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Half a century is a long time

tshile

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Tomorrow marks the start of the 2012 season for season ticket holders - it's the first regular season home game. For my family it marks the 50th season that we've been season ticket holders; my grandfather, who passed in August of 2011, got his tickets in 1963 - 2 years after RFK opened.

Discussing it with family members over the weekend, tickets back then (in the upper level end zone) were 10$ a piece, and parking was 3 dollars. My grandfather would take his friend and my dad to the game; my dad recalls his dad and his buddy arguing over who's turn it would be to pay the 3 dollars for parking. My grandfather, being the cheapskate he always was, would threaten to kick him out of the car when the other guy refused to admit it was his turn. Hey, 3 dollars was a lot back then :)

Even though RFK was a dump, we always had a blast as kids playing tackle football in the grass parking lot while the adults drank and grilled. We never had to wait in line for the bathroom - we had the Anacostia river.

Those tickets remained in the same upper level end zone section until the Redskins removed the section in 2010. This past off season we upgraded to the lower level. In 50 years parking has gone from 3 dollars to 35, and the seats went from 10$ to 100$ (although we have significantly better seats now, comparable seats are 64$)

I took over the season tickets in 2006, and in 2009 my grandfather officially transferred them into my name. I hope 50 years from now my future kids/grand kids are still going to the games, and I hope they have memories like I had growing up. I hope I'm still alive to see the 100 year mark; it's most unfortunate my grandfather died a year too early to see the 50th year mark.

To many fans currently being a season ticket holder means foolishly giving Dan Snyder your money year after year to watch a losing, mismanaged, joke a football team; the pride and status of owning tickets has faded since the '91 season and (probably more significantly) since the opening of FedEx. That is not true for my family; there are still very much a prized possession. My family remembers the good old days, and as my father reminds me often - they were not always good. You have to sit through years and years of bad coaches, bad players, bad drafts, and bad plays, and bad games if you want to watch the good coaches, good players, good drafts, good plays, and good games in person.

For all those bad seasons the Redskins have had since 1963, there were good season too - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Washington_Redskins_seasons

My father and grandfather were there for '82, '87, and '91 seasons. They were there for those playoff games. They watched games in person this generation's fans watch on DVD and beg for the return of. They sat in the stands and chanted "We want Dallas," the famous chant that goes along with the stands shaking - [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spIuA1GgfDE[/media]

I was at the last game at RFK - [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P08Mkj_KoQ[/media]
I remember us all throwing all the cushions on to the field, I remember everyone grabbing anything they could to take home with them; seats, signs, and even parts of the field. I still have my ticket, in plastic; they didn't rip the stub that game, they stamped it, and it'll be one of the center pieces of my collection when I finish our house and put everything on display.

The funny thing about those days was that tickets were in such high demand you never got new seats. That meant you were around the same people year after year after year. The people in my family's section knew me very well, knew lots about me being in boy scouts, playing football, and going through school; even though I didn't even know their names. After that last game I remember driving around with my dad to all his friends houses that also had season tickets; everyone was showing off what it was they had grabbed from RFK, one couple even had a 10" square inch section of the turf in a plastic bag - they were going to keep it forever in their freezer!

It's hard to remember how it used to be with the last 21 years of awful football. Even worse, there's an entire generation (myself included, I can't really recall anything prior to the '93 season) that has absolutely no idea what this area is like when the Redskins are a dominant football team. What it's like to not be able to find a ticket for sale for the game - no price would satisfy a season ticket holder for missing the game. I'm sincerely hoping that Griffin and the Shanahi, along with Bruce Allen, are going to restore us to those days. Hopefully this is the start to a decade of home games that grow to be similar to the 80's; time will tell, it's a mighty tall order.

A half a century is a long time. I think we're going to make a cake.
 
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Great post tshile :cheers:

I grew up just outside of DC but although my Dad always had the Skins game on on Sundays, he wasn't a die-hard fan. We had season tickets at RFK - but for the Washington Diplomats NASL team :) Not bitching - I loved going to their games and have some great memories. But I never went to a regular season Redskins game as a kid.

