Thoughts on Wash DC as a Championship town and it's meaning for the Skins.

[clskinsfan]

This may not deserve it's own thread. If a mod thinks it should be moved please feel free.

 

26 years. That is the last time a DC team had won a championship. Since the NFL draft I had completely forgotten about the Washington Redskins. I am almost 50 years old, have always been a fan of every DC sports team. For the first time in my life the Redskins took a back seat to another DC sports team for me. You see I grew up in the glory days of the Redskins. They were THE DC sports team. My parents had season tickets since 1969.  I loved the Caps, O's (Yeah I know, not DC)  and Bullets. But they were always second fiddle to my beloved Redskins. I was a 14 years old when the Skins won their first title. And it only got better from there for a decade. We had the cream of the crop as far as professional sports organizations go. There simply was NO BETTER organization on the planet. And I got to witness THREE Super Bowl championships in the prime time of my life to experience it. When the Skins won the SB in 1992 I was 23 years old. I witnessed complete and total insanity in Georgetown that night. It looked a lot like the caps celebration. Except. Then someone decided to kick in the window of a doughnut shop. I witnessed the most epic doughnut fight in history that night. Doughnuts flew back and forth on M street for hours. Then shoes, apples and anything else you can imagine went airborne. It was probably the most epic thing I have ever seen.

 

Then the Capitals went on their amazing playoff run. I had forgotten what it was like to experience a championship in OUR city. We catch a lot a flak as fans here. After all we are a "transplant" city. "There are no real LOCAL sports fans here".  At least thats what the media would have you believe. What I saw over the past week IS WHAT this city is about as a sports city. I stood in my family room with my wife and son and cried as we won the cup. I watched people of all backgrounds show love and respect for each other at the parade. You see, we are a diverse city. But when it comes to our sports franchises WE ARE ONE.   

 

The question now becomes how does that carry over for our Skins? I have witnessed glimpses of this over the past two decades in our home stadium. But unfortunately, it has not been the norm. Too many opposing fans invade OUR house. And I get it. Let's be honest. We have basically sucked for two decades. Sell a couple of your game tickets to recover some of the cost of those season tickets. It is not like the team has made it easy to be a fan. My 17 year old son has absolutely no interest in the Skins. And for me that is just.....well....SAD! I can remember sitting on my dads lap as a little guy watching the Skins. It was a huge part of OUR family.

 

So how do we get that back? JUST WIN BABY. There is no way anyone can question whether or not DC is a "real" sports town anymore. WE showed up and we showed up in force. After the "recent" revelation that there IS NO season ticket waiting list (we all know the deal). I can buy tickets on gameday for 8 bucks. So DO IT. Stop sitting at home and chilling on the couch. Stop letting OTHER fans invade our territory. Go to the games. Take your kids. Get them involved in what being a DC sports fan is all about. There is no other sport where the fans play a role in the game like football. WE can make it a horrible experience to come play here. And in the end that is OUR responsibility.

[skinfan2k]

There is one person who changes this mantra. Dan Synder.  The Lerners and Leonsis put fans and and building a strong foundation first, while our franchise is still focused on the bottom dollar.  

[bakedtater1]

Unfortunately I don't see the fan base being the same till we win ten plus games a year for multiple years...idk maybe we draft some new shiny qb the same year the new stadium opens...how do we find out how many people have given up there season tickets because Snyder is the owner..and because the way he has operated the team.

[c slag]

Would be nice for the Redskins to have the Capitals there for a game with the Stanley Cup and have a celebration 

But the Capitals will be in the beginning of training came / pre-season games at that time and possibly could not do it 

 

[hail2skins]

Was thinking about this too about how winning will help matters, but a lot of factors just seem to be unfixable. The largest contingent of visiting fans seem to always be on the lower level visitors side, which makes me think those seats are not individually owned season tickets, but rather tickets owned by larger entities that make them available to employees that, due to the transient nature of the DMV, are from other areas of the country and procure the seats for when their hometown team is playing. Plus a club level which was built far too big and which the Redskins themselves probably dump a lot of inventory on Stubhub.

 

And there are few choice seats in the joint anyway, besides the non-obstructed 200s. The 100 level experience has been diminished by been ruined by the dream seats, the club seats are too expensive through the team (but not on Stubhub), and the 400s are largely too high up to be worth it in comparison to present day home entertainment systems (is seen by the removal of close to 15K seats from up there). 

