Fans

DEHog · Post by **DEHog** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:36 pm

This is the time of year I usually get on my soapbox and beg Skins fans to show up and support our team, don’t sell your tickets and stop booing. I know I’m preaching to the choir here at THN but this year (not that I planned it this way) I did something different. I want to share my frustrations and see if any of you have experienced any of it. In the past ten days I took in the Skins/Steelers, Skins/Ravens and today went out to RFK to a Nats game. I have to be honest here the game at FedEx was the least enjoyable. Fan booing, doing the wave, leaving early (this happens during the season, I don’t want to hear the pre-season excuse) and of course what would a Redskins game at FedEx be without a sea of colors of the opposing team.

In Baltimore I saw a fan base that loves their team, very little burgundy and gold. No booing of their players, and remember they have their issues at QB as well. Then at the end of the game I see Ray Lewis and Johnathan Odgen waiving towels firing up the crowd, cheering for guys (some of who are not there now) as if it were a playoff game.

Than today, what a thrill is was to walk back into RFK and see baseball. It was also fun for my son the see the please where the Redskins made so much history. And the fans all 32,150 of them screaming for the Nats..well educated fans, Knowing what the count was and cheering for the strikeout. Knowing that Hernandez had a no-hitter going, and then giving him a standing O after he gave up the first hit and when he exited the game in the ninth. And the all stayed, even with the Nats leading 5-0 going into the top of the ninth.

Which bring me back to FedEx…what has happened? We give our team no advantage; we boo the first time Ramsey throws a incomplete pass. Players feed off the crowd. You could see Hernandez reach back and get a “little more” every time he got 2 strikes on the batter and the fans cheered. We need to be there this year!!! So here I am again begging you to not sell your tickets (if you do get them to fellow Skins fan) Show up and make FedEx a hostile place for the opposing team. No we don’t have to act like Philly but we could learn a little from them.
Hail to the Redskins!!!!! Let the games begin

SCSkinsFan · Post by **SCSkinsFan** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:07 pm

You're right DEHog. We sure knew how to make those retractable stands behind the vistors bench bounce. The noise level was incredible, and there was no doubt who the "home" team was and who the "home" team fans were cheering for at RFK. We need to recreate that kind of atmosphere at FedEx.

SkinsChic · Post by **SkinsChic** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:37 pm

Jake and I always do our part DE......Every stinkin game and there have been a lot of those the past few years but we are faithful and always there and always loud !

SkinsLaVar · Post by **SkinsLaVar** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:45 pm

Fed Ex is twice the size of RFK......It's just too big...

in the smaller stadiums....fans are closer together...literally. It's more of a family. ex. RFK.

The Skins have been dreadful for 10 years or so....The fans are bitter...including me....and I will boo Ramsey, when he makes a bad decision...It only makes him better....because I cheer extra loud when he makes a good throw.....

One Day when the Skins start to dominate....FED-EX will be full and become a family...visiting fans won't want to come to Fed-Ex...and you will hear not nearly as much boo-ing.....Winning is gonna change all this....Winning changes everything.

ArizonaHOG · Post by **ArizonaHOG** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:48 pm

This year we'll have something to cheer about!!!

SCSkinsFan · Post by **SCSkinsFan** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:52 pm

The point of FedEx being twice as large as RFK may be a valid point, but times weren't always the best of times when the Skins played at RFK. Just go back and check the record before the Joe Gibbs era. But, the fans cheered loud and proud for the Skins even through the tough times. It just got even louder when Coach Gibbs brought us to the level of achievement that fans these days are hoping for again.

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 9:06 pm

All those problems you cited will disappear when the Skins make the playoffs. With Joe back at the helm, FedEx will begin to seem more like a home game and less like just the stadium where the Skins play when they are in town.

Justice Hog · Post by **Justice Hog** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 9:20 pm

I'll do my part but it's a losing battle. Those fans of other teams always find a way to get at least 20% of the seats in the house. It's very frustrating.

