freakofthesouth Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 Here's a topic I've been thinking about. How will Directv and the latests technolgies affect team allegience in the long term? Obviously, this is a great reniassance in the evolution of sports- to really be able to follow your team, any team you choose, from start to finish...and to follow it through internet technoligies, such as, well...extremeskins! This is great for the geographically challenged... But, even a generation ago, it was not like this. My father, born and raised in the Pittsburg area, was a Pittsburg fan up until his move to southern Maryland. By default, he had to change his football fix from the Steelers to the Redskins...he really had no other options. Hence, he raised me on them, from well before I can even remember. But here is something interesting, and a little scary- if Directv was around in the 70's, I would be a Steelers fan! From now on, my children, my children's children, will all learn the history and beauty of the game through the Washington Redskins, whether we live in DC, NYC, or Guam! So, let's talk about city allegience...how has the diversity changed in cities as of late, due to the ability to follow whatever team you please? Are there more Skins fans in NYC, California, etc? If so, where do the teams get their support from, in the long-run, if their city houses so much fan diversity? Will it become less and less a city-pride symbol? Just some thoughts. Any feedback? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 I think it helps for fans to watch the games, but even if I were to move and didn't have directtv I would always be a skin fan first. I might root for the local team but the skins would always come first. What I do like with the internet and direct tv you get more knowledgeable fans, yes you still get the idiots. I just don't remember 10 years ago when we were complaining and debating about the 6th defensive lineman :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted September 11, 2003 Author Share Posted September 11, 2003 Jbooma, that's a good point... fans are a lot more educated about their teams, which is absolutely a positive thing. But what would you do if your job relocated you to Wyoming or something, and there was no directv, or internet to follow the games... Would you be a Denver fan??? Seattle maybe? After awhile, the Seahawks might start appealing to you more than the skins, because they are a lot more avialible to you...you see what I'm saying? That's how teams were stared in the first place...to support and have pride in their city/region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gridironmike Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 I'd say technology plays a big part in which team you follow. My father is 59 and he is quite frank about the Redskins and NotreDame being his two favorite football teams. Growing up in a small WV mining town, these were the two teams he got on radio consistently. They happen to be my favorite teams too, but I don't recall him ever pushing them on me. I just evolved into a fan, and enjoyed watching the games and cheering along with him. While we no longer get the Redskins Radio Network here in southern WV (well, I guess technology lets me do that too, huh), DirecTV is available for the rare times the Redskins aren't broadcast locally. Same for the Carolinas. Go down there to the Skins/Panthers game and look at all that burgundy and gold. The Redskins were Dixie's Team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted September 11, 2003 Author Share Posted September 11, 2003 I agree Gridiron Mike... Notice it's by default...your pops, like mine, was a fan of these teams...and we learned from them. Now look at us! Extremeskins junkies! My question/concern is how will it affect team allegiance in the long-run? Will we see more fans jumping on the bandwagon? Where will city/region allegience go 10 years down the road? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gridironmike Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 Well, my boy (at age seven) has already been to two Redskins/Panthers preseason games (this year and last), a Skins/Bucs game (Deions punt return), and a Skins/Panthers regular season game (the comeback from 21-3). He's also been to two Redskins training camps (this year and last). My first experience seeing the Skins was at age 19 in the HOF Game against the Bills. I got my own season tickets last year. My son is a huge Lavar fan and will hopefully get to share a lot of Sundays in the stands with me like I have with my dad. My point is, he's farther along at his age than I was at the same age. I like to have his friends over to "work" on them when I can. I coach his peewee team (we are the Vikings...can't have everything) and EVERYONE knows we like the Skins. My point....I guess as long as we raise 'em right, they'll bleed burgundy and gold too. BTW, 1500th post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASMTrainer Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 I have been a Redskin fan for a long time. We didn't have DirectTV back then. I was raised in Powhatan County Va. We got the skins every weekend. My Dad was a skin fan because he was raised in Charles City Va. As I grew older, my love for the skins grew as well. I remember going to school after a loss on Sunday feeling sick. I would be in a bad mood until around Sat. After high school I joined the Marines and there was still no DirectTV but I loved my skins still. No matter where I went or what team was around, it was the skins and only the skins. I remember getting up at 3:30 in the morning in Deigo Garcia ( a little island in the middle of the Indian ocean) to watch my beloved Redskins hand the ball off to Riggins off left tackle to give us the Super Bowl Victory. I have been in 7 different countries and more states than I can remember but one thing is for sure. The Redskins were always with me. Now my son is 8. I started as soon as he was able to talk. My wife and I made a pact, if the baby is a girl, it's a Bronco fan, if it's a boy, well, do I need to say it. The first was a girl. I was hurt but I love her anyway, even if she is a Bonco fan like her mother, lol. I was 1 week away from the big snip when my wife came to me and told me that she was pregnant. Well, it was my boy. The good Lord new I needed a little Redskin fan in the famly. His son will be a Redskin fan and his son and so on and so on. As long as my family is on this earth, there will be Redskin fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opiate-Zeo Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 Well, I'm not sure how I would be if I had nothing else going for me except another team. I think I would always be a skins