WP: Michael Wilbon- Fan Depreciation

[SkinsNumberOne]

I'm sure they exist, but they have to make up the vast, vast minority of the fans who attended the game on Monday night.

The point is, even if 100 of those "Steeler" fans who miss most Steeler games to watch the Redskins at FedEx Field actually exist, then about 20,000 Redskin fans still sold their tickets to Steeler fans for Monday's game. And that is the main point.

Fair enough. I thought, though, that it was a pretty cool thing in general. Even though there were invading our stadium, the ones who love football that much, I like.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Give me polite, respectable, knowledgeable football fans in the stands over impolite, drunk, Redskin fans. Of course the ideal is respectable, knowledgeable Redskin fans. The fight between Redskin fans was the latest of the pathetic goings on I have unfortunately witnessed. They mostly seem to happen in losing games, but the team losing is no excuse for you to act like an animal.

As for the 20,000 Redskin fans who sold their tickets - one thing I haven't heard much about is the email campaign that Snyder has with Stubhub, emailing season ticket holders about how great a deal they can get by using StubHub to sell their tickets. Perhaps that is also not helping the situation.

Look, I think it sucked, obviously. I was there. But it's the nature of the game. If we have fans who couldn't make it, who sold their tickets, so be it. Thankfully, it does NOT happen most of the time. Most of the time, the stadium is deafeningly loud with Redskin fans. At the beginning of this game, our supposedly tiny group of Redskin fans made a ton of noise. They were struggling to make more noise at the end of the game. I know our section was keeping it noisy on defense and silent on offense till the bitter end though (and boy was it bitter).

[NoCalMike]

The article makes some good points, but the Steelers game was an anamoly. Even when the Redskins have sucked, the Cowboys have never had THAT amount of their fanbase at our stadium

Pittsburgh is so close to DC, and with 90,000 seats it is plausible that Steelers fans could not only get tickets but make the short drive down to DC.

[Redskins1973]

Wait guys...You say the stadium is too big and this and that. Was our stadium too big when we played Dallas last year and earned a playoff berth. I saw sooo many Redskin fans that day.

What I was surprised about is how many Redskin fans did not SHOW UP to the game. There were too many Steelers fans. I have never seen that at Fedex field since it's inception. So it's not about the stadium being big, it's about our fans not showing up to see the game.

For example, I went to see the Lions/Skins game at Ford field 2 weeks ago and there were sooo many Skins fans there because Lions fans didn't want to go see an 0-6 team. But our team is not 0-6, we were 6-2 and still we had fans that didn't show up. That amazes me..

[DaGhost]

i think the fans were definitely loud when the team was doing well.... too bad it was only in the first 1/2 of the first quarter...

i was there, screaming my lungs out and i'm telling you it was loud.... but that still doesn't explain why so many steelers fans where in there... i had someone at work today tell me that there was a skins season ticket holder there, who 'wears skins jerseys and roots for the skins, except when the steelers are in town' :doh: honestly... are there really people like that out there? unreal.

[Mark The Homer]

It's like what Wilbon said. It was a combination of people in DC not being able to handle all that time off (being a Monday night and rush hour and what have you), and a whole bunch of determined Steelers. Even a lot of regulars on this board didn't make the game. It was the one game they couldn't make.

I bet if it was a Sunday game, there wouldn't have been as of them.

[SkinsNumberOne]

i had someone at work today tell me that there was a skins season ticket holder there, who 'wears skins jerseys and roots for the skins, except when the steelers are in town' :doh: honestly... are there really people like that out there? unreal.

I really don't think this as unique as some think.

The Skins are many Pittsburgh fans' second favorite team, since they are in a different conference and rarely cause problems for each other. We are also geographically reasonably close.

So yeah, there are Pittsburgh transplants in the area who are actual season ticket holders (there was one right behind us in our seats).

I'm not saying that is where the majority of the problem was, but I think to underestimate it is foolish. It speaks to part of the problem that was witnessed.

Also, though, I think Snyder's association with StubHub doesn't help our cause either. It would be better if season ticket holders were emailed about posting their tickets on EXTREMESKINS instead of StubHub, but that wouldn't line Snyder's pockets, would it?

[RFKFedEx]

RFKFedEx,

The tickets I bought from you were much better than anticipated and I will take whatever games you are not attending this season and beyond even at your minimally marked up rate. Thanks again.

Glad you enjoyed the seats despite the outcome.

I'll be using my tix for the rest of the year as Monday night was the only contest I will have missed in 2008.

Too bad most of the cave seating sells through brokers, b/c I'd love to have a crew of regular hardcore fans who attend each game in the neighboring seats of 221.

So far it's just me and the OVCChairman of row 20.

