Om Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Crowdgate - Butt Out Nov. 15, 2008 Have we really fallen so far, Redskins Nation? There’s one word to describe the now two-week-long hysteria over Crowdgate: Embarrassing. * FedExField is the largest stadium in the NFL. More seats equals more butts. Ours and theirs. Get used to it. * Washington DC remains a city of transplants. There are always going to be fans of other teams putting their butts in our seats. Get used to it. * Ever been to a game at FedEx Field? If you have, you know getting your butt in and out of there is a pain in it. Now put that game on a Monday Night. Figure the game ends around midnight. Know what time your butt is getting home? Neither do I, and that’s the point. But count on being the only car moving in your neighborhood except maybe Johnny Law doing his rounds. * Checked your 401K lately? If you work for a living you feel like you’ve spent the last couple months retrieving soap in a prison shower. If your alarm is going to go off at oh-dark-thirty Tuesday morning, and some anonymous online schmuck is willing to pay you three times face for your two tickets, there’s a decent chance you’re not going to sweat checking the color of his NFL underoos. But enough wasting time on the peripheral reasons. Know why Steelers fans on Monday night were a factor? Because the Redskins played butt-awful offensive football. And because the entire team spent looked the first half looking gift horses in the mouth, extending a gilded invitation to the visitors to take control of the damn game. This isn’t complicated. If Jason Campbell hits a wide open Santana Moss at the goal line on the second offensive possession, and the Redskins go up 10-0, know what you would have heard at FedEx? .If Carlos Rogers doesn’t drop the Redskins weekly “thanks, but no thanks” pick-six opportunity, they go up 13-3, playing as well defensively as they have since Richie Petitbone and his various combilations (anyone?) waddled the RFK sidelines, know what you would have heard at FedEx? This. And if the Redskins had been the butt-kickers instead of the butt-kickees all night, know what you would have heard and seen from the “loyal opposition?” CLICK HERE to read more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark The Homer Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Good stuff, Mark! Love the hot links Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinlanta Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Dead on, as usual, Om..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OxonHillSkinsfan Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 If you asked me, it's the cost that's prohibitive to most of Washington's hardcore fans. It simply costs too much for the average joe to come out to a game, and so you end up with too many well-to-do's willing to not attend and or sell their tickets. Of course, my solution requires Danny-boy to lose money so we all know where this idea would go. So yea, in effect i'm blaming Danny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Its like a slap in the face. A slap in the face that we all need. It was our own fault for allowing them to get in the game and allowing the fans to become a factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Edds Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 I'll be there this Sunday night with a fresh pack of throat lozenges, and some Chloraseptic waiting in the car ... if I come back with any sort of vocal chords, it will be a long week. Hail to em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 If you asked me, it's the cost that's prohibitive to most of Washington's hardcore fans. It simply costs too much for the average joe to come out to a game, and so you end up with too many well-to-do's willing to not attend and or sell their tickets. Of course, my solution requires Danny-boy to lose money so we all know where this idea would go. So yea, in effect i'm blaming Danny. Right. Because the median income in Pittsburgh is high enough to allow the white-collar elites there to not only afford DC's blue-collar tickets, but the cost of traveling to the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HigSkin Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Good read. Not sure that it matters but I did get an email about returned visitor tickets. I'm not sure the contigency will be as bad as the Steelers game. I'll be there loud and proud regardless of the outcome. "Oh and before I forget … now that as a fan base we've spent so much time publicly wringing our hands over crowd noise, be assured the always classy contingent of Dallas fans planning to show up this weekend, as they always do when their team has a winning record, will take it as encouragement and a challenge to try to one-up the Pittsburghers." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neophyte Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 This message is long over due. Thanks for putting it out there in stark black and white. One can only hope the fans and team get the message. This is a controllable situation. The only point I would like to make is that I don't remember this being an issue at RFK where there were 34,000 less seats. Maybe we picked up some less dedicated fans with the new digs? Of course, it might just be that the Skins kicked butt at RFK back the day (at least the days I remember, ya know?) so there was little for the opposition fans to cheer about. But then, you made that point about the new house... