Going to a CAPS game v a REDSKINS game - TONIGHT WAS TERRIBLE

[SonnyandSam]

Hey CSP....let me tell you abut MY experience last night at FedEx Field.

1. I arrived early and avoided exit 17 like any experienced (as you call yourself) Redskin fan would at the hour you chose to arrive. It is the busiest and most crowded entrance you could possible choose. Anyone spending just a little time planning would have used exit 16 or better yet exit 15 where traffic is far less. Oh....by the way....I drive from Harrisburg, PA and make it to FedEx Field in 2.5 hours.....but then I plan my drive.

2. I arrived early knowing that 90,000 people and their cars would be at the game. I am always shocked by the people who arrive an hour or less before game time and really expect to park and get to their seat before kickoff. Planning man.....a little planning on YOUR part would have solved this problem.

3. My wife and I started to setup my new canopy and four guys from a nearby tailgate came over to assist us in putting it up. They could not have been more friendly and buzzed. Nice guys all. I appreciated the classless behavior of these boorish buzzed cretins.

4. I stood in line to use one of the porta potties. I watched as a lady in a wheel chair get in line behind me. In less than a minute, the guy at the front of the line called her to come up in front of him so she could use the handicapped potty. When she resisted his offer, everyone in line, Redskins and Cowboy fans alike, all encouraged her to move to the front of the line. The lady was very appreciative of this classless behavior.

5. I run a HDTV from my car battery and the buzzed fan tailgating next to me was quite interested in several of his fantasy players during the 1pm and 4pm games. He brought over a wonderful beef tenderloin kabob for my wife and I as a thank you. I kidded him about wearing his beat up Mark Brunell football jersey. He told me it was his brother's jersey that he wore at the last Dallas game they attended together before his brother died. What a classless SOB this Redskins fan is.

6. And did you notice how classless all those Redskins staff members were last night. They had the gall to smile, welcome me to FedEx Field, and/or to ask me if I needed assistance. What rotten people Danny Snyder employs.

7.I'm loving a wonderful NFL experience with over 90,000 of my best Redskins friends. Everyone is standing and yelling. My old arthritic hip is getting pretty uncomfortable despite my two vicodins before game time. The young buzzed man in front of my is standing the entire time. I tapped him on his shoulder and asked if he could sit during the the times the team was on offense so I could sit some of the game. But this drunken fan had the audacity to say sure, no problem at all. I told him to feel free to stand whenever there was an exciting moment that he had to stand to cheer the Redskins on. What a rotten classless young man to actually appreciate my personal situation.

Situations are what YOU make of them. I think it is pretty classless of you to characterize all the fans in the stadium as "classless". What do you really expect going to a football stadium with 90,000 fans where alcohol is served?

No one should ever have to tolerate being groped or being disrespected. I certainly feel bad for your fiance. I suppose you have never attended any other large gatherings like rock concerts or traveled in subways. Stuff happens. That's why you have security and police. And they showed up and handled the problem.

Most everything else you describe you could have handled better on your own or could have resolved without considering it a personal insult on you. Clearly, it's all about you. I think you are better suited to stay at home and watch sporting events on your big screen HDTV with your small uniform Judeo-Christian friends. You certainly should not spend time around people who think and act differently than you. That way you can grope your fiance and piss on your own shoes.

I had perhaps the best experience I have ever had in ten years of attending games at FedEx Field. I met a lot of incredibly classy people who left very positive impressions on me.....even if they were a little buzzed......and different from me.

[Destino]

1. People - why do you feel so entitled to take up 5 spaces for your tailgate. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE ELSE.

2. Why do you all stand in the parking aisles so no one can find a space.

3. Why once someone is pulling in to a marked space - do you look at them like they did something wrong.

4. When someone is pulling in - move your chairs and BBQ.

I don't know if I'd go as far as to say the CAPS portion but overall I agree. I too am annoyed by self absorbed people that see a car trying to get through and sit there in the way looking at the car. Same applies to people that spread out like they own the place and then act like people parking, in parking spaces, are wrong for doing so. A little common courtesy isn't too much to ask for. Generally though you should aim at parking spots that don't have BBQ's in them... chairs are easier to move

5. Show some class - want to drink? Get buzzed, but do you have to act like savages?

This is called a drinking problem. If you can't drink without becoming a problem for everyone around you, then you have a drinking problem and shouldn't drink. Some people just can't hang and if they can't they shouldn't insist on trying in public.

