Mursilis

I still stop by for the schadenfreude. Watching Snyder's gross mismanagement continually blow up in his face is way more fun that watching the actual games these days.

For me, the end was a long time ago. I haven't posted on this site in over five years, and that's about the time I stopped following this team on a regular basis. Part of it was Snyder's many, many blunders, but part of it was the actions of the rest of the league. I'm tired of the greed of the owners, with the constant demand for new stadiums at taxpayers' expense and/or team relocations, the league's lies about the whole concussion cover-up, the treatment of Kaepernick when he decided to take a stand for minorities yet domestic abusers being welcome back with open arms, and on and on and on. I felt less and less like a fan and more and more like a mark or a sucker. I went from planning my Sundays in the fall around the NFL schedule to not even watching the Super Bowl anymore. I still follow some news about the NFL and the WFT because it's hard to avoid in the DMV area and it's interesting from a cultural/business perspective, but I don't care about the games anymore. The new team name is terrible, but in a way, that's good news. It just means I'll be even less tempted to get back into it. I like having my Sundays back - there are so many better ways to spend a beautiful fall day than to watch this team and league find new ways to exploit its fans and abuse its players. I'm old enough to remember the glory years in the 80's and early 90's, and I'll always cherish those memories, but that was all a different time, and it's not coming back. Certainly, I'm not coming back to being a fan either. Peace to anyone still sticking around.

It's early but does Cleveland have a shot at 0-16 (or 0-20, given that they lost all their preseason games too)? Given their level of dysfunction, there aren't that many games left in which they've got a real shot. I can't understand why people go to those games - it really is a factory of sadness. There's really no hope for that team in the foreseeable future.

Now members of the armed services are protesting during the anthem: Sailor refuses to salute during the anthem And of course she has to post about it on Facebook, etc. Sometimes I wonder if this generation is really just looking for attention.

Economic interests aren't everything, and certainly aren't the only thing.

Any actual evidence that the young are any less likely than the old to make foolish and/or short-sighted decisions? Judging by social media alone, the young are prone to quite a bit of skull-slapping stupidity.

It's a two-way street. You know what they say about leading horses to water, don't you? Not everyone WANTS to be smarter.

I think you're mostly correct, but the other side of that is, the rest of the world isn't sitting still either. Nations in Africa and Asia are also trying to climb the soccer ladder and soccer may be a more primary sport in some of them. It's going to be really interesting to see how much of an effect the recent boom in soccer popularity translates to USMNT success in the next 10-15 years. It's just amazing how common seeing European club jerseys being worn around here (the DMV) has become, and you're right that access to the games on cable has been a big part of that, along with the growth of the Hispanic (and other internationals) population and their love of the sport. I'd like to see the US become serious World Cup contenders in my lifetime, but I'm not convinced that will happen. This Copa has just been a big reminder how wide the skill gap still is.

Maybe this has been asked already, and I just missed it, but . . . Constitutional/philosophical concerns aside, how effective would sweeping gun restrictions be, as a practical matter? I've seen stats placing the number of firearms in the US at over 300 million, so even if an outright ban were announced tomorrow, with very narrow exceptions for police/military users only, would it really have much of an effect? We had prohibition and people who wanted alcohol could still get it; we have drug prohibitions and yet people can still get drugs. If we have gun prohibition, would it really have much of an effect given the fact so many firearms are already out there?

I've got some friends from there who are Browns fans, and I just feel so bad for them. The Browns are just a disaster, and I don't see that changing anytime real soon. Plus, they play in one of the tougher divisions in the NFL. I don't know why anyone goes to those games, unless it's to root for the other team.

Leonsis does it because he can. The Caps usually win, at least for now, the demand is there for their tickets. You think DC United or any other team in town wouldn't charge those prices if they thought the fans would actually pay it?

I'm a fan, too, and I won't pay it. It's your call. The NFL/fan relationship is amazing in a way. Fans complain all the time about paying so much money for parking, tickets, concessions, merchandise, etc., especially if their team is awful and hopeless for the near future (why does anyone pay $$ to attend a Cleveland game?!?), yet those fans keep coming back, back to the ever-rising prices, the demands from owners that the public pay for new stadiums, the threats of relocation, etc. It's like an abusive relationship, and the abused fans keep coming back for more. I never saw the draw of having season tickets, especially with the costs. I'm very happy with the TV experience.

"Selfish"? I'm like you, a fan, not an owner, There's a better chance you'll own LFC or a similar team in your lifetime than I ever will, so don't confuse on whose side I reside. I'm just stating the obvious - almost nobody leaves money on the table. If you were offered a raise at work, you'd probably take it, and if you were offered a discount on a purchase, you'd probably take that too. And that's fine, I'd do the same. And so will owners, which is what they're doing here. Maybe you're right, that this will embitter the fan base and prove to be short-term smart but long-term foolish. Snyder tried much of the same when he first bought the Redskins, and now he's forced to rip seats he couldn't sell out of the stadium. The mere fact that a team is profitable as-is has hardly stopped any owner from trying to trying to make even more money for themselves. The NFL is raking in the cash, but is still trying to find new revenue sources regardless. Each fan just has to decide where his/her breaking point is. There's many reason I rarely attend live sporting events anymore, but cost is the main one.

Good luck to these fans, but the laws of economics are not subject to repeal. Something of limited supply cannot be both desired by many and also remain cheap. Football IS very affordable - just not the teams you and the vast majority of fans want to see.

No, a "customer" would be driven away by higher ticket prices, and find some other way to spend their entertainment dollars (or pounds). Greedy owners want the hardcore fans, the kind of fan who is not sensitive to price increases and who will still be there if the team is awful. Basically, greedy owners are looking to exploit your loyalty as a weakness to be used against you.