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hail2skins Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 I hear you Om, and I agree that if the Skins had managed to pull out this game instead of getting manhandled, this would be much less of a story than it became. But I think the fact that is most troubling is how so may Steeler fans were able to get their hands on tickets in the first place. True, the Skins do have the largest stadium in the NFL, but a good amount of this excess capacity is due to us having a lot more premium seats than other stadiums (i.e the club having 15K vice, say, 7K at the modern venues). And I can see those seats being corporately owned and thus being up for sale or given away, given their steep pricetag. But there were a lot of Steeler fans in the general admission sections where "Joe Sixpack" Skins fans supposedly sit. Pain in the butt to get in and out? Something overblown, IMO. My mom and I leave at the final gun and I'm regularly back home in Woodbridge no more than 90 minutes after game time. Didn't seem to be an inconvenience to all the Steeler fans that were there. Tanking 401Ks? Betcha a lot of Steeler fans got their tickets well before the stock market started heading south in a big way. I agree that this may have well been a one-time phenomenon due to Steeler fans propensity to travel well and them bringing the Terrible Towels, which allows them to stand out even more. I expect to see a fair number of Cowboy fans at the game, though not as many as Steeler fans were present on MNF and shouldn't be as visible. But I think the whole episode really stuck a pin in the balloon of those who continue to point to the consecutive sellout streak and the supposed eons-long waiting list as the evidence that Redskins fans are among the best in the NFL. True, I'm sure every team has a fair amount of tix up for sale on broker sites regularly, but given the amount of GA season-tix holders that sold out for this game, seems to me like at least our season ticket holding base is average at best. I agree with you that the game-attending folks need to do a better job. Wear Skins colors (instead of Hokie or Terp gear) so that our place at least LOOKS more like the Linc, where 99.9 percent is decked out in midnight green. Plan ahead so you can actually get to your seat on time, instead of leaving the upper deck at least a third empty at kickoff. Finally, while I don't think its anyone's place to tell you how to observe the game and how to cheer, please be mindful of the people who are there to watch the game......and wait for a break in the action before peeing or getting your next beer. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexx1240 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Hellova job Om. I agreed with all ur points (as i often do). I just hope that we, as fans, take heed to ur advice; seriously bcuz it helps. U were right on with the fact that our "fan-base" at the Steelers game kinda messed with the players psychy a little bcuz i feel like it really did. But u were also right in sayin that it's the players' duty to keep the "fans" in the game. Overall excellent article:applause: [ur links really helped get ur point across] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandman69 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 WOW! Great Post! OM! The swammy has spoken! My Butt will be in my seat tomorrow night! I am willing to pay the price Monday morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuryYourDuke Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Om,:allhail: I heart you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 hail2skins, Like I said, the peripheral stuff at the top of the piece is just that, so I won't debate the specifics. I do have to ask though, since I'm a Woodbridge guy too, what time did you get home after the Steelers game? The one thing I will say is I never put much credence into the whole "best fans in the NFL thing." Fans are fans. When their team is winning, as ours did while we were earning that "best fan" label, as a whole they are loud, proud and wonderful. When their team isn't, they start fracturing. Just as ours has since the Gibbs Glory Years ended. Seems to me we've reached a nadir here. Least I hope that's what it is. FedEx is an inviting place for visiting fans right now because the Redskins haven't been consistent winners in years. When they are, the fan base will rally and stop worrying about **** like a few visiting fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Enforcer Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 You also have to remember that there are teams in the NFL that travel well. By that I mean they have a hardcore fan base throughout the country wherever they go. Dallas of course is one and Pittsburgh does the same. This is just how it is and with the Redskins in the DC/Metro area we have a mixing bowl of fans from all over the NFL. Does it suck as a die hard fan to see all those terrible towels on Monday Night Football at our place....yes but I also understand why that is. Here is another fact that I may catch some backlash for but here it goes: After Gibbs I left the Redskins really didn't put a good product on the field except for a couple years here and there but it wasn't until Gibbs II that we saw a Redskins team really work together as a unit and we are still reaping the benefits under Zorn. My prediction is if we continue with winning seasons and deep runs in the playoffs, you will see the visiting team's fans get less and less and FedEx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzzah Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts it would be Christmas every day! Think that's all you missed in the post. But the message was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcnativenerd Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Om, as always, brings the goods. You know, if I were making my own income and living in the area, I'd be there EVERY HOME GAME. We needed this blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 This message is long over due. Thanks for putting it out there in stark black and white. One can only hope the fans and team get the