fan, but I would take to another team that I could watch as well. I don't see myself ever not being a skins fan 1st though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 I hate the DirecTV deal. It's great for those of you who can have dishes or afford them or get reception, but it's terrible for those of us with digital cable. What a dumb deal for the NFL. They could make mad loot charging for a person to get all the weekend's games on cable PPV, or choosing a package of non-national games or all of one's team's games that season. And far FAR more people have cable or can ONLY have cable than the dish. Too bad really. The NFL needs to alter the deal in 2005, and DirecTV needs to pray it doesn't alter it any further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyward72 Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 The NFL gameticket is the only reason to have the dish. If cable ever does decide to shell out the big bucks to get the Ticket, I'll be switching back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofer Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Originally posted by freakofthenorth I agree Gridiron Mike... Notice it's by default...your pops, like mine, was a fan of these teams...and we learned from them. Now look at us! Extremeskins junkies! My question/concern is how will it affect team allegiance in the long-run? Will we see more fans jumping on the bandwagon? Where will city/region allegience go 10 years down the road? "Chose for themselves Fans" You will always have some fans who choose to root for a team because they like something about the team. Maybe it is the team name, the way they play, or whatever. A co-worker of mine is a 49er fan because he has always like San Fansisco as a city, even though he's never actually lived there. "Displaced Fans" You will always have fans, such as myself, who root for their home town team but no longer live in said home town. "Generational Fans" (a fairly new breed) We will see some fans who root for the team their [parental figure] rooted for. "My City - My Team Fans" But - The majority of the people will root for the team that represents their city/region. Especially if they have lived there most of their lives, and feel "connected" to the area. If this were not true, how would the expansion teams get fans? Why would Baltimorian not still be rooting for the Colts, LA folk would still be rooting for the Rams, and Chicago would still be rooting for the Cardinals. Well, maybe not the Cardinals, but you get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofer Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Originally posted by Skyward72 The NFL gameticket is the only reason to have the dish. If cable ever does decide to shell out the big bucks to get the Ticket, I'll be switching back. Much to learn, you still have, young Skyward72. Cable is digital, not 100%. Once spoiled by the 100% digital pictures with satellite, hard to go back to analog is it. Blind we are, if we could not see this digital revolution. :2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselPwr44 Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 The first nine years of my life were spent in Baltimore,Md.(grandparents were Colts fans,my Dad was a Skins fan) When the family moved to NC,every Sunday in the fall,the Redskins were on tv and I marveled at how John Riggins could score when the team was inside the 5 yd line.I grew up a Redskin fan,watched faithfully every Sunday without interruption until..the damn Carolina Panthers were born :cuss:...They replaced the Skins on tv down here and thus my hatred grew for the Panthers. This is my first year with NFL Ticket and I can once again watch the Skins every Sunday.All is right with the world,once again...:soapbox: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskns21 Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 I would say that technologies such as DirecTV and the internet cater to the die hard fan more than the casual fan or football observer. Thus, it only makes it easier for fans like myself and you to stay in touch with their team. You will still have those fans that start liking a team because they live in or near the town of a professional football team, but I think that technology may lead to even more people staying loyal to the team that they grew up rooting for. I live in Nevada and so the only time I get a Skins game here is when they are playing the 49ers or Raiders, are on MNF or SNF, or it is one of these team's bye weeks. There is the occasional exception when Fox or CBS decides to run two games and the Redskins game is the one that they are broadcasting. I can't tell you how many 49ers games I had to watch so that I could get the updated scores before ESPN came out with their bottom line. I even used to watch CNN when they were partnered with SI and showed the scores in their news reel. I never became a 49er fan, not even during the 80s when everybody here loved them. Not even when I was a teenager and getting f'd with because of my allegience to the Skins. I have never been anything other than a Resdkins fan so it is hard for me to understand those that change teams just because they don't have access to their old team's games on the television. There is always ESPN, newspapers, magazines or even the local news. Unless you are a Bengals fan or a fan of some other team that doensn't have any or has very few primetime games then a die hard fan should have enough to still enjoy their team. I used to get about 3 or 4 games a year until I started Sunday Ticket. I have had Sunday Ticket for the last 3 years and will never go back but 3 or 4 games used to be enough for me to stay loyal. You ask, how will it affect allegience, I would say that it helps to strengthen one's allegience to their team. Not only does the fan now have access to all of their team's games they have great sites like this to speak with other fans who understand why and how we are the way we are. I have been so happy to find this community, I haven't ever had anybody that I could discuss the Redskins with that even liked the team. If they listened to me then I had to hear about their team, which was usually the 49ers. It is nice to have access to so many people who share this one common interest, the Redskins and want to talk about them all the time. It definately takes the fan to another level for somebody like me who used to only be able to celebrate a win with themself which makes it a little short lived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 The internet is also a first generation tool right now that can be used to keep up on all the latest news and info about yer team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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