6. Cussing, cussing cussing.

Some curse words should be expected at a football game. It will happen and we all know it. Some take it entirely too far however and scream out curse words as loudly and as often as possible.

7. When someone has to go to the bathroom, please stand up and let them through the aisle.

8. When someone else has to go to the bathroom - stand up and let them through without harassment.

It's sad that this needs to even be stated. You'd think this would be obvious.

9. Why is a restroom a place to start fights and not flush.

Because the bathroom design crowds pumped up and possibly drunk males into a small room. Putting people in line 7-10 men across and 10 men deep makes everyone uncomfortable.

10. Why do you smoke in front of no smoking signs?

I don't really care about this as long as they don't smoke in their seats. It is an outdoor stadium after all.

Sucks that you had a bad experience man. FedEx field is really hit or miss. You can end up in a good section with great fans or a section surrounded by douche bags that feel the need to prove how awesome they are by annoying the hell out of everyone. You can also end up next to a wine a cheese fan that wants everyone to be quiet too... I've experienced both and have also had some awesome experiences as well.

[HateYanksDukeCowboys]

in reply to your post, there's something you're missing...

it's not that we all feel like you should 'just deal with it', its that you're preaching to the wrong people on this one.

most of the people who come here and post, aren't the people being described. the people who do that stuff don't seem to be the type of peple who spend significant, if any, time on the internet actually educating themselves on the team, or the league.

so, you've basically come in here and said drunk *******s suck. yes. they do. now what do you want me (or us) to do about it? we're not the drunk *******s... and we agree with you. it's a football game. this isn't shocking news, especially when it's the open game, in prime time, against the cowboys.

the only thing you can do is do your best to report the people who do the ridiculous things. get them thrown out. the staff is very good about that, but they have to know something is going on before they can do something. to all of you complaining - did you report what you saw? if not, then you're not doing your part to try to make it better and probably don't have any right to complain.

the other point is that traffic/parking sucks. again, shocker. you're in the place rated the worst in the country for general traffic. just last week ESPN (or sports illustrated, can't remember) ranked all the sporting franchies (not just NFL) in terms of parking/trafic to the game, and Fedex came in as the #1 worst.

our response: arrive earlier.

we can't change the way the lots work. we can't make the staff more compentent. all we can say is that the way we avoid it is arriving earlier. the typical response: "i can't arrive earlier". well, then ok? sucks for you, i can't make the traffic better so thats that.

The only valid concern i've seen is the cussing, but you can't do a whole lot about that either. it's goign to happen. if you're worried about your kids, then you'll just have to evaluate their ability (or lack thereof) to be able to handle that. if they can't handle it, don't take them until they're old enough to be able to handle it. Although I would imagine that if you think they can handle staying up until well past midnight on a school night to watch a football game, they can probably handle someone using cusswords.

Don't get bitter because you don't like the responses. These aren't 'just deal with it' responses. They're responses on how you can have a better game day experience.

If you want nice people, and enjoyable environemnt for the kids, plenty of parking, less traffic, and the ability to show up whenever you want, then go to the zoo.

Not the Redskins vs Cowboys opening game in prime time. If that response bothers you, then maybe you should spend some time reevaluating what it is you think this sort of game is suppose to be.

You have me confused with the O.P., FYI.

[Bantu]

The OP lost me at "judeo-christian". I didn't realize "J-C's" are the only ones that practice good family values.

I'm all for improving gameday experiences, especially for the kids. And I say this knowing I have acted less than classy on occasions. I think a conscious effort on my part will make it a better gameday experience for all those around me.

[SonnyandSam]

I don't know why so many of you are busting this guys balzz so hardcore. He's basically just asking people not to act like a-holes. Based on a lot of responses in this thread, seems like he has a lot of you pegged.

I think most of us are upset with the OP because he is characterizing everyone in the stadium for the boorish behavior of a very small minority of people and because he brought on a lot of his problems because of his own bad planning and judgment.

