Death of a Fanbase

[NoVaSkins21]

9 hours ago, petey hodge said:

So, I'm watching the MNF game of the Ravens vs Colts...

Noticing that their stadium is at full capacity.

 

Now, how'd they pull this off when we are limited with covid attendance restrictions preventing more fans from entering FedEx Field? 

Aren't we in the state of Maryland too?

 

This is not fair.... It's not equitable.  LOL

Bisciotti knows how to cultivate a fanbase.  He knew when he took over after Modells passed away, that he was going to build a winning franchise.  He's the anti-Snyder.  The guy embraces his fans and doesn't want to alienate them.  So jealous of what they have up there with the continuity at Head Coach and QB.  

[ananoman]

13 hours ago, kleese said:

But ZERO playoff appearances between 1999-2017. Heck, we won two division titles and made it as a WC twice over same span. 

The Bill's misfortunes in that time span has a lot to do with the fact that they were in the same division as Tom Brady and the Patriots- who won that division 17 times in that time frame.

[kleese]

15 minutes ago, ananoman said:

The Bill's misfortunes in that time span has a lot to do with the fact that they were in the same division as Tom Brady and the Patriots- who won that division 17 times in that time frame.

Maybe in terms of winning the division, but not in terms of making the playoffs. In that time span they only won more than 8 games twice (two non-playoff 9-7 seasons). Twelve seasons below .500 including NINE in a row. 

[London Kev]

Let's face it guys and girls. The team ain't going nowhere, I ain't going nowhere, and almost every single one of you ain't going nowhere. You know why? because deep down we all still care, and next year might just be the year that they turn this ****show around.

[theTruthTeller]

5 minutes ago, London Kev said:

Let's face it guys and girls. The team ain't going nowhere, I ain't going nowhere, and almost every single one of you ain't going nowhere. You know why? because deep down we all still care, and next year might just be the year that they turn this ****show around.

Daniel Snyder is 7 years younger than me.  The odds are overwhelming that I'll never see the team turned around.  Maybe a hobby is a better way to spend Sundays.

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

14 minutes ago, London Kev said:

Let's face it guys and girls. The team ain't going nowhere, I ain't going nowhere, and almost every single one of you ain't going nowhere. You know why? because deep down we all still care, and next year might just be the year that they turn this ****show around.

That may be a small part of it, but generally speaking - I think this team is just a bad habit for most of us.  We are creatures of habit and it's hard to just let something go that once consumed so much of our lives.

[abdcskins]

It is definitely a habit for me. But like some others, fantasy and gambling (too much) dominate my Sundays. Recently I have been streaming the Skins game on my laptop and watching whatever game is on TV, and then once the Skins start losing badly, which is frequently, I will stream whatever game I have interest in. I definitely care less. Once you know your team isn't going to win squadoosh it is natural to turn your attention to something else.

[SoCalSkins]

2 hours ago, theTruthTeller said:

Daniel Snyder is 7 years younger than me.  The odds are overwhelming that I'll never see the team turned around.  Maybe a hobby is a better way to spend Sundays.

If it was a hobby you wouldn’t be posting on ES. It’s an addiction. You might get clean for a short period but you will fall of the wagon just like most addicts do. 

[CapsSkins]

I'm 29 and have also known basically nothing but misery. However, I got to watch Ovechkin, Backstrom and the Caps finally win a Stanley Cup after they seemed perpetually cursed as well. Then the next year the Nats winning was like gravy. So I am pretty zen about the WFT. I usually stop watching games once the season is out of reach (in recent years that's been October lol). Also I've lived in LA since I graduated so it's not hard to disconnect. I will say the talk of FedEx opposing fan takeovers is kinda funny since we actually travel well ourselves. I saw the Skins when they came to LA to play the Rams in 2017 and there were a ton of Skins fans at the game (which we won, actually).

[hail2skins]

19 minutes ago, CapsSkins said:

I'm 29 and have also known basically nothing but misery. However, I got to watch Ovechkin, Backstrom and the Caps finally win a Stanley Cup after they seemed perpetually cursed as well. Then the next year the Nats winning was like gravy. So I am pretty zen about the WFT. I usually stop watching games once the season is out of reach (in recent years that's been October lol). Also I've lived in LA since I graduated so it's not hard to disconnect. I will say the talk of FedEx opposing fan takeovers is kinda funny since we actually travel well ourselves. I saw the Skins when they came to LA to play the Rams in 2017 and there were a ton of Skins fans at the game (which we won, actually).

