Major League Cricket (MLC) recently announced the name and logo of their Washington, DC franchise, the Washington Freedom. The team is the first of six MLC teams to release their name and logo ahead of the inaugural MLC season, which begins in July. The Washington Freedom will compete in the groundbreaking Major League Cricket championship and represent the Washington, D.C. area, which is home to hundreds of thousands of cricket fans.
The Washington Freedom’s team lead investor, Sanjay Govil, expressed his excitement about bringing a professional cricket team to the nation’s capital. The team’s logo features patriotic red, white, and blue colors, stars from the Washington D.C. city flag, and a bat and ball representing cricket, the world’s second most popular sport with over 2.5 billion fans. The team’s mark and colors are a perfect fit for a team from the nation’s capital to compete on the global stage MLC provides.
Cricket New South Wales (CNSW) will partner with Washington Freedom for high performance and development. CNSW CEO Lee Germon believes that CNSW’s experience in T20 cricket can give the Washington franchise a head start in terms of where it goes and operates. The Washington Freedom will meet with the other five MLC franchises for the inaugural MLC domestic draft on Sunday at the Lyndon B Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Washington has representatives in Houston to plan their draft strategy during the ongoing combine. Among Washington’s staff are former Australia cricketer and head of male elite cricket for CNSW, Michael Klinger, and former India physio, Patrick Farhat. With experienced personnel and support from CNSW, Washington Freedom is poised to make a strong start in the MLC.
The Washington Freedom’s announcement is a significant step towards the growth of cricket in the United States, as it adds to the country’s growing list of professional cricket teams. With the introduction of MLC, the sport has a platform to showcase its talents on a global stage and attract more fans in the United States. The Washington Freedom’s presence in the nation’s capital will also help promote the sport among a wider audience.
The name however hasn’t sat well with many social media users. They think it’s very Americanised to the point that it feels like a sarcastic name.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Washington Freedom’s name announcement:
Dc has a cricket team….and they call themselves….Washington freedom… pic.twitter.com/EvGqno9XGp
— 3.23?? (@RoseyyNicole) March 15, 2023
So @MLCricket is recycling an old #WUSA brand with the Washington Freedom. I'm not sure how I feel about my worlds colliding like this. @nwsl #woso #cricket #twenty20 Will @MiaHamm be a spokesperson? pic.twitter.com/ZcbWhxbdGR
— Andy Mead (@theAndyMead) March 15, 2023
Did the White House buy a majority stake in the Washington franchise that its named Washington Freedom ? https://t.co/q9fUYB9tKj
— Aries (@ariescric) March 15, 2023
Wow, the Washington Freedom name is back… in Major League Cricket. https://t.co/Lthknpg4So
— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) March 15, 2023
When it was announced that @MLCricket was going to be a thing, I was concerned that the team logos would be trash like so many others around the world, but I dig both of Washington Freedom's logos. #MLC23 ? #WeAreUSACricket https://t.co/W6xZSp0qhD
— Jay Gatties (@jaygatties) March 15, 2023
Now what type of bullshit is that??? FREEDOM???? How does dc in any way relate to freedom?? ????
— 3.23?? (@RoseyyNicole) March 15, 2023
IMO, the OG Washington Freedom, the WPS team, had a MUCH cooler logo! But regardless I’m excited to attend a pro cricket game, go Freedom (cricket freedom, not soccer freedom which no longer exists). https://t.co/yWZC1M0fhI pic.twitter.com/9s4MViP68p
— Travis Swanson — ? @Travis ? @travis@urbanists (@TeeSwanJr) March 16, 2023
We have cricket?
— TiredofItAll (@marty_funk19) March 15, 2023
What?? this is team name or company name ?
— arbazzz (@arbazzz32) March 15, 2023
