Clutch03 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I am curious to know if any Skin’s fan on this site is a “voluntary” Skin’s fan. When I say voluntary I am excluding the following people: - Any who grew up, lived, or has family in the DC area and surrounding states. Including states like Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and the Carolinas (considering they just got a team 10 years or so ago). - Those who were born into the Skins lifestyle, meaning their parents or other family members brought them up to root for the Skins. This also includes marrying into the Skins lifestyle because your spouse is a fan. - Bandwagon fans, however I’m sure all these have been weeded out considering how bad we have been for the past decade. I am raising this question because I have a friend at work who is a Dallas fan (of course) and he has never been to Dallas nor does his family have any ties to Dallas. Yet he claims he was not a bandwagon fan of the 90s (which is hard to prove considering he is only 21). Is there a such thing as a Redskin fan who fell in love with the team just because they love the team? If so my hat is off to you because it is not easy being a Redskin fan as we all know. So to actually choose to be a Redskins fan without any other influence (as I mentioned before) is pretty amazing to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooner Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I would be one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wskin44 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Most dull-ass fans I meet have never been to dull-ass. They jumped on the bandwagon years ago when dull-ass was good because they had no mind of their own. I was born in Georgetown Hospital so the Redskins are in my blood. I have a friend from Jersey whose father brought home a free pack of football cards that he got for filling up at Texaco back in the fifties. The pack was most of the Redskins team at the time. Gerry became a Redskin fan because of those cards and still hits the sports bars every Sunday to see the Skins play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clutch03 Posted June 15, 2005 Author Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by Rooner I would be one. You have just amazed me!! :notworthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNut73 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I'm one. I've lived in CT all my life, amongst Giant fans. I became a Skins fan when I bought one of those mini-helmets from a bubble gum machine back in '73. The first one I ever bought...and it came out Redskins. Thank God. As bad as the last decade has been, could you imagine if a Bengals or Cardinals helmet came down? Ugh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidenreich Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I fall into this category. I grew up in Northern NJ. My dad wasn't (still isn't really) a big football fan. So he didn't drive a team into my head. My grandfather tried to (he's a Packer fan), but he moved to CA when I was seven, so it never really took. The first football game I watched was Super Bowl XX. I started following football the following season. I didn't like the AFC for some reason (probably because my AFC influence was the Tony Eason/Steve Grogan led Patriots in said Super Bowl XX) so that elimiated the Jets from contention. I didn't like the Giants, so I decided to pick a rival to root for. The Redskins became that team, and I've been a fan of theirs ever since. It was 1986, I could only watch them on TV maybe 3 times a year, but I watched the highlights every Sunday & read the box score every monday. It's a liitle more accessable to me now, at least! My kids probably won't be "voluntary" skins fans, I think..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaudry Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I've never lived anywhere near DC and I have no friends/relatives who are Redskins fans. I picked the Skins when they played the Raiders in the SB, and I have stuck with them since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeyeG Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I have always lived in Ohio....been a skins fan since I was 12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDaddyShoo Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by Clutch03 I am raising this question because I have a friend at work who is a Dallas fan (of course) and he has never been to Dallas nor does his family have any ties to Dallas. Yet he claims he was not a bandwagon fan of the 90s (which is hard to prove considering he is only 21). Rrrriiiigghhtt.....cuz a 9-12 year old boy isn't gonna follow everyone onto the Dallas bandwagon. I don't know about you, but if I'm 12 and a team has just won 3 of the last 4 SBs, I'd start liking them too. :jerk: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rydemps Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I have always been one. Grew-up around Philly fans my entire life and can never remember a time when I rooted for the Eagles. I think when I was really little I liked the Redskins colors and as I grew up they continued to be my team. I hate the color green! :eaglesuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denverdan Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 My mother's side of the family are Texans: I've been subjected to brainwashing from birth (Landry is doing God's Work). My father was a fan of the game, but he didn't have any allegiances, however he did have a hatred for the los angeles Rams who he refer to as the WORMS. I hate to admit it but I was an eagle fan for exactly 1 game, the 1980 superbowl. They lost, I jumped ship. I grew up in 49er country the Bill Walsh is a genius train ran right through my hometown. You might call me a Volunteer or you might say I'm a bandwagon fan, either way I've been hopelessly devoted since November 1982 when Football returned after the strike and I remember hearing Hail to the Redskins for the first time. I guess it was the song that got me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgs44 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Born and bread in Yonkers NY. Watched Riggins as a kid and was hooked! Wasnt even a football fan then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinzfan4life Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I lived with a guy kind of like this in college. He claims he liked them growing up, but it wasnt until we got to college and he saw me rooting for the skins that he started to root for dallas. He has never been or has no family there, and is actually from bmore. When you ask him to name 5 players on the team, it takes him a good 5-10 minutes to do so. And what makes it even better is taht he likes the ravens, and we were talking about this in january...he said if his favorite team (the cowpies) played the ravens in the SB...he'd root for the ravens because they were his hometown team, but not his favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soljaofjesus Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I am one .. been a skins since birth.. well I didnt like them on my own when I was small (like 5) because they were losing but the true redskins fan came up, just like my father. I soon became a