I've always found that interesting. I attributed the large number of Cowboys and Steelers fans across the country to those teams success in the 70s as the league was growing in popularity. I know the Skins were good in the 70s, but our really good years were in the 80s......did a similar phenomenon happen with us and the 49ers where a bunch of folks nationwide become fans of the team? Only difference I can see is that those other teams seemed to have a bunch of stars as well, where the Skins just seemed to have the overall better team, particularly in the non-glam positions like the trenches (Hogs).

[CapsSkins]

6 minutes ago, hail2skins said:

I've always found that interesting. I attributed the large number of Cowboys and Steelers fans across the country to those teams success in the 70s as the league was growing in popularity. I know the Skins were good in the 70s, but our really good years were in the 80s......did a similar phenomenon happen with us and the 49ers where a bunch of folks nationwide become fans of the team? Only difference I can see is that those other teams seemed to have a bunch of stars as well, where the Skins just seemed to have the overall better team, particularly in the non-glam positions like the trenches (Hogs).

 

I can't speak for other cities, but there are a lot of Nova/DC natives who live in LA. I watch the Caps play the Kings at Staples Center every year and there are always a ton of Caps fans in the stands there, too, even though we've only won once in LA in the past several years. Of course the Caps have also been a very good team for the past dozen years, but nonetheless. I'm in the entertainment industry and encounter a lot of DMV folks here in LA.  

Edited October 12, 2021 by CapsSkins

[Fan since a Fetus]

Some are saying that the Ravens are lucky. That is what a well run organization looks like. Yeah, there is luck involved in sports, but they are mainly successful because they are run from top to bottom with professionals. When the top is unprofessional, you get the Washington Football Team.

 

Coaches and GM just don't take care of what is on the field in Washington. There is a ton of BS that comes with being employed by this team. Whoever works here doesn't get to just focus on the job of winning. They have to babysit a lot as well.

 

It sucks, but I really believe that as long as the Snyder's are here, we will drown as a franchise. People won't show up. 

 

We don't have the right coach on the field. Ron Rivera has 3 winning seasons to his name. Seems like a great guy and I root for him, but I highly doubt he will turn this franchise around on the field while having to take care of all this other BS. Shoot, if he didn't have to deal with the BS, he would only give us a mediocre chance.

 

I hope I'm wrong. I watch Washington every week, but I also watch streams of other teams. Right now I love watching Ravens, Chargers, Bills and Chiefs.

[CapsSkins]

10 minutes ago, Fan since a Fetus said:

Some are saying that the Ravens are lucky. That is what a well run organization looks like. Yeah, there is luck involved in sports, but they are mainly successful because they are run from top to bottom with professionals. When the top is unprofessional, you get the Washington Football Team.

 

Coaches and GM just don't take care of what is on the field in Washington. There is a ton of BS that comes with being employed by this team. Whoever works here doesn't get to just focus on the job of winning. They have to babysit a lot as well.

 

It sucks, but I really believe that as long as the Snyder's are here, we will drown as a franchise. People won't show up. 

 

We don't have the right coach on the field. Ron Rivera has 3 winning seasons to his name. Seems like a great guy and I root for him, but I highly doubt he will turn this franchise around on the field while having to take care of all this other BS. Shoot, if he didn't have to deal with the BS, he would only give us a mediocre chance.

 

I hope I'm wrong. I watch Washington every week, but I also watch streams of other teams. Right now I love watching Ravens, Chargers, Bills and Chiefs.

 

Therein lies the hope we all cling to. Imagine thinking a decade ago there'd be a time when the marquee teams were the Chargers, Bills, and Chiefs.

[Fan since a Fetus]

Yep, and the Chargers had front office problems with Smith there for awhile, but nothing even close to WFT.

[Hdf561]

2 hours ago, abdcskins said:

It is definitely a habit for me. But like some others, fantasy and gambling (too much) dominate my Sundays. Recently I have been streaming the Skins game on my laptop and watching whatever game is on TV, and then once the Skins start losing badly, which is frequently, I will stream whatever game I have interest in. I definitely care less. Once you know your team isn't going to win squadoosh it is natural to turn your attention to something else.

Absolutely….fantasy and gambling is what I have replaced my must watch the Skins Sunday with. 
 

I have multiple TV’s set up so I have redzone on one, and then the CBS and FOX game on the others, so Washington is usually on but I’m paying more attention to redzone and the gambling lines. I don’t even watch normal ore game shows anymore I watch gambling and fantasy shows. It’s been much more enjoyable for me Washington loses a lot but I won 8 times on Sunday with bets. 

