Death of a Fanbase

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

It’s been a long time since I’ve made a thread here. I mean I probably was in college. I’m 28 now. Been coming to this site since I was 16. I love it. I love you guys. I love this franchise. I tried to quit but I can’t. 
 

I think we’ve all noticed that things are different (not on the field of course) within the fanbase. There’s not nearly as many people posting here as there were in 2009. I’m sure if you live locally you’ve noticed that the team has zero buzz. The best example I can give is back in 2019 when Haskins was drafted. A new young QB from Ohio State? City must be abuzz right? I don’t think he was ever in the top 5 most popular athletes in the city. That’s just unheard of in the NFL and in a historic franchise. Clearly , 30 years of suck has broken the fanbase. So this stuff isn’t new. 
 

But man, I went to the game today. My job gave me and 3 co-workers tickets and parking. I’ve been coming to FedEx since 2000 and today was the saddest sports experience I’ve ever had with none of that related to the on field product. I vividly remember my uncles and grandfather having season tickets when I was younger. Ppl would BEG them for tickets. I would beg and I’d circle the date on my calendar for my games MONTHS in advance. I loved every second of the FedEx experience. 90K strong. Yelling and screaming. And it wasn’t like we were good. We’ve never been truly good in my lifetime. Ppl just loved this franchise that much. No matter if Tim Hasselbeck or Jon Beck were starting. 
 

Fast forward today and it’s just jarring. My uncles and grandfather have all given up their tickets and it wasn’t due to finances. The experience is just so pathetic now. 
 

You get to the parking lot and it’s so sparse. So little juice. For every WFT jersey you see walking down Garrett Morgan, you see just as many for the opponents and just as many for teams that aren’t even playing at FedEx that day. Today, I think it was safe to say that 40% were Saints fans, which is actually pretty good all things considered. Next Sunday might be a silent count game for WFT. 

 

And you’d think with barely 40K in attendance, getting into the stadium and getting concessions would be easier. You’d be wrong. The experience is so poor. Concession stands run out of food and utensils early. Bathrooms are gross and run out of necessities in the first half. The stadium itself is just so drab and ugly. As a kid, the lure of FOOTBALL was a good deodorant but man, it’s so bad. And now that I can go to other stadiums because I’m an adult, it makes it even worse. You can tell they’re trying to do better with giveaways and in game entertainment but it’s just all so paper thin and kinda pathetic. 
 

And you get to your seat and it’s just downright sad to see all the empty seats. The lower bowl is full-ish but the club level is maybe 50% and the upper is a literal ghost town. I remember begging my uncles to take me to more games. Preseason games would basically be full at the start. Now it’s like seeing a down and out family member. Breaks my heart in a way. And maybe you can blame TV and covid but our local ratings are awful and we rank dead last in attendance. Fans have completely checked out. Nobody cares anymore. I just cannot believe this actually happened and I’m not sure anything short of a super bowl can fix it. Every demographic has checked out. My email is flooded daily with them BEGGING me to buy tickets. 
 

And i haven’t even mentioned football. I just don’t see how anyone could want to spend money on this product unless you’ve just never been and want to scratch it off your bucket list. Unless I get more free tickets, i think I’m out too. 
 

It just hurts my heart how bad things have gotten. It should be nearly impossible to do but Snyder managed to do it. 
 

God speed Jason Wright. It will literally take a miracle. I’m not sure a fun name or even a new stadium can help. 
 

I’ll leave with this tweet from Steve Czaban. It truly feels like the end times and I’m not sure how hyperbolic that really is. 
 

 

 

[KDawg]

I’m not from the area but I used to love going down there for a game or two every year. 
 

Now I look at the ticket prices, as low as they are… factor in my drive time… and decide the couch is a fantastic option. The fact that there are more opposing team fans there than our own is also a major hurdle for me. Why would I want to drive 6.5-7 hours for the game day experience to have an away team crowd? I could drive shorter distances or go on an actual vacation where the money would be worth it and go to a better stadium for that experience.