Frankly, I find him guilty of the same type of complaining he is making of all the "other" fans. It is all about him. Some people always want to blame others for things that go wrong. He needs to take some personal responsibility for what happened. Instead of understanding and accepting some of the explanations and suggestions offered by folks in this thread, he chooses to bury his head in the sand and simply choose to call everyone flamers and say there is a silent majority out there who are agreeing with him when only a very small handful have agreed with him.

[Ingtar]

I had one of the best experiences I have ever had at FedEx last night. I got in early, ate and drank (OMG) in the parking lot, and got to my seat early. The people around me were loud, but not terribly foul mouthed. After the game we all shook hands, laughed, and had some good conversation. My opinion is that some people just naturally have a bad time at events like football games and get annoyed easily. I never feared for my safety, that is for sure. If you fear for your safety, talk to security. They always seem to handle problems well enough. They got a person out of our section last night and set things straight quickly and easily.

[Roblowsta]

We need less Wine and Cheesers anyways. I never had a face of disgust like I had like last night with 2 minutes left and watched the wine and cheesers who contribute nothing for the game start leaving to "beat traffic".

What section were you sitting in? There were a couple people in front of me that did the same and the guy sitting next to me told me he was the same age as you.

[Ingtar]

I think most of us are upset with the OP because he is characterizing everyone in the stadium for the boorish behavior of a very small minority of people and because he brought on a lot of his problems because of his own bad planning and judgment.

Frankly, I find him guilty of the same type of complaining he is making of all the "other" fans. It is all about him. Some people always want to blame others for things that go wrong. He needs to take some personal responsibility for what happened. Instead of understanding and accepting some of the explanations and suggestions offered by folks in this thread, he chooses to bury his head in the sand and simply choose to call everyone flamers and say there is a silent majority out there who are agreeing with him when only a very small handful have agreed with him.

I agree. HE wants HIS experience to go in a prescribed fashion. Since the atmosphere was not what HE wanted, it was HORRIBLE.

[Roblowsta]

I had one of the best experiences I have ever had at FedEx last night. I got in early, ate and drank (OMG) in the parking lot, and got to my seat early. The people around me were loud, but not terribly foul mouthed. After the game we all shook hands, laughed, and had some good conversation. My opinion is that some people just naturally have a bad time at events like football games and get annoyed easily. I never feared for my safety, that is for sure. If you fear for your safety, talk to security. They always seem to handle problems well enough. They got a person out of our section last night and set things straight quickly and easily.

My experience was the same as yours. Not sure what the fuss is about. Mabye they should put those sections on blast.

[Dan T.]

Nice counter-post relating your experience, SonnyandSam.

[brianm23]

I've never had a problem at FedEx, and I've even brought a Dallas fan with me at last years home game.

[tshile]

You have me confused with the O.P., FYI.

no... not quite. i was addressing you, and the OP, specifically this:

There's a huge fundamental flaw with that equation though. The people who are now in their 30's and mid-late 20's are the last generation of fans who will HONESTLY be able to say that they attended games as a kid and enjoyed a nice family-friendly atmosphere. Any sports marketing executive will tell you that the key to building a lifelong fanbase that generates residual income for decades upon decades is hooking those fans into the gameday environment at a very young and impressionable age. So when the current crop of 21-30 year-olds move on into their mid to late 30's and 40's, and the atmosphere at FedEx hasn't changed, who will go?

I grew up going to RFK, and can honestly say that I had such good times there that I spent all of my late teens and 20's swearing that if I EVER were lucky enough to be able to purchase season tickets, I would be a lifelong season ticket holder. It was those great memories as a kid that drove me to repeatedly attend games at FedEx throughout my 20's, and into my early 30's. Roundabout the time I was 27 or so, I started to notice the virtual gang-type atmosphere (Redskins fans sporting the Bloods, any other fans being the hypothetical Crips). I kept going, like beating my head into a brickwall. HORRENDOUS traffic, violent atmosphere, crappy team, jacked up vending and parking prices. I finally reasoned with myself to forget about those long-forgotten days of the past and accept the fact that going to Redskins games just wasn't an enjoyable experience anymore. So I stopped going. Approximately two years later, I got the notice that I was now eligible to purchase season tickets. Even though it's within my budget, I choose not to for the reasons mentioned above. The kids growing up today are being held away from FedEx much more than kids were when I grew up. So when these kids become twenty-somethings, what point of reference will they have to Redskins games when selecting a sports venue? Probably little to non-existent, and their loyalty won't be nearly as strong as mine was.

