I have to be honest, I feel that if I answer this question forthright I may admit to being delusional or at the least obsessive.
There's something about football season. I don't know if it is because it coincides with my favorite time of year, if it is the camaraderie, or simply the competition that strikes up the visceral obsession with sport that hearkens the days of gladiators, but football stirs in me the enthusiasm no other sport can. I do not go to the lengths I do to watch the Orioles, Wizards or Capitals. Hell, I played soccer at an international level when I was a teenager and would rather watch a NASCAR race than a soccer game! Regardless, it is football that has me spending time everyday perusing the internet in search of the latest news and even share time with some friends.
But that's only part of it. I thoroughly believe had my father not instilled in me an obsession for Redskins' football, the stars would not be aligned, the earth would not be on axis and toilet bowls would flush the same way in the Northern Hemisphere as they do in the Southern Hemisphere!
I have told numerous stories here over the years about my obsession with the Redskins. Most importantly was the Thanksgiving Day game against the Cowboys that saw us lose a 6 point lead with under a minute to go in the 4th quarter with the great Roger Staubach sitting on the sidelines! Longley! Clint friggin' Longley! That was the day my father created mania in this BG Obsessed individual with his outburst during our prayer before dinner. As Pearson was running past the Redskins defense on that game winning TD, with my uncle (Former US Armed Forces Chief of Chaplains) saying the prayer, my father jumped up from his seat and screamed, "Get that son of a *****! Get him!" With a grand mother and grandfather in complete shock, I sat still, quietly and smiled. That was my first vivd memory of the Redskins! Although I have some recollection of the first Super Bowl, it is vague and barely coherent. That play and the Sonny/Billy controversy are my first true memories of the Redskins. Dad wore a Billy t-shirt.
How big a deal was it being a Redskins' fan then? It was a bond with my father, a bond that would last a lifetime.
I can say I was blessed enough to grow up in the 70's watching the Skins be mediocre. It was nice to watch them good enough to make the playoffs semi-regularly leading up to the greatest time to be a Redskins' fan in this clubs history...the Joe Gibbs era.
Our first Super Bowl victory was so bittersweet. As 13 yr old boy, I could have been in the Rose Bowl if only we could have afforded last minute airline tickets to get me there. Nevertheless, that SB vicory was awesome! I grew up around a lot of Colts' fans. Not only were we a championship caliber team, but Irsay pulled a shady move and took the Colts from the jerks in my neighborhood. Looking back, I think what Irsay did was cowardly! But at the time, after spending the 70's having to listen to how great the Colts were, it was my turn to rub it in! And I did! It was a great time to be a Redskins' fan!
How big a deal was it to be a Redskins' fan then? The first in a long line of friends were created through the same loyalty to our team or friendly competition among opposing fans.
Then there was Norvell, followed by Snyder, Spurrier, and Zorn. Had Gibbs II not been sprinkled in there, I may have stopped watching all together, but the football Gods must've known exactly what they were doing to keep me around for that brief thrill ride with Joe. I went to the Redskins/Seahawks playoff game to see Coach Gibbs in 2006 with a broken arm, an arm I broke just 30 minutes before the game in a car accident looking for a parking space outside the stadium. getting to that game was a big deal. Other than the playoff runs in 05 and 07, From 2002 through 2010 really was a big blur and I will never forget how far down the depths of despair the organization had gone with Jim Zorn at the helm. We had reached Hades!
What did it mean to be a Redskins' fan then? Well, humility is a bitter dish to swallow sometimes.
If I had to narrow it all down to one thing, it would have to be the relationships I have developed over the years as a result of being a fan of the Washington Redskins. It's not just Redskins' fans I am talking about either. One of my best friends today is a Steelers fan. If I had not been so obsessed with the Redskins, we would probably not be friends. He shares the same obsession with the Steelers and because of it, we talk football. That single ingredient has sparked a great friendship. There are many on this site I consider friends and it is the same cement that bonded me to my father that brings us together here. That's a big deal!
How big a deal are the Redskins to me? Well, the reality is that with the birth of my son just a little more than 2 months ago, I have a new perspective. Yes the Redskins are a priority in my life, but they pale in comparison to him. I could never watch another game in my life and know that life would still be fulfilling. The good news is, I don't have to do something so drastic. In fact, I have a chance to pass along my obsession to my son. I hope to do it in a less dramatic way as my father (maybe not), but I hope he grows to enjoy the friendship developed, the competition among opposing fans, and most of all I hope he will enjoy spending Sunday afternoons watching the Redskins with his father! I will never forget that Thanksgiving Day my father screamed out! It is a big deal!