message. This is a controllable situation.The only point I would like to make is that I don't remember this being an issue at RFK where there were 34,000 less seats. Maybe we picked up some less dedicated fans with the new digs? Of course, it might just be that the Skins kicked butt at RFK back the day (at least the days I remember, ya know?) so there was little for the opposition fans to cheer about. But then, you made that point about the new house... For one ... thanks for the edit PM. I get sloppy when I'm irritated. :cool: As to the RFK thing, I think you have it right in the bolded part. Much as we like to think of ourselves as the "best fans in the NFL," we're not really that different from the bulk of fans anywhere else. Except Dallas and Philly of course. Yes, there are more seats at FedEx for other fans to get. But if the FedEx Skins were on the same kind of Super Bowl cruise they were for 13 years at RFK, I'm 100% sure we'd not be talking about a few fans of other teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gclark84 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 I agree 100% with this post. I felt the same exact way. We played like horse bleep and could not get out of our own way. The offence was horrible and especially in the 2nd half I got the feeling that had the game had gone an extra half we would not have scored a TD!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hail2skins Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 hail2skins,Like I said, the peripheral stuff at the top of the piece is just that, so I won't debate the specifics. I do have to ask though, since I'm a Woodbridge guy too, what time did you get home after the Steelers game? The one thing I will say is I never put much credence into the whole "best fans in the NFL thing." Fans are fans. When their team is winning, as ours did while we were earning that "best fan" label, as a whole they are loud, proud and wonderful. When their team isn't, they start fracturing. Just as ours has since the Gibbs Glory Years ended. Seems to me we've reached a nadir here. Least I hope that's what it is. FedEx is an inviting place for visiting fans right now because the Redskins haven't been consistent winners in years. When they are, the fan base will rally and stop worrying about **** like a few visiting fans. Om, I sheepishly admit that Monday night was one of those few times I got discouraged and left after we didn't convert the 4th down from the 1 with 7 minutes left, down by 17. But normally, for a 1 pm game, we leave at the gun, I have my mother at the New Carrollton station by 5 (she takes the train back to the Philly area), and then I hop on 50 West, get on 295 South, then cut onto 395/95 where the Nats stadium is and take it straight to Woodbridge by 6. I know you talk about a fractured fanbase and how we've probably reached a nadir, but......damn, we were 6-2 heading into this game (sure, Pitt was too). I came into this season with relatively low expectations, but still planned on attending every game. Were folks still that discouraged prior to the season or after the opener against the Giants that they let their tickets go en masse? Its an interesting question to see how many of the general admission tickets are put up for sale on a regular basis on the broker sites and how that compares with other teams. Its an inexact science, as Mark showed recently when he saw the same tickets on several sites. I think most weeks the tickets on the broker sites are purchased by Skins fans. This past game, because of the large Steeler fan contingent in the area or close by, that didn't happen. It'll be interesting to see what the crowd makeup is tomorrow night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandman69 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Screw that whole "They travel well". No, this area has a huge diverse population (DC is kinda like the mixing pot of the US), due to the military, the government. They come into the area and bring their teams here as well. To think they actually "travel" to games is not totally valid. Sure some do, but most are already here. Not to mention Pittsburgh is only 4 hours away. Lets see how many skins fans are at Baltimore. If there are alot... will Redskins fans "Travel Well" too? Also, alot of "fans" or their parents grew up when the Doughboys and the Stealers were very successful, so they wuss out and pick the winning team and not pull for the home team. Or they are like some of my friends and brother-in-law. They are antagonists. They pull against the local popular team just to be different. Alot of which is easier when the other team in question is doing well, or popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 No. Excuse. Period. Now, can we please be done with this debacle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Great blog entry Om... Like BigMike said, this was a big slap in the face. Oh, and if anyone needs further proof of what Om is saying, just go back and watch the 1st Quarter of the game. Fed Ex was rocking, and it was ALL REDSKINS noise. The commentators commented on how loud it was at the beginning... but that quickly ended, and shamefully so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Adama Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Great article Om! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bzapf Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Great Job Om. Some of the points you made were long overdue. I don't remember Dallas freaking out when all you could hear was Redskins fans when we beat them earlier this year. It was seriously like a home game for the Skins in the 2nd half at Dallas in Sept. Also I belive it was 30,000 Redskins fans who showed up to a practice. Practice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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