Those of you who nitpick one or two complaints the O.P. made (arriving late for ex.), are missing his larger point. The sum of the parts and net effect ALL of those negative experiences have on a fan is simply too much to bear. Please note the chronological nature of his tale; clearly used to take us along for the hellish ride he experienced, ALL things included. I noticed that noone contested his point about fights in the bathroom. Seriously, they happened every single game I went to, and they REALLY shouldn't.

Also, the point about the single guy aged 21-30 atmosphere should be amended to say "Single Guys 21-30 who don't plan on bringing a date are welcome." One game about 5-6 years ago, a fight broke out two rows behind us (b/t a Ravens fan and Redskins Fan, even though we were playing the Bears), and one of the guys was pushed forcefully into the back of my wife; so it's not just the kids we have to worry about here. What about senior citizens? How do those old bones feel when they get caught up in the middle of a fight?

"Deal with it, it's just the way it is" is absolutely the WRONG attitude to take.

Hail!

i've been going to the games since as long as I can remember (read: early 90's, when i was very little). this idea that it's gone from some sort of 'family fun activity' to 'gang infested fear for your life' place is completely ridiculous.

I've been to many games at RFK where things got out of control. Fights. People throwing beer bottles at people. Lots of cussing. Etc etc etc. There were plenty of games, mostly the eagles home games, where my dad wouldn't take me because he didn't want to have to be concerned about the people there.

RFK was great. But lets not pretend it was some 'yes sir, yes ma'am' kind of place. The hatred for the cowboys, giants, and eagles fans was just as bad as it is today. The amount of cussing, fights, etc is the same as it's ever been. It all depends on what section you're in, and who's sitting in that section with you.

The only real difference is that there's roughly 35k more people at fedex than RFK. It may seems like there's more problems, but this kinda **** went on at RFK too. Let's not kid ourselves.

The problem isnt' the stadium. The problem isn't the teams. The problem is the prime time games. All of them are like this. A 1 pm dallas came is SIGNIFCANTLY different than a 8:20pm dallas game. The prime time games bring out all of the people who want to get ****faced and make a scene. If you can't go to a prime time game and keep out of the crap those people cause, then I suggest you not go. Lecturing the people on the forums is going to get you anywhere, because those people aren't on here posting. It's only going to get you what little advice there is to offer for the situations.

The denver game last year - you know what that was like? I saw tons of little boys and girls there with their parents, as if it was a field trip. The people in the stadium were great. It was truely a day to bring your little kid to the game to have fun.

But if you think bringing you 8 year old to a cowboys vs skins game on sunday night is going to be the same as going to the zoo, then you're out of your mind. I'm not condoning the behavoir of jackasses, don't get me wrong. I'm just pointing out the reality that is the situation.

[rdsknbill]

I have been to great games and not so great at FedEx. It is all about personal responsibility. Yes, there are people that over indulge in alcohol. I know I have knocked down a half bottle of bourbon and a bunch of beers while tailgating. But I also know that I have to maintain and cheer for our beloved Redskins. I see the drunks, and guess what? THEY ARE THERE EVERY WEEK! Just avoid them

You got there too late, you have no tolerance for people that use an NFL game as a release to party. Quit being a grumpy older guy

[Captain James]

I'll say it was thrilling and disgusting at the same time. It's thrilling when you have 90+k fans screaming at the top of their lungs but there are definitely MANY disgusting things too. There were TWO irresponsible drinkers in my section. One girl completely passed out in her seat and another guy who could barely speak but continued to yell obscenities. You can't deny that it gets to be an immature frat party. Even though football is (defined by many as) a "savage & ruthless" sport, it should still be an event for all ages.