Now, if Snyder had a set of balls and found a way to sell tickets to Skins fans only....I'd rather have a stadium filled at 70% with all Skins fans than a stadium filled at 100% with 70% Skins fans and 30% fans from the opposing team.

Now....do you think THAT will ever happen?

SCSkinsFan · Post by **SCSkinsFan** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 9:21 pm

Nothing was worse last year (for me) than being surrounded by all those cheesehead fans after the refs had stolen our game-winning TD from us. That's the kind of thing that needs to be stopped. Winning will go along way toward doing that.

Shabba · Post by **Shabba** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 10:58 pm

As was stated, at Fedex the fans are a lot farther from the field than at RFK. I too think winning will change a lot of this.

cvillehog · Post by **cvillehog** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:12 am

If you have tickets and just aren't feeling in the cheering mood, send them to me! I don't mind being someone's cheering proxy.

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 3:20 am

Justice Hog wrote:I'll do my part but it's a losing battle. Those fans of other teams always find a way to get at least 20% of the seats in the house. It's very frustrating.

Now, if Snyder had a set of balls and found a way to sell tickets to Skins fans only....I'd rather have a stadium filled at 70% with all Skins fans than a stadium filled at 100% with 70% Skins fans and 30% fans from the opposing team.

Now....do you think THAT will ever happen?

Absolutely. When the team is winning, the ticket demand will increase. More ticket owners will come to the games themselves, rather than sell their tickets.

hkiss444 · Post by **hkiss444** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 10:05 am

I agree. The wave has always been my biggest pet peave. It always seems to start when the Redskins are on Offense. It makes zero sense and makes the fans appear to have no knowledge of the game.

SkinsJock · Post by **SkinsJock** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 11:20 am

Good points DEHog but like Justice is saying, i think it's a losing battle. Another issue, if you will, that is difficult to solve is that previously there were only a "limited" number available and now that you have 90,000 seats available in an area that has a lot of people from all over the country! This means you will get a fair number of people from those cities who can more easily get "extra" seats.

As far as the booing is concerned - this is what it is these days. Some of us older guys just do not like to hear fans booing their own team. Now, I am not saying you cannot express yourself (with boos!) when it is warranted but it seems that more people today will boo just about anything they don't agree with. A lot of fans are not as tolerant and with the lack of success, the last 10 years, feel that they are fully justified in booing their own team. :roll:

We are a society today that does not look that badly on hometown fans who boo their own team.
Me? I just suffer and hope we will get better soon. I will never boo my team but that is how I feel. I am only upset with those fans who boo when the player or team seems to be trying to do the best they can. Those fans can be compared to the fans in Philthadelphia, most of our fans are better than that. :roll:

Hoss · Post by **Hoss** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:52 pm

Just wanted to let everyone out there know that sect 218 is being represented. I usually lose my voice by half time. No booing, except maybe the opposing team.

Still only 70% of fans in that area really get into it, and when the stiffs look over their shoulders at me it only makes me cheer even louder. The way I look at it is if you want to watch the game as you would at home, then stay home!!!!

I've seen games at RFK also, and must say they were usually unbearably loud. I have also heard FEDEX become quite deafening, but only on occasion. FEDEX can get loud. As it only should be.

REPRESENT!!!!!!

SkinsJock · Post by **SkinsJock** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 1:10 pm

HOSS wrote:..I usually lose my voice by half time. No booing, except maybe the opposing team.

I remember a couple of games in the late 70s and early 80s at RFK and the noise was awsome! I also remember losing my voice. I was really pleased not to get it back for a day (or 2!) sometimes.

... The way I look at it is if you want to watch the game as you would at home, then stay home!!!! I have also heard FEDEX become quite deafening, but only on occasion. FEDEX can get loud. As it should be.

