What Has Happened to the Redskins' Fan Base?

In general the internet allows more people to have a voice than ever before. The majority of fans in the 80's could have been a bunch of slack jawed yolkles but you hardly ever got to hear them because they could only talk with other idiots in the room or call into to the radio after the game. Now we have a chance to read every little asinine thought that enters someone's mind as soon as they think it up.
I think the fan base for every team seems to have been dumbed down because of this.
Plus, if want to hear a bunch of idiots trying to talk about football you should come up here to Baltimore and take a listen to the majority of ravens fans.

I was just about to post something similar. In this day of 24/7 instant media coverage, the internet, and sports talk radio... the fans' voice is more prevelant than ever. And that's not always a good thing as we all know.

Im 100% with you when it comes to games. I don't really enjoy going to the games anymore. No one seems to give a shit about the game, and if you do people bitch at you. I typically don't drink at games but I get into the game. I love when I haven't had a single beer and I'm accused of being 'drunk' because I cheer our defense on, I stand up for the defense, I scream, and often I'll sit down when the offense is going since I don't need my entire body to make noise.

Fans are going to be unrealistic, but let's not act like teams don't go after big free agents. What did New England do last season? Two 2nds for Wes Welker, a tiny pick for Randy Moss, Big money on A. Thomas, etc. They went out, spend money, and went 16-0. Yeah, they didn't win the super bowl but no other team has ever gone 16-0 or even 18-1.

However, be careful about dogging people willing to give up picks for someone you may not like. Some think Chad Johnson is crazy, but I feel that's somewhat ignorant. He has fun, but he works damn hard. Even those badmouthing him in Cincy have said he's one of, if not the hardest worker on the team.

With the amount of money first round picks are getting, you're just as good off trading it for a proven commodity rather than someone who could be a terrible bust. For instance, not saying it will happen, but hypothetically -- what if J. Russell flops? The Raiders are completely handcuffed with a contract.

B] Of course, the same holds true for the intelligent fans that had no place to speak before. [/B]You're 100% right about this. Fans are probably more informed now than they ever were in the past because of the amount of information that it available to them at the click of a button. We can now use the internet to track the salary cap, a player's injury status, legal status, situational stats, draft prospects, depth charts, etc.
I guess it's just a matter of taking advantage of the resources to become more knowledgeable.

I agree w/all here about the impact of the internet & other sports shows on tv & radio. Fans are a huge market. Ridiculous fans are here to stay, I can accept that, but there may be more to it w/the skins than w/most teams.

I think that Snyder has used this era to his financial advantage for the most part, while having relatively little success on the team winning games. I certainly don't mean to bash him, I think he's tried hard to build a winner & he's made some great decisions & moves, like getting Gibbs back here.

But I think that in his tenure he has fed the media monster w/out ever even talking to the press. He built a billion dollar franchise by creating luxury boxes, raising prices & signing big name players that essentially amounted to free advertising for his product.

All indications are now, that he's changed & the organization will roll differently. I look forward to it & applaud him. However, I do think he's guilty of feeding the dumbed down or fair weathered fans w/the biz moves he's made that were based on style more than substance.

Growing up, one of the things I remember sports announcers saying about the Redskins is that they had a very knowledgeable fan base. But, lately, I've seen that same fan base do some things that make me scratch my head.

If you go to other Web sites, you'll notice fans suggesting that the Redskins give up high draft picks to acquire big stars/head cases who may not fit with the system or the locker room. The worst part is that this has been the strategy since Dan Snyder bought the team and it's netted a 70-79 record with one playoff win. Additionally, teams like the Steelers, Patriots, Colts and Giants mainly used the draft while treating free agency as a supplement to their roster-building. This strategy has netted Super Bowl wins for the aforementioned teams.

I've also noticed fans asking silly questions on message boards -- questions that, in my opinion, a "knowledgeable" fan base would never ask. They've included, "Can we as a sixth-seeded team host a playoff game?" "Why was that play called a touchback?" "Why are they running the ball here (when there's less than two minutes left in the game, the opposition has no timeouts and you're trying to run the clock out)?"

