Fans of the Washington, DC, football team are getting ready to enter a new era.
The Washington football team is set to officially reveal its new name and logo on Wednesday morning's "Today" show.
The team's enduring burgundy and gold hues are scattered across the city, pointing to optimism and enthusiasm for the future.
In National Harbor, the Capital Wheel was lit up in Washington colors behind a jumbo screen, where fans line up to watch the announcement together.
Inside the stadium, signs read: "The future is now."
Many fans feel sad or bitter over the long-standing change. After years of fighting with the team leadership over the dictionary-defined slur, the former moniker, Indigenous communities, activists and their allies are welcoming it.
Former Washington cornerback Fred Smoot told News4 that the team is much more than its name.
"If you've ever been part of a family, you understand this: If my sister gets married and takes a new surname, she's still my sister," Smoot said. "That's the lens we have to look at."
“Let's put the past in the past, move forward with a new future, a new name, a new stadium, a new everything. A new era,” said Smoot.
Stephen Boyd, known as The Rally Captain, showed up at FedEx Field before 6 a.m., decked out in burgundy and gold gear as well as a giant Washington "W" chain.
"A new name, a new era. We are about to embrace something that no one ever imagined," Boyd said. "It's our time and we're not ready to go out of the way."
Boyd, who says he has only missed one game since 2014, said he is already looking beyond the name change news - hoping for a good result next season.
"Many people, they won't like the name. But like anything else in life, they'll get used to it," Boyd said.