[GOATFrerotte]

Sad times indeed. I have collected over 1000 Redskins/Washington autographs over the last 30 years and I doubt I could get a $100 for them lol. It’s been miserable and reaching a point of no return. Kind of want to give up but can’t. Like family but with no name and nothing but shame.

[Redd]

You can get tickets for around $50 close to game time.  I still don't want to ride the Metro for 40 minutes and walk for another 15 minutes to see a game.  Feels bad man.

[Redskins Reparations]

[CousinsCowgirl84]

1 minute ago, Redd said:

You can get tickets for around $50 close to game time.  I still don't want to ride the Metro for 40 minutes and walk for another 15 minutes to see a game.  Feels bad man.

There are still some players to cheer for. Everyone should stop whining! We are turning a corner, we will come full circle. 

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

2 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

There are still some players to cheer for. Everyone should stop whining! We are turning a corner, we will come full circle. 

Is this Jason or Dan? 
 

(Or is it somehow Bruce?)

[CousinsCowgirl84]

Hineke is just as good if not better than any qb we have had for the past 20 years

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

2 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

Hineke is just as good if not better than any qb we have had for the past 20 years

Ok it’s definitely Bruce. 
 

haven’t you done enough here, sir? 

[SoCalSkins]

Away games are so much more fun. The fans outside of the DMV don’t have the weekly drudgery and soul sucking that the current FedEx field experience entails. I had season tickets at FedEx in the late 1990s and early 2000. I would fly to almost all the home games from Southern California and loved it so much. So different now.
 

I’m going to a game there next year because I promised my son I would take him to a “home” game but I enjoy the away games so much more. The Redskins fans at away games tend to be much happier and most other stadiums are superior. But I haven’t been to one since the name change so not sure much impact it’s had. Any Washington game in California or Phoenix would normally be over run by Redskins fans. I expect Vegas to be like that this year but we shall see. 

[CjSuAvE22]

6 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

Hineke is just as good if not better than any qb we have had for the past 20 years

Not even close the guy in your name is way better than Taylor Heinicke....he won't even be in the league in 2 years. Just face reality until we find a QB that can actually play and has the skillset to make NFL caliber throws we are going to be bad. 

Edited October 10, 2021 by CjSuAvE22

[bearrock]

6 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

Hineke is just as good if not better than any qb we have had for the past 20 years

 

There's a decent chance of this being true.  And I like Heineke.  But if he's the best QB in DC for the last 20 years (heck go back 30 for post 91 era), think about how sad that is.

[bh32]

Team just keeps spinning it's wheels with these 6-8 win seasons..They will never get a QB with those win totals as they will never be picking high enough without giving up valuable draft capital..

[profusion]

9 minutes ago, bh32 said:

Team just keeps spinning it's wheels with these 6-8 win seasons..They will never get a QB with those win totals as they will never be picking high enough without giving up valuable draft capital..

 

The only two SB winning QBs picked that high in this century were the Manning brothers. The other winners, not coincidentally, went to quality organizations that never pick that high and were mostly doing pretty well on the field. What the WFT don't have is the quality organization part.

Edited October 10, 2021 by profusion

[CobraCommander]

Just now, profusion said:

 

The only two SB winning QBs picked that high in this century were the Manning brothers. The other winners, not coincidentally went to quality organizations that never pick that high and we're mostly doing pretty well on the field. What the WFT don't have is the quality organization part.

Thank you. You don’t need the first pick to get a franchise QB. You have to start by being a competent franchise that can evaluate talent and build a team. We can’t do either.

[SkipJackSkin]

Thanks for posting this. I actually just re-activated my ES account today after being inactive since ~2008. Still watched the skins during that time, but had been fairly checked out.
 

I told myself this season I would rekindle the flame. It's hard. Every game... massive cheers during opposing scores. How do we fix this? Is Dan selling really the only answer? The hardest part is how powerless I feel about it all. There's literally nothing I can individually do to force change. Dan keeps making money, will be MUCH more careful now with an scandals.