[Darrell Green Fan]

4 hours ago, theTruthTeller said:

Daniel Snyder is 7 years younger than me.  The odds are overwhelming that I'll never see the team turned around.  Maybe a hobby is a better way to spend Sundays.

 

This has been my conclusion years ago. I follow the team because I enjoy it, I watch because there are only 17 games in a year. But do I get emotionally attached? Well that lasted about 7 plays into the opening drive by SD in the opener.  Then it was just business as usual.  

Edited October 12, 2021 by Darrell Green Fan

[Wildbunny]

1 hour ago, CapsSkins said:

 

Therein lies the hope we all cling to. Imagine thinking a decade ago there'd be a time when the marquee teams were the Chargers, Bills, and Chiefs.

There's still the Jets.

 

There was a time not so long ago that people around here were raving at them and Mark Sanchez

[PolarExpress]

On 10/11/2021 at 12:25 PM, Burgold said:

Paraphrasing Cyndi Lauper. 

 

I just wanna have fun. That's all I really want. Oh, Redskins' Fans just wanna have fun.

I’ve been a fan since the ‘80’s and I still watch, but I don’t get as emotional as I used to.  If something comes up during game time, I am now happy to skip the game.  I don’t mind losing, but it’s like the players care less than I do.  The coaching since Gibbs2 has been abysmal….and I am not confident that Rivera will change anything.  The stadium is a nightmare.  Too hard to get to and just a mess during the game.  I had hope for this season, but it’s gone.  We cannot have a top tier RB, Receiver, Corner, and QB….ever in one season.  It’s so frustrating.  I wish Snyder would sell the team.

Edited October 12, 2021 by PolarExpress

[gbear]

I have to confess for the past 5 plus years, I have simply taped the games to watch when the kids go to bed.  Then I do my football workout where I do 15 push-ups and a core set (like a 30 second plank or 10 side plank dips) every commercial break.  Then I can skip the rest of the commercials and watch more.  It ends up being 75-90 min work out with 24-30 sets in that time.  

 

Watching this way at least doesn't leave me thinking I wasted hours of my life watching a seemingly team destined to disappoint. 

 

[Die Hard]

8 minutes ago, gbear said:

I have to confess for the past 5 plus years, I have simply taped the games to watch when the kids go to bed.  Then I do my football workout where I do 15 push-ups and a core set (like a 30 second plank or 10 side plank dips) every commercial break.  Then I can skip the rest of the commercials and watch more.  It ends up being 75-90 min work out with 24-30 sets in that time.  

 

Watching this way at least doesn't leave me thinking I wasted hours of my life watching a seemingly team destined to disappoint. 

 

It’d be hilarious to learn that you only workout 16 (17) days of the year. You just never work out, just when WFT plays 😂😂😂

 

It’s also hilarious to me that I’ve yet to hear of a story of a WFT fan, who made millions gambling on this team, to lose. Every week. It’s the most surest thing (pattern) I know in this world.

 

 

[Renegade7]

The 30 minute condensed games on NFL game pass is the best thing since sliced bread for the few games I miss.  Jus get it over with so I can get back to the fam.

[Spaceman Spiff]

@BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93, that was a great opening post.  I didn't want to click on this thread for the past couple of days because you're right...it is sad, it is depressing.  

 

In regards to the popularity of the message board, I think message boards aren't nearly as popular as they were 10-15 years ago.  You've got twitter now, which is obnoxious and annoying.  No long form posts, for starters.  But I digress.

 

I just turned 40 a few weeks ago, I have some faint memories of what the glory days were like.  I remember the 1991 season a little bit, I remember the buzz, the feeling of what the DMV was like when the team was winning.  Man, it was electric.  It was palpable.  Since Snyder's purchased the team, you get glimpses of it here and there....Gibbs II and the playoff runs.  The year that RG3 gave us and how exciting that was.  

 

This fanbase is dying...maybe dying isn't the right word, maybe it's just apathetic.  I get the feeling that if this franchise ever got it together, the fanbase would be back and as rabid as ever.  I think this area and this fanbase is so ****ing hungry for a winner, they'd be back in the blink of an eye.  

 

I can attest to the stadium experience being completely awful.  Thanks to @TKand @themurfI was afforded the privilege to photograph games for this site for a number of years.  Getting to do it once was a dream come true...but getting to do it countless times?  Amazing.  Also getting to meet guys like @JimmiJo @Destino and @thesubmittedone(and his pressbox cologne) was just as great.  

