- Joined
- Oct 5, 2010
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- Location
- Summerfield, NC
- Alma Mater
For me there is a simple answer and a deeper answer. The simple answer is I like football and the Redskins are my favorite team. So I watch and lately get frustrated. But I still watch and try to go to games when I can. Someone told me they were taking me to the game in Charlotte later this year and I'm pumped to go even though I expect a beat down. But I love sports and football and the Redskins.
The deeper answer comes from when I moved to NC to go to college. It was the mid 90s and despite the fact that my childhood was filled with nothing but great Redskins memories, the Redskins were in a period of post Gibbs suck. I think it was back to back 3 win years while the hated cowboys had won Super Bowls and were constantly contending for them. The Panthers were brand new as their first year was my first year in NC. But I remember being in my dorm room and turning on the TV and the Redskins were playing. Seeing the team play I was getting fired up. I'm pretty sure they won as this was the year they started 7-1 and norved their way to a 9-7 finish. But I recall that day and I'll never forget how excited I was seeing them play. Later that year, the Panthers made it to the NFC championship against the Packers. I wanted to see the Packers win just because at the time, Favre was that guy who hadn't won. But all these people would see me wearing Redskins stuff and ask if I was rooting for the Panthers. I'd tell them no, I'm a Redskins fan. And they would go on and on about how Id have to now root for the Panthers. It actually angered me and renewed my passion for the Redskins. It helped that for the first almost 10 years the Redskins owned the Panthers. But the idea that I should just root for some other team because they are newer or closer or better or all 3 just really bothered me. I'm a loyal guy and so my football team and baseball and hockey teams became a way I showed my loyalty.
It hasn't been easy. Being a Redskins, Orioles, and Capitals fan has been mostly heartache. The Caps winning the Stanley Cup was more of a relief than jubilation. But that's all I have in recent sports history. The Orioles and Redskins are historically bad. But I still root for them. I still go to games when I can. They will be my team. Those teams are bigger than the players, bigger than the coaches, bigger than the front office, and bigger than the owner. So I'll complain about each one of those and criticize them when they deserve it. But the Redskins are my team and I'll support them even when that means screaming for changes.
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The deeper answer comes from when I moved to NC to go to college. It was the mid 90s and despite the fact that my childhood was filled with nothing but great Redskins memories, the Redskins were in a period of post Gibbs suck. I think it was back to back 3 win years while the hated cowboys had won Super Bowls and were constantly contending for them. The Panthers were brand new as their first year was my first year in NC. But I remember being in my dorm room and turning on the TV and the Redskins were playing. Seeing the team play I was getting fired up. I'm pretty sure they won as this was the year they started 7-1 and norved their way to a 9-7 finish. But I recall that day and I'll never forget how excited I was seeing them play. Later that year, the Panthers made it to the NFC championship against the Packers. I wanted to see the Packers win just because at the time, Favre was that guy who hadn't won. But all these people would see me wearing Redskins stuff and ask if I was rooting for the Panthers. I'd tell them no, I'm a Redskins fan. And they would go on and on about how Id have to now root for the Panthers. It actually angered me and renewed my passion for the Redskins. It helped that for the first almost 10 years the Redskins owned the Panthers. But the idea that I should just root for some other team because they are newer or closer or better or all 3 just really bothered me. I'm a loyal guy and so my football team and baseball and hockey teams became a way I showed my loyalty.
It hasn't been easy. Being a Redskins, Orioles, and Capitals fan has been mostly heartache. The Caps winning the Stanley Cup was more of a relief than jubilation. But that's all I have in recent sports history. The Orioles and Redskins are historically bad. But I still root for them. I still go to games when I can. They will be my team. Those teams are bigger than the players, bigger than the coaches, bigger than the front office, and bigger than the owner. So I'll complain about each one of those and criticize them when they deserve it. But the Redskins are my team and I'll support them even when that means screaming for changes.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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