 

It hurts.

Edited October 10, 2021 by SkipJackSkin

[bearrock]

I wish Dan would move the team and DMV gets a new franchise with a different owner.

[CjSuAvE22]

2 minutes ago, SkipJackSkin said:

 Is Dan selling really the only answer?

Sadly yes, i never wanted to believe it but its the only way, The name change is gonna hurt as well might be the last nail in the coffin for a lot of old timers

[Jumbo]

first with this!!!

 

 

[Warhead36]

For all intents and purposes this franchise has been dead for years. The changing of the name officially killed it.

 

I have some young cousins and nephews/nieces that are into sports. None of them give a rats patooey about the football team. They've got Caps gear. They've got Nats gear. But they don't care at all about the football team.

 

Its the same around town. I can't even remember the last time I saw someone rocking WFT or even Redskin gear around town or on their cars or property. I see lots of Caps and Nats stuff though. Even some Beal jerseys here and there.

 

We used to laugh at the notion that any team would surpass the football team in popularity. But laugh no more because its reality. This franchise is dead.

[profusion]

12 minutes ago, Florgon79 said:

Thank you. You don’t need the first pick to get a franchise QB. You have to start by being a competent franchise that can evaluate talent and build a team. We can’t do either.

 

In fact, I feel bad for most QBs picked that high because they mostly go to teams like the Jets, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars...or Redskins/WFT. The Browns seem to be showing signs of turning it around, but we'll see if it lasts.

 

Those organizations kill those QBs by not putting a team around them.

 

As for the OP, I have a similar attitude even though I remember the glory days. I didn't live in the DC area then and moved out here in '93 just in time for the Ritchie Pettibon era--maybe it's all my fault!!  I saw a game at RFK, but it was a miserable experience watching the team lose to the (then bad) Seahawks in front of a very dead crowd in '95 or so. I've been to a few games at FedEx, but it was an awful experience even before it became an opposition crowd.

 

I have no intention of going back to FedEx, and I'm definitely tempted by the notion of treating the New Name/New Logo as a new franchise that I care nothing about. The Redskins were something I shared with my parents. Now that they've both passed, that emotional connection is disappearing for me. Games like today certainly do nothing to bring it back. 

Edited October 10, 2021 by profusion

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

1 minute ago, Warhead36 said:

For all intents and purposes this franchise has been dead for years. The changing of the name officially killed it.

 

I have some young cousins and nephews/nieces that are into sports. None of them give a rats patooey about the football team. They've got Caps gear. They've got Nats gear. But they don't care at all about the football team.

 

Its the same around town. I can't even remember the last time I saw someone rocking WFT or even Redskin gear around town or on their cars or property. I see lots of Caps and Nats stuff though. Even some Beal jerseys here and there.

 

We used to laugh at the notion that any team would surpass the football team in popularity. But laugh no more because its reality. This franchise is dead.

That’s pretty much where I’m at. I remember us all debating If this was possible back in like 2009-2010….

[redskinss]

Talk about hitting close to home, I was born in 75 and became a fan in 83 when I was 8.

I am going to Vegas in December ad the thought had crossed my mind to try to become a fan of them by then but I see no way that's possible. 

It has to happen organically for me.

If I stop rooting for the skins I'll probably just stop watching football altogether like I did with nascar when I couldn't stomach that product anymore.

 

It pains me almost unbearably to think about not being a redskins fan anymore but like the tweet says the redskins no longer exist and all that's left is a really ****ty organization that I have no local ties to.

 

[gooseneck]

I just checked in. I pretty much just follow the off season

 

[86 Snyder]

Was texting with my friend today, we had season tickets together from 03-08.  I suggested going to next weeks Chiefs game purely to watch Mahomes.  His reply?  I'd rather go see them play someone else in KC.

 

I agreed.

Edited October 11, 2021 by 86 Snyder