Enjoyed your post immensely. You know that, as a premium member, you have access to start your own blog, right? One of the visions we have always had for this site is to produce the best member-written NFL content. I think we have some amazing writers here. Would love to see you start your own blog. This entry would certainly have been worthy.
 
Thanks Boone :)

So thats what that 'Blog It' button is. I feel weird blogging my own stuff. I'll definitely consider it going forward though :)
 
Actually, the 'Blog It' button is part of our BGO Overdrive feature - when 3 members hit the 'Blog It' button (as they just did with your post) it posts your comments on the main page as a blog entry.

But as a Premium Member, you can actually start your own recurring blog with our regular blog software. If you click on the 'Blogs' link at the top of the page (on the 'navbar') you'll see a 'your blog' option where you can create your own blog page. No pressure, but we always encourage folks to start their own if they have something to say on a regular basis :)
 
Great post tshile :cheers:

I grew up just outside of DC but although my Dad always had the Skins game on on Sundays, he wasn't a die-hard fan. We had season tickets at RFK - but for the Washington Diplomats NASL team :) Not bitching - I loved going to their games and have some great memories. But I never went to a regular season Redskins game as a kid.

Enjoyed your post immensely. You know that, as a premium member, you have access to start your own blog, right? One of the visions we have always had for this site is to produce the best member-written NFL content. I think we have some amazing writers here. Would love to see you start your own blog. This entry would certainly have been worthy.

I wonder if you or your dad were present when I played soccer before a Diplomat game.

Great write-up tshile. My dad had season tickets during the glory years too, but he did not take me to any playoff games. I understand, he used them to impress clients. They were great seats though...35 yard line almost directly up from the dugout entrance to the locker room on the Redskins' sideline under the 2nd level. It was just high enough to see over the fans who had to stand to see over the players on the sideline.
 
My father told me they used to give Redskins tickets away at a DC restaurant he and people in his firm used to frequent for lunch for being loyal customers.

The Redskins and Cowboys in the early 1960's were the worst teams in the league. But Dallas had a reason neing a recent expansion team.

We had tickets all through the 1970's and 1980's into the late 1990's.

Having to go way out to PG and get home at 1am for work spelled the end of attending every week.

I missed a chance to go to the SB in 1988 in San Diego.

When 1992 came there were going to be no regrets.

For those that didn't get to watch that 1991 season, what's hard to describe is the confidence from everyone about the mission.

Each Sunday it was not whether the team was going to win but by how much.

Other teams were really afraid to play us.

I know from recent history that seems almost unbelievable but it was true.
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For most of us, this is a family tradition. We grew up in DC, MD, VA, DE, or WV and it's just a way of life. I've loved all the stories that many of you have posted on here and how you carry these traditions forward. Sandy had one recently and like her, most of it centers on our parents. Keep 'em coming. :)

And yours is a great story too T. That tradition goes back quite a ways and I really wish that your grandfather could've made it for the fiftieth. My goal is fifty-six more seasons - to age 110. :) Any more would be awesome.
 
I hope 50 years from now my future kids/grand kids are still going to the games, and I hope they have memories like I had growing up.

The generosity of women is amazing, but you, kids..... come on now. :stop:
:rotflmao:


Great write up T.

Here's to another 50 years ! HTTR !

:cheers:
 
My Dad would go to the games occasionally during the 50's and early 60's but it wasn't until 1965 that my mother surprised him with a pair of season tickets for his 50th birthday. They added a third seat in 1966, which moved them to section 211, row 11, seats 3-5. I took over the tickets in the early 80's but turned them over to others in my family when I moved to Colorado in 1994. Thankfully they're still in the familly but at those prices, I don't know for how much longer.

I really miss RFK. I've only attended one game at FedEx and that was a preseason game against Atlanta and Michael Vick during Marty's year as HC. It just wasn't the same. So many great memories at RFK. I can still smell those kraut dogs. I swear I was addicted to those things. :)

Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane, tshile and here's to another 50. :cheers:
 

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