that is in the opposite conference from the Commanders, AND a team that nobody inside the Beltway gives a damn about (except maybe Congressmen from Ohio). When Poe came back for the Ravens, the franchise did it right by having him go full Kevin-Nash-fake-cast-in-a-wheelchair to get the fans riled up against their archrivals. Extra emphasis on arch-freaking-rivals! If we were going to display a new mascot, the franchise should’ve given the fanbase something extra to cheer for when our archrivals in Dallas come to town this weekend.
Speaking of that though, a hog mascot is not what we should have gone with if our nickname is the Commanders. I could rehash the fact that Commanders is an awful nickname, but that’s been beat to death. What I will say is, the franchise had the option of Red Hogs as a new nickname; once that idea got fried like bacon, the idea of any pig related mascot would just feel wrong. Also, since the franchise is the Commanders, and the mascot is meant to portray a Major in the military, why wouldn’t they have gone with the dog option that was floated out? There are actual military dogs, there aren’t military pigs! At least a dog would have made a modicum of sense!
When it comes down to it, Major Tuddy feels like a contrived attempt for Dan Snyder to try and get the old Hogs back into the fold inside the Beltway. This introduction of Tuddy also seemed to inconspicuously come right after the announcement that the former Hogs were going to file suit over the mascot. It’s a typical Dan Snyder play; instead of backing off and rethinking things, the man just pushes forward and expects things to work out for him because he’s that kind of arrogant.
The only thing Major Tuddy succeeded in was making me want pork chops for dinner.