 

If it weren't for that privilege, you couldn't get me close to that stadium.  There are no redeeming qualities about the game day experience.  IMO, Fed Ex field was built at the wrong time...it was built at the end of the era where concrete circles were still viable.  Fed Ex opened in 1997 and the very next year M&T Bank Stadium opened which is fantastic.  Put your Baltimore hate aside and go, it's beautiful.  Then a few years later you get Heinz Field, Ford Field...the list goes on and on.  I'm convinced that if the stadium was built 5-6 years later, we'd have a really nice place to play.

 

I used to get really mad about the losing, now I'm just straight up sad.  Sad that this area doesn't get to celebrate a winner.  Sad that there's, like, two generations of fans that have grown up in this area not knowing what it's like when this team is winning.  Sad that there's, like, two generations of fans who grew up in this area rooting for other teams.  Sad about Fed Ex essentially being a home field for opposing teams.  Sad that no matter who gets hired and what players get acquired that they end up losers.  Sad that Snyder has slowly choked the life out of a once vibrant franchise.

 

And not to be too melodramatic but I'm becoming a dad here in a couple months and I spent part of last Sunday afternoon wondering if I'd ever want to take my son to a game.  I have some good memories of my dad taking me to RFK and what a thrill that was.  It's sad that it just won't be the same.  

[Commander_N_Chief]

4 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

@BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93, that was a great opening post.  I didn't want to click on this thread for the past couple of days because you're right...it is sad, it is depressing.  

 

In regards to the popularity of the message board, I think message boards aren't nearly as popular as they were 10-15 years ago.  You've got twitter now, which is obnoxious and annoying.  No long form posts, for starters.  But I digress.

 

I just turned 40 a few weeks ago, I have some faint memories of what the glory days were like.  I remember the 1991 season a little bit, I remember the buzz, the feeling of what the DMV was like when the team was winning.  Man, it was electric.  It was palpable.  Since Snyder's purchased the team, you get glimpses of it here and there....Gibbs II and the playoff runs.  The year that RG3 gave us and how exciting that was.  

 

This fanbase is dying...maybe dying isn't the right word, maybe it's just apathetic.  I get the feeling that if this franchise ever got it together, the fanbase would be back and as rabid as ever.  I think this area and this fanbase is so ****ing hungry for a winner, they'd be back in the blink of an eye.  

 

I can attest to the stadium experience being completely awful.  Thanks to @TKand @themurfI was afforded the privilege to photograph games for this site for a number of years.  Getting to do it once was a dream come true...but getting to do it countless times?  Amazing.  Also getting to meet guys like @JimmiJo @Destino and @thesubmittedone(and his pressbox cologne) was just as great.  

 

If it weren't for that privilege, you couldn't get me close to that stadium.  There are no redeeming qualities about the game day experience.  IMO, Fed Ex field was built at the wrong time...it was built at the end of the era where concrete circles were still viable.  Fed Ex opened in 1997 and the very next year M&T Bank Stadium opened which is fantastic.  Put your Baltimore hate aside and go, it's beautiful.  Then a few years later you get Heinz Field, Ford Field...the list goes on and on.  I'm convinced that if the stadium was built 5-6 years later, we'd have a really nice place to play.

 

I used to get really mad about the losing, now I'm just straight up sad.  Sad that this area doesn't get to celebrate a winner.  Sad that there's, like, two generations of fans that have grown up in this area not knowing what it's like when this team is winning.  Sad that there's, like, two generations of fans who grew up in this area rooting for other teams.  Sad about Fed Ex essentially being a home field for opposing teams.  Sad that no matter who gets hired and what players get acquired that they end up losers.  Sad that Snyder has slowly choked the life out of a once vibrant franchise.

 

And not to be too melodramatic but I'm becoming a dad here in a couple months and I spent part of last Sunday afternoon wondering if I'd ever want to take my son to a game.  I have some good memories of my dad taking me to RFK and what a thrill that was.  It's sad that it just won't be the same.  

I want to hit on a couple of points in this message because it rings true for someone at 34 that while they had the 91 SB has experienced only pain and misery with this franchise:

 

a. Most importantly, congratulations on baby Spiff!

 

b. I have only really seen bad with this franchise, so I'm used to a team that loses.  I can deal with a team losing, no one as a fan of this team can ever be seen as a fair-weather fan.  Its the manor in how they lose and never seemingly having any semblance of a path forward.  Even when coaches, GMs, FO personnel say we are going to rebuild from the ground up...it's always just a jump in race to mediocracy.  I'd deal with loses if I ever felt like it was towards a bigger picture.