 

Winning will increase demand some, but to what degree to solve the visiting fan problem, I'm skeptical. 

[Dissident2]

The whole thing with the Caps was great for many reasons, obviously, but one of which for Redskin fans was to showcase just how different the two ownership groups are. I was on the mall for the celebration, and when they announced Ted Leonsis' name, everyone cheered. It struck me how a moment like that would NEVER happen for Snyder. I'd say, even if we miraculously win the SB this year and have a parade of our own, Snyder would still be booed by most of our fans. 

 

As said above, it's going to take a lot to get this team back to being considered the cornerstone of Washington sports. The Caps didn't do it overnight. They built a great team (mainly the right way), created an awesome gameday experience, put out an awesome product, treated fans with respect, etc., etc., very few of the things that our owner can claim, if any. I just hope that dope is paying attention. 

[zoony]

12 hours ago, skinfan2k said:

There is one person who changes this mantra. Dan Synder.  The Lerners and Leonsis put fans and and building a strong foundation first, while our franchise is still focused on the bottom dollar.  

 

Yup.  Its called organizational leadership.  It matters.  Leonsis has built a sports organization known for its pursuit of excellence, from the top all the way down.

 

Snyder has built an organization known for its cronyism, back-biting, fear, leaks, in-fighting, and all around stink.  

 

So, yah.

[dyst]

If this team ever starts winning I will be very happy. But this owner has tainted everything about the organization that it will be a bitter sweet celebration. When the Capitals won, I was happy for the team and for Ted. If the Skins ever win, it will be hard to be happy for Danny. 

[TD_washingtonredskins]

47 minutes ago, zoony said:

 

Yup.  Its called organizational leadership.  It matters.  Leonsis has built a sports organization known for its pursuit of excellence, from the top all the way down.

 

Snyder has built an organization known for its cronyism, back-biting, fear, leaks, in-fighting, and all around stink.  

 

So, yah.

 

Correct - an organizational philosophy and strong leadership would do wonders. 

[Cooleyfan1993]

i keep seeing people bring up the leaks...if I remember correctly, the leaks in our organization seem to have stopped in the past few seasons. when was the last time we heard something get leaked out to the media? 

[zoony]

14 minutes ago, Cooleyfan1993 said:

i keep seeing people bring up the leaks...if I remember correctly, the leaks in our organization seem to have stopped in the past few seasons. when was the last time we heard something get leaked out to the media? 

 

[Renegade7]

4 hours ago, zoony said:

 

Yup.  Its called organizational leadership.  It matters.  Leonsis has built a sports organization known for its pursuit of excellence, from the top all the way down.

 

Snyder has built an organization known for its cronyism, back-biting, fear, leaks, in-fighting, and all around stink.  

 

So, yah.

 

Irony of this post is not lost on me as Ted also owns the Wizards (which even as a die hard does not belong in the same sentence as "pursuit of excellence")

 

I've said in other threads that the Caps winning helps take the pressure off the other DC teams in regards to be the ones to break the curse.  Now they can just do what the caps did, just play.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

2 hours ago, Cooleyfan1993 said:

i keep seeing people bring up the leaks...if I remember correctly, the leaks in our organization seem to have stopped in the past few seasons. when was the last time we heard something get leaked out to the media? 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

3 hours ago, Cooleyfan1993 said:

i keep seeing people bring up the leaks...if I remember correctly, the leaks in our organization seem to have stopped in the past few seasons. when was the last time we heard something get leaked out to the media? 

 

Actually, i think Zoony is the only one in this thread who brought up leaks lol...and I didn't get the impression he meant just recently but through the entirety of Snyder's tenure as owner. at the same time, though, Bruce Allen absolutely hates leaks (at least the ones he's not controlling) and no way in hell Snyder is speed dialing any local press lol...The leaks have indeed dried up for the most part. Hiring Scot M should have been a massive leak well in advance. I think the Skins genuine interest in him was first mentioned by the local press in Oakland, not here ("here" being D.C., not California lol).

[thebluefood]

5 hours ago, dyst said:

If this team ever starts winning I will be very happy. But this owner has tainted everything about the organization that it will be a bitter sweet celebration. When the Capitals won, I was happy for the team and for Ted. If the Skins ever win, it will be hard to be happy for Danny. 