[tshile]

I'll say it was thrilling and disgusting at the same time. It's thrilling when you have 90+k fans screaming at the top of their lungs but there are definitely MANY disgusting things too. There were TWO irresponsible drinkers in my section. One girl completely passed out in her seat and another guy who could barely speak but continued to yell obscenities. You can't deny that it gets to be an immature frat party. Even though football is (defined by many as) a "savage & ruthless" sport, it should still be an event for all ages.

did you report them to security? they would have been escorted out.

if people are acting obnoxious, get them thrown out. but if you're going to sit there and do nothing, then come complain on the boards, then i don't really have much sympathy for you... it takes 2 minutes to walkd down the stairs and tell the usher that something is going on. you could do it during a timeout, or change in posession, or quarter, or whatever and not even miss any of the game.

[MattFancy]

I was in 228 last night and there was a drunk idiot who was grabbing on the beer girl and I thought she was gonna kick his ass lol

[Roblowsta]

i've been going to the games since as long as I can remember (read: early 90's, when i was very little). this idea that it's gone from some sort of 'family fun activity' to 'gang infested fear for your life' place is completely ridiculous.

I've been to many games at RFK where things got out of control. Fights. People throwing beer bottles at people. Lots of cussing. Etc etc etc. There were plenty of games, mostly the eagles home games, where my dad wouldn't take me because he didn't want to have to be concerned about the people there.

RFK was great. But lets not pretend it was some 'yes sir, yes ma'am' kind of place. The hatred for the cowboys, giants, and eagles fans was just as bad as it is today. The amount of cussing, fights, etc is the same as it's ever been. It all depends on what section you're in, and who's sitting in that section with you.

The only real difference is that there's roughly 35k more people at fedex than RFK. It may seems like there's more problems, but this kinda **** went on at RFK too. Let's not kid ourselves.

.........

But if you think bringing you 8 year old to a cowboys vs skins game on sunday night is going to be the same as going to the zoo, then you're out of your mind. I'm not condoning the behavoir of jackasses, don't get me wrong. I'm just pointing out the reality that is the situation.

Thank you for this. I wasn't able to go to the games at RFK, but was questioning the validity of the overall complaint regarding fights and cursing at the games. IT'S FOOTBALL.

[BKSkinsFan]

I'd love to take my daughter to a game, but I know how things get, so I don't even bother risking a bad situation from happening. I also don't take her to a Buffalo Wild Wings and get pissed when it's not as fun for her as Chuck E Cheese.

[112row2]

its Skins Cowboys and 8.33 months without football. Your expectations should be lowered.

I dont disagree with you, but the "everyone needs to change" argument's ship has sailed.

Here are the facts:

-Skins tickets are no longer an entitlement, yet everyone acts as if they have been entitled, not like it is a privilege to attend.

-Anyone with cash can find a ticket.

-the venue is in a horrible location with horrible traffic infrastructure.

-the only person you can CONTROL is yourself.

and despite all of this, 90,000 plus still go..

I usually dont respond to the weekly griping, but this is happening in every NFL city (except probably Jacksonville). I travel to a lot of away games and the boorish behavior exists everywhere. Please reference Soccer Hoodlums around the world for a very real comparison.

Im glad that you like the Caps, but it is truly an apples to oranges comparison.

[Sekhmet728]

Seemed pretty much par for the course to me as far as vulgarity is concerned.

FYI - Football is family friendly relative to soccer in other countries, even including Eagles fans. Case in point:

And then there’s the other guy, who, during a riot after a football match, actually sucked out another human being’s eyeball.

http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=27337

[GOSKINS350]

I agree that the Fed-Ex experience would be far better without the behavior of liquored-up animals.

That said, if you've been going to games for 30 years, you should have known exactly what to expect tonight. I can guarantee there were no surprises for you at the game.

I wish things were different, but they aren't, and you should already know this...:2cents:

Quoted for truth. Can you imagine if this game was held at RFK? There would be cars on fire, streakers, and rioting.

[Koala]

Wow, this thread is brutal. Lay off the guy, he just had his first experience with a Dan Snyder owned venue. Of course he's upset.

Having said that, I tend to agree -- Caps games are a much better experience. But that his less to do with the fans and more to do with the team, and more to do with the overall game day experience, from ridiculous traffic to obscene prices to the distinct feeling that you've just been robbed by the Dan.

