Fans of even the worst sports teams can usually take solace in the off-season. You can’t lose if you aren’t even playing.

Unless you’re the Washington Football Team. In which case you can lose your name and go without one, because you didn’t prepare for the day when you finally drop the name long derided for being racist.

And that was only part of a wrenching off-season that called into question team’s management, character, work environment and support even within the organization. Issues that dog them heading into Sunday’s season’s opener, at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. If you can’t remember all that went on since Washington finished last season with the league’s second worst record — and aren’t sure just what’s ahead this season — well, we’re here to help.

The team got a generic new name — and it likely won’t be replaced anytime soon.

Washington was pressed for years to replace its name. The team resisted, though the one it used since 1933 when the franchise was in Boston is a racist slur against Native Americans.

The team announced it would conduct “a thorough review” of the name in early July, after major advertisers and partners cut ties with the company, and a memorial to the team’s racist founder was defaced at RFK Stadium. For the time being, it’s the Washington Football Team — and a new name might not be chosen for 12-18 months, a team spokesperson told the Washington Post.

So get used to referring to it generically. And identifying it via generic, logo-less helmets, the dullest ones this side of State College, Pa.

The investigation into the team’s culture and allegations of sexual harassment is ongoing.

And it’s likely to be on the minds of everyone associated with the team until it concludes, whenever that might be. The scrutiny began in July, when the Washington Post published a sweeping investigative report that more than a dozen women alleged they suffered sexual harassment and verbal abuse by former team employees. The next month brought new reporting by the Post on a sexist, exploitative environment that allegedly festered there for decades. The NFL said earlier this month it would take on oversight of the investigation into sexual harassment at the team. Stay tuned.

Team ownership is unsettled.

Here’s another distraction heading into the new season. The Post reported this summer that three of its minority owners were trying to sell their stake in the team. Collectively, they own about 40% of the franchise. The New York Times later reported that majority owner Dan Snyder hinted it’s part of an ownership coup.

The most important off-field member of the team right now might not be Dan Snyder.

Pay attention to Jason Wright. After former president Bruce Allen was fired last year after a decade with a team, Wright became the league’s youngest and only Black president. Wright quickly made the rounds with media interviews shortly after being named to the position last month. You’d be hard pressed to think of the last time a Washington team executive happily represented it to the media.

The team’s tolerance for misbehavior may be changing.

At least that was one of the theories last month when it quickly released running back Derrius Guice after he was charged in multiple domestic violence incidents. This was soon after Wright took reins of the team.

The new coach has a high-stakes battle of his own.

Snyder has churned through head coaches during his tenure as owner. The newest is Ron Rivera, who announced before he coached his first game here that he has cancer and would be undergoing treatment for it. Rivera said last month that he plans to continue working.

Don’t expect a quick improvement in the team’s record.

The team finished with a 3-13 record last year. It’s had a winning record in only 6 of Dan Snyder’s 21 years as owner and won only 2 playoff games during that time, never advancing beyond the NFC’s divisional championship round.

So the odds are long — really long — in terms of winning the Super Bowl this year. The precise odds from betting sites vary from day-to-day. But at this writing, they’re about 15,000-1.

The team may not be much better, but it will be a little younger.

Rivera announced last week that Dwayne Haskins would be its starting quarterback. Haskins, the team’s first-round pick in 2019, had an uneven rookie season but shows promise. Still, the team hedged its bets by keeping two back-up quarterbacks on its roster, where many teams have only one.

The team also cut its top running back, 35-year-old Adrian Peterson, in favor of a more youthful core there. And on the other side of the ball, all eyes will be on defensive end Chase Young. The pass-rusher was the team’s top draft pick this year and formerly played at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland.

There won’t be any fans at FedEx Field, at least to begin the season.

We’ll pause for just a moment so you can insert your favorite joke here about the team’s famously dwindling attendance.

The team announced last month that it had decided to scrap its in-progress health and safety plan for fans to sit in the stands at FedEx Field, and will instead play games in an empty stadium. Officials had previously said fans who purchased tickets can get a full refund or defer their tickets to the 2021 season.

Some other NFL stadiums are allowing a limited number of attendees during games, though fans there will generally be required to observe social distancing and to wear a mask (except while eating or drinking).

It’s the only (football) game in town.

Still, it’s not like the team will face any local competition for football fans’ attention. High school and college teams in the area have no plans at this point to play football this fall, though the Big Ten (including Maryland) is said to be considering a number of options, including beginning play before year’s end. And remember the XFL? The league abruptly ended its season earlier this year, then filed for bankruptcy.