That's exactly how I feel. It would feel like rewarding bad behavior. 

 

I've made my stance on the 'Skins clear on this forum - from the quality of their play over the span of my 27-year-life, to the organization's leadership, to the way the organization treats its fans and workers, to its sub-par playing field stadium, to its history since moving to the D.C. Area in 1937, to its long held nickname (which I will not go into). To say the least, my relationship with this organization is quite strained - to the point of estrangement. 

 

Make no mistake: I want there to be a successful, well run NFL franchise representing the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. I want it to be a symbol of everything that's good with my hometown and the surrounding suburbs. I want it to be something I can hold my head up high about. I want to hear the sports world speaking glowlingly about D.C. I want nothing more than to hear Philadelphia, New York, and Dallas fans murmuring words of begrudging respect about the town's football team. I want something other than footage of 30-year-old football games at a, now, tenantless stadium to sustain my fandom. 

 

But this? No, not this. To hell with this.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

16 minutes ago, thebluefood said:

That's exactly how I feel. It would feel like rewarding bad behavior. 

 

I've made my stance on the 'Skins clear on this forum - from the quality of their play over the span of my 27-year-life, to the organization's leadership, to the way the organization treats its fans and workers, to its sub-par playing field stadium, to its history since moving to the D.C. Area in 1937, to its long held nickname (which I will not go into). To say the least, my relationship with this organization is quite strained - to the point of estrangement. 

 

Make no mistake: I want there to be a successful, well run NFL franchise representing the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. I want it to be a symbol of everything that's good with my hometown and the surrounding suburbs. I want it to be something I can hold my head up high about. I want to hear the sports world speaking glowlingly about D.C. I want nothing more than to hear Philadelphia, New York, and Dallas fans murmuring words of begrudging respect about the town's football team. I want something other than footage of 30-year-old football games at a, now, tenantless stadium to sustain my fandom. 

 

But this? No, not this. To hell with this.

 

What keeps you coming here?...I ask sincerely because I tend not to visit sites of people or organizations I hold with contempt and frustration. it's why I never have, and never will, visit a Justin Beiber message board lol...

[thebluefood]

4 minutes ago, Califan007 said:

 

What keeps you coming here?...I ask sincerely because I tend not to visit sites of people or organizations I hold with contempt and frustration. it's why I never have, and never will, visit a Justin Beiber message board lol...

1.) The key word there is estranged - this was at one point my favorite team of all (especially before Major League Baseball came back to Washington)

2.) I'm a D.C. Area native and whether I like it or not, this team is irrevocably attached to my hometown

3.) I like the community here - lot of good folks here. This board helped me get through my "exile" in the south when I was younger and up until I moved to the Harrisburg, PA area last summer

4.) I mostly stick around in The Tailgate but saw this thread, which got my attention

[dyst]

We love the team, the majority of fans do not care for the owner or down right do not like him.

[Renegade7]

Ya'll need to at least considering burying the hatchet if he wins a championship or more.  It's not healthy to still hate this guy if he finally gets right.

[Veryoldschool]

I posted this before and repeat today, my head told me the day Snyder fired Marty that Snyder would never win but my heart refused to listen.  I keep following the Skins, although I stopped renewing my tickets during the Griffin years because the heart wants what the heart wants regardless of what the head knows.  I don't expect Snyder to be able to win a title or reverse the decline in fan support.  I think the League as a whole is now in decline and Skins more so because of Snyder.

 

 

1 hour ago, thebluefood said:

1.) The key word there is estranged - this was at one point my favorite team of all (especially before Major League Baseball came back to Washington)

2.) I'm a D.C. Area native and whether I like it or not, this team is irrevocably attached to my hometown

3.) I like the community here - lot of good folks here. This board helped me get through my "exile" in the south when I was younger and up until I moved to the Harrisburg, PA area last summer

4.) I mostly stick around in The Tailgate but saw this thread, which got my attention

 

I get it, I feel it too.

[dyst]

6 hours ago, Cooleyfan1993 said:

i keep seeing people bring up the leaks...if I remember correctly, the leaks in our organization seem to have stopped in the past few seasons. when was the last time we heard something get leaked out to the media? 

