LANDOVER, Md., September 22, 2022 – The Washington Commanders announced festivities and programming for Sunday's "We Are All Commanders" game, with special celebrations honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, the team's second annual Pride Night Out, and HBCU Night Out. Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles is presented by Telemundo 44 and will kick off at 1 p.m. EST.
In recognition of the "We Are All Commanders" theme, the team will host pregame tailgates and on-field celebrations and tributes focused on the values of diversity and inclusion. In observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Washington Commanders Charitable Foundation will honor five previous nominees and winners of last season's Hispanic Heritage Foundation Youth Award during an in-game moment.
Additionally, in celebration of the team's second annual Pride Night Out, the Commanders will host a Pride-themed tailgate in Legends Plaza with an exclusive Commander Pride T-Shirt, pregame buffet, photobooth, and more. Before kickoff, The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC will sing the National Anthem. In an on-field ceremony at the end of the first quarter, the team will honor the life and legacy of Jerry Smith, a Washington Ring of Fame member who broke league and franchise records during his 13 seasons for the Burgundy & Gold. Following his retirement, Smith courageously battled AIDS before ultimately succumbing to the disease just months after becoming the first professional athlete to publicly reveal his diagnosis.
As part of the team's second annual HBCU Night Out, the team will host two tailgates including a DC Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance pregame event in the DeLeón Lounge and a HBCU tailgate in the D-Green parking lot (D40). The tailgates will include catered food by Soul Rebel, an HBCU graduate-owned business, as well as an exclusive HBCU T-Shirt giveaway. Bowie State University will hold the flag during the National Anthem.
"We are proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, HBCU Night Out, and Pride Night Out as part of our 'We Are All Commanders' game to celebrate and embrace the diversity of our fanbase across the DMV area", said Andre Chambers, Washington Commanders Chief People Officer. "This game will allow us to recognize the power of our differences, while embracing what brings us together- the Washington Commanders."
In honor of Sunday's "We Are All Commanders" game, the Commanders partnered with three DMV artists who designed limited-edition rally towels. Upon arrival at the gates, fans will receive rally towels featuring the designs of three local artists, Katherine Barahona, Keyonna Jones, and Britnee Scott. The Hispanic Heritage rally towel was designed by Barahona, the HBCU rally towel was designed by Scott, and the Pride rally towel was designed by Jones. To learn more about the three artists and see images of the rally towels please visit Commanders.com/rallytowels.
The Command Force will perform two routines in celebration of the "We Are All Commanders" game theme. During the second quarter the team will perform "Freedom," a routine that recognizes HBCU Night Out with band dance choreography and Pride Night Out with a Pride flag demonstration. Early in the fourth quarter, the Command Force will perform a routine with the Hispanic Heritage Month rally towel, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Additionally, this week, in celebration of the "We Are All Commanders" game theme, Black-owned, LGBTQ+-owned and Latino-owned food trucks will be located throughout Legends Plaza.
With the game falling on the Air Force's 75th birthday, the team also will host a series of tributes and celebrations to honor this military milestone. The 1st helicopter Squadron from Joint Base Andrews will conduct a flyover with UH-1N Huey helicopters, weather permitting. Major General Joel Jackson, Commander of Air Force District Washington, will serve as the game's honorary captain, and the Air Force ROTC Detachment 130 from Howard University will serve as the game's color guard.
The Commanders mascot selection process will continue this Sunday as the team will reveal design renderings from the top two mascot categories. The renderings will be shown in-game on the HD Boards for another round of fan voting. In-stadium voting will take place at the Pepsi Fan District in the EndZone outside of section 111 through halftime. After the renderings are shared in-game, fans also can cast their votes online at Commanders.com/HTTC through September 27. The winning mascot design will go into fabrication and will be revealed at the Fan Appreciation home game on New Year's Day presented by Pepsi.
Fans can purchase tickets for this game and all 2022 regular season home games at Commanders.com/tickets.