 

c. Not only have I seen losing as this team's culture and identity it's also filled to the brim with black eyes from a human decency standpoint.  We've seen an owner that has pressed lawsuits against grandmas, sexual exploitation, harassment, public disgracing, and many more punches to the guts of this fanbase.  You know what separates us from the Lions or the Jets.  They lose, but how often are they in the national media for running a **** show to the magnitude of what we've experienced?

 

d. FedEx Field is abysmal in terms of location and ascetics, but it's just the tip of the iceberg.  The whole experience is a train wreck, matched only by the play on the field.  The team doesn't seem to care, the stadium is falling apart with pipes bursting, they're selling expired products to fans and that's if they haven't already run out.  Oh but wait...why not charge 600% on those same products.  They provide zero incentive for this fanbase to come to the stadium, especially in a day and age when I can sit in the comfort of my home with a 4K tv and have the best view.

 

e. My weeks used to go with how this team was doing, I was vested.  I would not miss a game, I refused to work or do anything when a game was scheduled.  Now, who cares.  Why should I when this team, management, and ownership clearly don't?  I hate that I wont be able to raise my daughter to be as rabid as I once was.  I hate she won't have those same experiences that as your father shared with you, mine did with me.

[Cooleyfan1993]

3 hours ago, CapsSkins said:

 

Therein lies the hope we all cling to. Imagine thinking a decade ago there'd be a time when the marquee teams were the Chargers, Bills, and Chiefs.

The Chargers were usually decent with rivers though right? 

[Spaceman Spiff]

7 minutes ago, thelongestbreath said:

I want to hit on a couple of points in this message because it rings true for someone at 34 that while they had the 91 SB has experienced only pain and misery with this franchise:

 

a. Most importantly, congratulations on baby Spiff!

 

b. I have only really seen bad with this franchise, so I'm used to a team that loses.  I can deal with a team losing, no one as a fan of this team can ever be seen as a fair-weather fan.  Its the manor in how they lose and never seemingly having any semblance of a path forward.  Even when coaches, GMs, FO personnel say we are going to rebuild from the ground up...it's always just a jump in race to mediocracy.  I'd deal with loses if I ever felt like it was towards a bigger picture.

 

c. Not only have I seen losing as this team's culture and identity it's also filled to the brim with black eyes from a human decency standpoint.  We've seen an owner that has pressed lawsuits against grandmas, sexual exploitation, harassment, public disgracing, and many more punches to the guts of this fanbase.  You know what separates us from the Lions or the Jets.  They lose, but how often are they in the national media for running a **** show to the magnitude of what we've experienced?

 

d. FedEx Field is abysmal in terms of location and ascetics, but it's just the tip of the iceberg.  The whole experience is a train wreck, matched only by the play on the field.  The team doesn't seem to care, the stadium is falling apart with pipes bursting, they're selling expired products to fans and that's if they haven't already run out.  Oh but wait...why not charge 600% on those same products.  They provide zero incentive for this fanbase to come to the stadium, especially in a day and age when I can sit in the comfort of my home with a 4K tv and have the best view.

 

e. My weeks used to go with how this team was doing, I was vested.  I would not miss a game, I refused to work or do anything when a game was scheduled.  Now, who cares.  Why should I when this team, management, and ownership clearly don't?  I hate that I wont be able to raise my daughter to be as rabid as I once was.  I hate she won't have those same experiences that as your father shared with you, mine did with me.

 

Thank you, sir!

 

Exactly right.  There's less incentive these days to go to the stadium in general.  Make your own food or get it delivered at a fraction of the price, have your buddies over, sit in heat/AC and watch the game on a giant screen with crystal clear picture.  Don't have to go anywhere, deal with traffic, deal with parking.  

 

It's all a trade-off.  If this team was as successful as the Patriots have been for the past 20 years, you'd be dying to go to a game.  If they had a stadium experience like Levi's Stadium or Lumen (Seahawks) Field, you'd still probably go just for the experience of going to watch a game at a cool place.  

 

Bad team for decades?  Bad stadium experience?  No reason to go in this day and age.

 

In regards to not missing a game....I think I watch out of habit these days.  Out of habit and out of fear that I'll miss the one game where they somehow put it together and get a win, even if it's during a ****ty season.  I wouldn't know what to do instead of watching a WFT game if it's on. How pathetic is that?