Just this year. Once it became evident Kirk wasn’t signing here, we started hearing more stories about him taking sacks.

1 hour ago, Renegade7 said:

Ya'll need to at least considering burying the hatchet if he wins a championship or more.  It's not healthy to still hate this guy if he finally gets right.

Its not because he is losing, its the way he goes about his business that people hate. This fanbase can support a loser if they are good caring people. Its hard to support a schmuck who puts other schmucks under him.

[Renegade7]

2 hours ago, dyst said:

Just this year. Once it became evident Kirk wasn’t signing here, we started hearing more stories about him taking sacks.

Its not because he is losing, its the way he goes about his business that people hate. This fanbase can support a loser if they are good caring people. Its hard to support a schmuck who puts other schmucks under him.

Given what his wife is doing for cancer and he himself is doing for native americans, your definition of shmucks seems skewed.

 

Snyder needs to do an AMA.  People are speaking for him because he won't speak himself.

[pjfootballer]

4 hours ago, Renegade7 said:

Ya'll need to at least considering burying the hatchet if he wins a championship or more.  It's not healthy to still hate this guy if he finally gets right.

 

Yeah, I mean at that point, if we’be Won the SB, he must’ve done something right.

[TSO]

Good thread, and I think it’s totally relevant. 

 

I agree with the general sentiment pointed at our leadership here, so I won’t add much to it. The contrasts between the organizational leadership are stark enough to see for anyone who actually wants to. 

 

For me, this is more related to the players than anything else. At least it needs to be if we’re going to see an immediate impact, as I don’t think Dan will react positively until or unless a catastrophic season occurs, and even then the wrong people might be targeted. :/ 

 

As far as the coaches are concerned, Jay and co. have never given me any indication other than they’re as competitive and motivated as can be. So I don’t worry about them, really. 

 

Throughout the playoffs and with every game the Caps won, looking more and more like the epitome of what a team “playing together” does... I kept thinking to myself, wishfully, that this would have a galvanizing effect on the Skins’ players. 

 

I don’t know if that’s utter nonsense or not. But a part of me kept thinking... what if the players are seeing this and it really boosted their desire and motivation to win a championship? That they saw how the only way to get it done is to really play as a team, every player playing whatever role is necessary. 

 

I’d love for anyone to do the research and show how, if any cases exist, one team within a city winning can have an impact on the other “coming together” so to speak, where they contend more immediately. Would be hard, I know, considering other factors might be in play. But I think if we can show a few examples of how a city that went some time without any championships, got one from one franchise, and then the others within a short time span elevated their game... maybe there’s something to it. 

 

Probably not, but hey, one can hope. I liked seeing this just right now: 

 

 

[LaRonDontLikeUgly]

OP--- I just head-butted a hole through my drywall you got me so AMPED!!!  Took the leftover TINFOIL from my girl's brownies and tossed that **** in the microwave for 3min!  WOOOO!!!!  (The 4th came early baby!)  

 

Pretty NUTS that Caps closed out the series 40 years TO THE DAY that the Bullets won in '78.  I never jinxed myself once during the entire playoff series by being over-confident (in fact, I was over-miserable) but, I also couldn't ignore the chatter from everyone I know/love saying "this team is special".  Watched nearly every single game in NYC/NJ with my Rangers/Devils fans who HAD OUR BACK... My neighbors from Boston/Philly who would come over HAD OUR BACK. (Eventually trickled down to Ft. Lauderdale with a group of Pens fans who HEAPED praise on Ovie and strong/respectable fanbase after our win.)

 

@Clskinsfan will appreciate that I was rocking a Rasheed Wallace Bullet's jersey with a throwback O's hat at the Cap's parade-- and let me TELL anyone who wasn't there-- That parade was about DC SPORTS!!!  We have the most passionate, culturally diverse, IMPORTANT fan base in the country.  I witnessed Trotz give a shot out to MLK on the same lawn that my frozen-ass witnessed the first black President get sworn into office.  (Shed a tear both times.)

 

The curse is over, y'all.  The Skins are next.  Best draft I've witnessed in my lifetime.  I'm so happy and proud to be a DC sports fan.  This is just the beginning-- and TRUST me our boys in Burgundy 'n Gold are feeling this electricity. 

 

HTTR