But he's right, Caps fans are very friendly, and there's no excuse for harrassing fellow Redskins fans -- the only way youll get harrassed at a Caps game is by an over-friendly fan who'll feel the need to chat you up for the entire freaking game ;-). Its also definitely more family friendly at Caps game -- until you have to explain the brawl that broke out on the ice to your four year old.

But, the chants of Hey You SucK and "Bull****" definitely take away from the class of the thing. That never happened at RFK, which proved an NFL stadium could be both intimidating and rated PG.

[Bantu]

Please!! Why do people keep acting like games at RFK were like going to see a Disney movie?? It was full of the same dumb-acting drunk jerks that you find at FedEx.

[hailtotheskins69]

The last game I went to was the Redskins vs. Giants game last December, the famous "Swinging Gate Game". I sat the in the dead last row of one of the 400 sections. It was a tough game, but the experience wasn't all bad. Just can't let the drunk idiots get to you. Ignoring them is probably your best option, at least it worked for me.

I'm not the biggest fan of FedEx Field, the stadium itself isn't one of the best. I personally wish we had a stadium like M&T Bank, even though the Ravens are one of my most hated teams (which is why I went to a Ravens game there wearing a Peyton Manning jersey. The Colts dominated...it was great!) But I agree that Caps games are a great experience, but yet a totally different atmosphere.

[HateYanksDukeCowboys]

no... not quite. i was addressing you, and the OP, specifically this:

i've been going to the games since as long as I can remember (read: early 90's, when i was very little). this idea that it's gone from some sort of 'family fun activity' to 'gang infested fear for your life' place is completely ridiculous.

I've been to many games at RFK where things got out of control. Fights. People throwing beer bottles at people. Lots of cussing. Etc etc etc. There were plenty of games, mostly the eagles home games, where my dad wouldn't take me because he didn't want to have to be concerned about the people there.

RFK was great. But lets not pretend it was some 'yes sir, yes ma'am' kind of place. The hatred for the cowboys, giants, and eagles fans was just as bad as it is today. The amount of cussing, fights, etc is the same as it's ever been. It all depends on what section you're in, and who's sitting in that section with you.

The only real difference is that there's roughly 35k more people at fedex than RFK. It may seems like there's more problems, but this kinda **** went on at RFK too. Let's not kid ourselves.

The problem isnt' the stadium. The problem isn't the teams. The problem is the prime time games. All of them are like this. A 1 pm dallas came is SIGNIFCANTLY different than a 8:20pm dallas game. The prime time games bring out all of the people who want to get ****faced and make a scene. If you can't go to a prime time game and keep out of the crap those people cause, then I suggest you not go. Lecturing the people on the forums is going to get you anywhere, because those people aren't on here posting. It's only going to get you what little advice there is to offer for the situations.

The denver game last year - you know what that was like? I saw tons of little boys and girls there with their parents, as if it was a field trip. The people in the stadium were great. It was truely a day to bring your little kid to the game to have fun.

But if you think bringing you 8 year old to a cowboys vs skins game on sunday night is going to be the same as going to the zoo, then you're out of your mind. I'm not condoning the behavoir of jackasses, don't get me wrong. I'm just pointing out the reality that is the situation.

1. You're still 25, which affirms the entire logic behind my post. We all like to believe we'll stay exactly how we are at 25 for the rest of our lives, but that's not reality. It simply doesn't work that way. The things you find tolerable today, you won't find so much as you age.

2. I never said anything about going to the zoo, so please stop using that as a comparable reference, b/c it's obviously not.

3. What's ridiculous is that you think the amount of fights and overall level of violence is the same today as it always was at RFK. It simply wasn't, and your credibility falls into question if you think it was.

4. I somewhat agree regarding the logic behind night games, however, the day games still see their fair share of violence...albeit not as much as the night games.

5. The 35k difference in stadium size I believe, is a huge culprit. the horrible traffic combined with a mostly lousy team, combined with a transient city make for the very real possibility of 20-30k fans of the opposing team's fans at any given game. When a 55k stadium is 54k Redskins fans and 1k other team's fans; mob (gang) mentality dictates a less confrontational attitude. When you've got 25k other fans wearing the same jersey as yours, mob (gang) mentality dicates a more aggressive afront. It's actually quite simple.