[RFKFedEx]

Even when the Redskins have sucked, the Cowboys have never had THAT amount of their fanbase at our stadium

Pittsburgh is so close to DC, and with 90,000 seats it is plausible that Steelers fans could not only get tickets but make the short drive down to DC.

If the Redskins had won that game no one around here would care about the number of opposing fans in attendance.

I still don't believe it had anything to do w/our proximity to Pittsburgh. Steeler fans are everywhere and their going to show up strong anywhere they can go, especially when tickets are easy to get.

Dallas shows up just as strong at FedEx, but we're used to them b/c we see them every year and they have a ton of fans inside the Beltway.

Spurriur's last game in 2003 was the worst invasion of Cowboys fans at FedEx I've ever seen, paticularly b/c they womped us up on the field.

Lately we've been beating Dallas at home so people have stopped complaining about their fans in our house.

[HokieSkinsFan]

Two sets of NFL fans represent, as the kids say, bigger and bolder than all the others. The Steelers and the Cowboys, in that order. The Redskins like to say they have the best fans in the league. Please, they're not even in the game for consideration of that distinction.

Whatever, Wilbon! :mad:

Remember this year's Hall of Fame induction ceremony? How do you explain that, buddy?

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[asnpcwiz]

I hate to say it, but I'm not at all surprised by the number of Steeler's fans at the game. My wife and I have been to many games and we always ask ourselves why there are so many opposing team fans in attendance. I don't know whether it's because we are such a big melting pot in DC or whether it's because the tickets are so easy to come by...either way, standing in the stadium as the Skins had 4th and 1 in the first quarter, I realized that us a fanbase could really learn a thing or two from the Steeler's fans. On our 3rd and 4th down attempts they were just as loud as we were on their 3rd and 4th down attempts...we should be ashamed.

[OU_skins]

Why doesn't Dan renovate RFK or build a smaller stadium in DC? Some people on this board are saying he sells 20,000 plus tickets through brokers...probably an exaguration...but if its true than its not like he's going to have to cut off a bunch of season ticket holders if he built a smaller stadium. FedEx field is terrible. We need a solution. If not a smaller stadium, atleast a better one.

[9_to_42_td]

Steeler fans filled the stadium in preseason last year and I am sure they all were after our tickets as soon as they became available in the summer.

[redskins35to7]

Great article but he exaggerated a bit about the amount of Cowboy fans at the game, I have been Cowboy games and I was at the game Monday night. Believe me, even tho there are alot of Cowboy fans that come normally, its not nearly as much as the Steeler fans on that dreadful night. In fact after going to that game Im never going to complain about the amount of Cowboy/Giant/Eagle fans at the game because those games are never ever like the Steelers one.

[skinsince72]

Wilbon wrote a knee-jerk article. Plain and simple.

Why are we acting so surprised? Why are people being "disgusted" or "embarrassed" about the # of Steeler fans there?

We all knew by last friday that it was going to happen. Everyone knows that the Steelers have a huge nationwide fanbase. The Steeler fan that sat next to me drove about the same distance from PA that I did from Central VA. It wasn't a huge commute for him. And, how many local Steeler fans showed up? I would say a vast majority since it was a Monday Night game and the Steelers are having good season.

If the team, Dan, or any of us want more Redskin fans to show up on Monday Night when the team is 6-2:

1) Have a few playoff games at home

2) Be serious about punishing fan mis-conduct. (my son got to witness some greasy head, stumbling, toothless idiot throw up twice in the green lot)

3) Stop serving beer to the obviously drunken fan

4) Have at least 10 alcohol-free sections

The parking lot has turned into October Fest. There is nothing wrong with grilling and having a few beers. But what I saw was binge drinking.

[OU_skins]

4) Have at least 10 alcohol-free sections

The parking lot has turned into October Fest. There is nothing wrong with grilling and having a few beers. But what I saw was binge drinking.

I agree with you...even some of the people that I go to games with get absolutely smashed...my good friends and I actually care about the games and want to remember them so we don't get too drunk. I don't know if you could fill 10 sections with people who aren't going to want to have atleast a beer or 2 though. I agree with the idea though...I would like to be able to take my little cousins/nephews to games but people are far too out of hand. My parents who are the most protective people in the world took me to RFK...and as rowdy of a reputation RFK has, my parents weren't scared to take me when i was under 10 years old. Now, its a different story.

[live4burgandyandgold]

Wibon just pointed out the obvious in that article... we already knew everything he did. However, it looks like he just put in on the map and i wouldnt be surprised if fans of opposing teams start exploiting this now public weakness.

[WhoRUSupposed2Be]

Wibon just pointed out the obvious in that article... we already knew everything he did. However, it looks like he just put in on the map and i wouldnt be surprised if fans of opposing teams start exploiting this now public weakness.

**** that!The team needs to use this for motivational purposes because if it's a winning product that they want... the support needs to be demonstrated by both parties.