Then, the games themselves have turned into a breeding ground for violent, foul-mouthed fans who feel like they need to drink themselves to oblivion to have a good time. You also have people who are conducting business in the stands and don't care about the game. People who leave or return to their seats when a play is in progress. People who want to start the wave in the fourth quarter of a close game when the Redskins offense is on the field. People who are more concerned about getting on the jumbotron than what's happening on the football field. People who are jumping up and down screaming when the Skins have the ball on a crucial fourth-down play. And those who keep wondering why that little clock in the corner keeps counting backwards from 40.

(Okay, I made that last one up, but you get the idea!)

Thoughts?



Not digging at you but here is my take : Regardless of ones knowledge of "football" once can be a fan just like anyone else. My wife (god bless her soul) knows nothing about football, generally doesn't care to, but when the skins are on, she cheers like crazy - she loves the Skins but because she isn't as knowledgable as most doesn't make her stupid, or any less of a fan than the next person.

As far as the Fed X experience - the more I learn to worry about what I can control the less stressed the situations are. I am a fan that likes to have beers at the game and go nuts - that is the way I choose to watch the games. Now, I dont drink myself stupid to where I piss myself, passout (in that order) but I do get pretty crazy. I'll admit, that in the heat of the moment my language may get a little bad, but its a football game and I get emotional. I have a son who is 4. I intend on taking him to a game in the next year or two. I understand that there are going to be fans that curse and act like fools, but my son understands that this is not language we use at home or at school. If I didn't want him to hear it, then I choose not to take him to games.
Regarding the fans that dont seem interested, or conducting business - hey its their money. They can do with it what ever they seem fit. if they want to take clients to the game to seal the deal, so be it. I can't control that, nor can anyone. As far as fans selling their tickets to other teams fans, only thing I can say is if the skins are winning on a regular basis, then fans will tend to NOT sell their tickets and come to the stadium. I live in Charlotte NC and the Panthers are a prime example of this. If they are winning the stadium is full of Panther fans, but let them loose a few games early, and its like the stadium is over run with oposing team fans.

My advise, dont stress over things you can't control.

When the Skins left RFK, the danny ushered in a new era. RFK was home to old standing season ticket owners & people that really knew & cared. Not that those same people aren't at fedex. When you jump from 52,000 to 90,000 it's inevitable you'll suffer a loss of quality.

Consider fedex a 'pop music' or 'fast food' version of Redskins football. Maybe that's harsh, but fedex really symbolizes the danny's biz imprint on the skins even though he didn't build it. It's been about style over substance & that's how he's operated in free agency... unitl NOW!!

The comments you make about fans wanting the skins to make the splashy moves, indicates that a lot of people must buy into the danny's past moves, or they simply don't know much recent skins history. It's good to see that the owner & front office seem to have really turned over a new leaf & will be running things quite differently now. We'll see how many fans catch on & support it.

I know people on the warpath are behind the new approach, the fair weather fans will be too once we start winning consistently & JC becomes a star.

Mr. JKC built the new Stadium, Not the "Danny". Danny got the stadium when he bought the team, in fact the stadium was named after JKC...

I Hear What You Are Sayhing But For Real Everyday Somebody Wakes Up And Is Like Hey Thats My Team. Like Look How Many GIANT FANS Just Came Out The Woodwork! So If You Know About Your Teams History, Then Just Consider Yourself Faithful, Who Do You Have To Prove It Too. And Dan Snyder Is Just Not Even Worth Complaining About Anymore Until We Can All Get Our Money Together And Buy Him Out..........Chad Johnson woulnt hurt though =) other than that keep all the picks(by the way)

Sometimes I miss being ignorant about some aspects of the team. Growing up, all I had to focus on were the games themselves. Wins, losses and the performances on the field were the only thing really worth caring about. For me, being fed information and opinion 24/7, 365 days a year just turns into white noise after awhile.