We may just hear this again soon! I have a feeling that there are a lot of pent-up, frustrated fans, just waiting for a reason to scream and these will join the ones like HOSS and make some NOISE this year. :celebrate:

skinsfan#33 · Post by **skinsfan#33** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:43 pm

Justice Hog wrote:I'll do my part but it's a losing battle. Those fans of other teams always find a way to get at least 20% of the seats in the house. It's very frustrating.

Now, if Snyder had a set of balls and found a way to sell tickets to Skins fans only....I'd rather have a stadium filled at 70% with all Skins fans than a stadium filled at 100% with 70% Skins fans and 30% fans from the opposing team.

Now....do you think THAT will ever happen?

Synder doesn't sell a single ticket to fans other than Skins fans. Mostly it is season ticket holders (Skins fans) that sell their tickets to the "other fans". I know there are corperate seats and "travel agencies" (read scalpers), but the vast majority of people that were those other jerseys got their tickets from a season ticket holder.

runbillo · Post by **runbillo** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:27 pm

Greetings from NYC: The good part of having a huge stadium is the availabilty of season tickets. I would still be on the waiting list if we were at RFK. We should hold back the seats in the upper end zones levels for the fans of the opposing teams. That way we could keep them in one place. If these seats do not sell then we could release them to our fans. Sort of like the colleges do.

Redskin in Canada · Post by **Redskin in Canada** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 3:02 pm

JSPB22 wrote:All those problems you cited will disappear when the Skins make the playoffs.

Maybe so, maybe not.

I feel differently. Winning alone brings you fairweather fans. Winning real struggles showing heart and character win you REAL fans, rain or shine.

Obviously we are Skins fans because we feel that this makes a difference against other teams. Surely history has many memorable moments. But people do not live in the past only. WE want to know that our team as a whole is formed by players and coaches that will try to win and play their best under ANY set of circumstances.

One of the best games played by Brett Favre was the day his father died. How can anybody not ADMIRE a guy that day? There is always a magical moment that made some of us Gibbs fans. Maybe it was a play call. Maybe it was a choice to bring and change a given player. Maybe it was the touch to get the absolute best from every player. Maybe each fan has his own reasons.

I will say it clearly: I will always be a Skins/Gibbs fan REGARDLESS of the score and the standings. I will be on their side cheering my players on the field. Nobody should backstab theur team when the tough gets going.

We are Redskin fans. We are different than others. We are unique. Hail to the Redskins!

RedskinsRule56 · Post by **RedskinsRule56** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 12:57 am

I am going to be going ABSOLUTELY INSANE FOR THE GAME! I am home from college for my birthday so I can see the Skins whoop some ass! I am going to be Yelling at the top of my lungs! I really hope the Crowd is rocking for the game!

Punu · Post by **Punu** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 1:05 am

to tell ya the truth DeHog, I have thought about the exact same thing so many times... and I realize a few things... FeDEX holds 30,000 plus more people than RFK (ie more opposing fans, more non hardcore SKINS fans)

But you will see our fans come out when it counts during the season.... After having such a crazy 10 years at QB, fans in DC are fed up.... It is us, who are the most loyal of fans to stay true and realize how we must cheer our team... we gotta live with it...

much respect to this thread... I feel the same, but to be honest try to justify is the best I can...

Hoss · Post by **Hoss** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 8:30 pm

Just got back from the game. I must say I was surprized to see the effort put forth by the fans. From where I was, 200 level, it was nice to see a sea of Skins fans. 90-95%+ instead of your usual 70-75% Skins' fans.
I thought we were the 12th man today and I was proud to do my part. Loud and proud. When Da Bears had the 3 consecutive penalties in the 4th, I truly believe we were the reason.

Today, "we" did "us' proud!

air_hog · Post by **air_hog** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 8:42 pm

I agree, I mean after Ramseys first incompletion "BOOO".

I wish those "fans" would just go away.

SkinsChic · Post by **SkinsChic** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 8:42 pm

Yes...we did good. <taking a bow>

skins81 · Post by **skins81** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 8:56 pm

Three straight motion penalties all due to the crowd was amazing.