DIEHARD REDSKINS FAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forbeskin Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Grew up in Anahiem CA, when the rest of the family were either Rams or Raiders fans. My aunts boyfriend was diehard, he had chairs, blankets, slippers, posters, his whole apt. was from head to toe skins stuff. He gave me a blanket and I had that up untill a house fire, but that blanket pretty much started it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FARAPS Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 i am the definition of the "voluntary" fan. I live in central new jersey and all my friends and giants, jets or eagles fans. My grandpa is a die hard giants fan and tried to bring me up as one. for a little while i was younger i liked the giants because of him, but quickly as i began to follow football more i fell in love with the redskins. i remember the first game i started to like them, it was a thanksgiving game vs the lions and we got killed. but for some reason i took an instant liking to them. im also a huge pittsburgh penguins fan which is another random voluntary thing considering i live in nj and no one i know has any ties to them or pittsburgh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denverdan Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 It kinda sucked being a Redskins fan out of territory, unless it was a featured game, MNF, thanksgiving or the playoffs I didn't always get to watch it. I was too young to go to bars and there was no direct TV. I would have to watch the Skins score from the ticker on the 49ers game. It was a hard life. Count yourself lucky if you were born and raised in Redskins country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forbeskin Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by denverdan It kinda sucked being a Redskins fan out of territory, unless it was a featured game, MNF, thanksgiving or the playoffs I didn't always get to watch it. I was too young to go to bars and there was no direct TV. I would have to watch the Skins score from the ticker on the 49ers game. It was a hard life. Count yourself lucky if you were born and raised in Redskins country. Oh I wish I could get skins games on local tv. I am stuck with hawks games, which sadly I don't mind anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLongshot Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I probably fit the description. I initally became a fan when we moved to the Norfolk, VA area in '82. I lived in Germany for 3 years, where I didn't get American Football, but when we moved back to Atlanta, I continued to follow the team. I moved to the DC area in 88, right after they won the Super Bowl. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucaro Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I was born in DC and had a little yellow skins t shirt on at 1. When I was five we moved 3 miles from Giants stadium and I grew up there with ALL of my friends as Giants fans. I went to every single Redskins@Giants games from 85-99 and now with the advent of Direct TV I get all the games and travel back to DC for 1-2 games per year. I am definately a choice guy but I will NEVER cross over to the darkside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I believe in rooting for hometeam only. The team that plays for YOUR city and in YOUR backyard should be your team. If a fan moves to another city, I believe it's their choice to either stick with the old fave or adopt the new hometeam as their favorite. I enjoy corresponding with any fan of the Washington Redskins, but due to the fact that there are so many traitors in this town, it IS hard for me to "respect" (I use that term only for a lack of vocab) any Redskin fans that were not born in this area. Especially Redskin fans from Dallas. No offense meant to ANY of the fine people on this board as there are alot of knowledgeable and loyal people here. Just my own take on this subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by Beaudry I've never lived anywhere near DC and I have no friends/relatives who are Redskins fans. I picked the Skins when they played the Raiders in the SB, and I have stuck with them since. Beaudry- No offense intended, but I believe this move made you a front-runner. If you picked the Redskins as your team as they were heading into the Super Bowl against the Raiders, you were picking the defending Super Bowl Champs as your favorite team. I know you've been with them ever since and I'm glad to have you here, but you do not fall into the category mentioned my the thread-starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlinginSammy HOF '63 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I am one. Born, raised and still live in Southern Illinois all of my life about 75 minutes from STL. My dad and one brother were casual fans and kind of liked the Bears. My oldest brother was and still is a St Louis sports fan. He loved the old football Cardinals and now loves the Rams. I started liking the Skins around 1979-1980. I was about 8-9 years old and I got one of those mini-posters with Joe Theismann on it from one of those 25 cent vending bubble gum machines. When I got that I started paying more attention to them, Since St Louis was our locally broadcasted team on KFVS(CBS) I got to see the Skins play 5-6 times a year between both Cardinal games, a few prime time games and a MNF or two. They sort of grew on me and I can say that I wasn't a bandwagon jumper because they were pretty mediocre at that time. I think young kids get pass when it comes to jumping on bandwagones, but as they get older if they continue to jump then they are what they are. Jumpers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaudry Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by Chachie Beaudry- No offense intended, but I believe this move made you a front-runner. If you picked the Redskins as your team as they were heading into the Super Bowl against the Raiders, you were picking the defending Super Bowl Champs as your favorite team. I know you've been with them ever since and I'm glad to have you here, but you do not fall into the category mentioned my the thread-starter. Chachie, I believe when I made this decision I was probably 6 years old. I don't think I even understood what the Super Bowl was. It is the first game I can remember watching the whole thing. Therefore, I don't think I could even understand the concept of picking a front-runner. I just picked a team and stuck with them. The nearest football team to me was about an 8 hour drive. That officially falls outside a team's target market. How many teams are within an 8 hour drive (no traffic) of the Skins? Let me tell you this, you are walking on very very thin ice when you start questioning Redskins fans on THIS site about their "true fan" level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I was born here and lived here all my live. I'm a native. I could root for noone but the Skins. I have a buddy who's lived here all his life as well, but he's a Chargers fan. No reason. One day he just decided he liked them, and now he's as fanatical as anyone about his team. I never got it though. To each his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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