It's not knowledge they lack, it's the ability and the desire to attain it. I don't think anyone can help anyone else in that regard. These folks with their outrageous remarks and ideas are people who think they are above average in intelligence but in reality they are below the red line, some well below, and they don't recognize it.

p.s. I might be one of them.

I do get frustrated when fans ask silly questions or propose ridiculous, maddenesque trade ideas. But then I look at the fans around me here in Philadelphia, and I'm reminded to be appreciative that at least we're not like them!

I think overall we're a pretty smart fan base. Inevitably you're going to have some n00bs that need to be dealt with. But we're better off than a lot of cities, methinks.

Yeah, but I'm seeing things in the stands that are increasingly disturbing. A Redskins fan spat on a 9-year-old girl just because she was wearing the jersey of another team. I had never been soooo embarrassed to be a Redskins fan than at that point.

Between the price (tix, food, etc.), the alcoholic fans, and the fans that sell their tix to fans of other teams, I'm starting to prefer watching at home. It seems like the % of cowboy fans at FedEx goes up ever year.

I've felt that way, myself. I almost didn't renew my seats this time, but I think I'm going to give it one more year.

I think like any sports franchise, you get people who are idiots, but I feel like we're alot better than Eagles or Cowboys fans. Cowboys fans excuse for being fans of them is that their "America's Team" or some BS like that. Eagles fans are the most obnoxious people in the world. I know b/c I'm friends with a bunch of them.

Yeah, Ravens fans suck too. I'm friends with some of them as well.

You need to pick your friends more carefully! :silly:


Their fans are basically the only reason I hate the team. Hell, I sort of liked them up until just after they won the super bowl and all their fans started thinking they were the greatest team in the history of the sport and that their SB win was the only one that mattered.

It's funny how all of those Baltimore football fans screamed, "Bloody Murder!" when the Colts skipped town -- and I felt for them(!) -- but then were VERY quick to don that purple and black, even though they did practically the exact same thing to Cleveland.

Not digging at you but here is my take : Regardless of ones knowledge of "football" once can be a fan just like anyone else. My wife (god bless her soul) knows nothing about football, generally doesn't care to, but when the skins are on, she cheers like crazy - she loves the Skins but because she isn't as knowledgable as most doesn't make her stupid, or any less of a fan than the next person.

As far as the Fed X experience - the more I learn to worry about what I can control the less stressed the situations are. I am a fan that likes to have beers at the game and go nuts - that is the way I choose to watch the games. Now, I dont drink myself stupid to where I piss myself, passout (in that order) but I do get pretty crazy. I'll admit, that in the heat of the moment my language may get a little bad, but its a football game and I get emotional. I have a son who is 4. I intend on taking him to a game in the next year or two. I understand that there are going to be fans that curse and act like fools, but my son understands that this is not language we use at home or at school. If I didn't want him to hear it, then I choose not to take him to games.
Regarding the fans that dont seem interested, or conducting business - hey its their money. They can do with it what ever they seem fit. if they want to take clients to the game to seal the deal, so be it. I can't control that, nor can anyone. As far as fans selling their tickets to other teams fans, only thing I can say is if the skins are winning on a regular basis, then fans will tend to NOT sell their tickets and come to the stadium. I live in Charlotte NC and the Panthers are a prime example of this. If they are winning the stadium is full of Panther fans, but let them loose a few games early, and its like the stadium is over run with oposing team fans.

My advise, dont stress over things you can't control.

I hear what you're saying. But, escalating prices have priced out the blue-collar, "real" fan in favor of the wine-and-cheesers who look at you funny if you want to cheer. This makes the stadium sterile and takes away from the home-field advantage the team used to enjoy at RFK. Also, please don't misunderstand me about drinking alcohol. I don't care if you drink around me. Just know how to control yourself so you're not constantly dropping f-bombs every other sentence and throwing up in the stands and anywhere else outside the bathroom for everyone else to step around -- experiences I had a few times last season. It just takes away from the stadium experience and that's where I have the problem.

Anyway, these are all observations I've made lately and I just wanted to get the take of others.