 }})
There was once a time in my fandom where my eleven year old self prayed for two straight weeks every night before bed, asking God's assistance in strengthening my favourite team, the Washington Redskins, to beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI.
There was once a time in my fandom where my 19 year old college self cried for hours and hours on end in his dorm room after Dan Turk botched a snap that cost the Redskins a chance to advance to the NFC championship game.
There was once a time in my fandom where I shed pure tears of joy and pride at the announcement that Joe Gibbs was returning to revive a franchise that was in disarray.
There was once a time in my fandom where I moved mountains to go watch the Redskins live whenever they visited places relatively close to me like Detroit, Buffalo, and Green Bay.
As the stench of Daniel Snyder permeated more and more through the building and the franchise crumbled piece by piece over the years, like for many of you, the passionate emotions towards the team dwindled too. The loyalty is definitely still there, but in many ways, it is more a case of simply going through the motions every Sunday. I watch the games, but losses and wins don't really matter, because I know that Dan Snyder is lurking behind the curtain. I mentioned this is a another thread, but I am basically at a point now where I wouldn't even dare encourage my own boys (who both really like football) to cheer on this team. That to me is a lost bonding opportunity and to be honest with you, quite sad.
The beauty of being a diehard fan are the emotions that come along with it - the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. In the absence of that, there is a major void.
As a self-proclaimed life-long and diehard Redskins fan, you have to think that there is a part of Daniel Snyder that feels terrible for how this has all turned out under his watch. A part of him must be getting eaten up inside for not being capable of leaving a positive mark on this franchise's history. If he truly loves the team as much as we do, part of him must want this team to get back on track (even if he is Satan).
I guess what I am trying to get at is that if Dan Snyder is even the slightest bit sorry for all the destruction he has caused to this franchise, and the torture he has put fans through from a football perspective, he will at the very least ensure that he puts this franchise in the hands of new ownership that gives us an opportunity to experience a true rebirth and long-lasting, consistent success long after he is gone. Wouldn't a guy who idolized this team as a boy want that, even if it is blatantly clear that he is incapable of doing it himself? This is my true hope/wish. Securing the best financial deal is one thing. Selling to the RIGHT buyer is a completely different animal. I understand that this is all largely dependent on Snyder having a bit of a moral compass, something which is HIGHLY questionable. However, it is his very very last opportunity to be remembered for anything truly positive in this franchise's long history.
Go away, Dan, and do what is right for all our sake.
There was once a time in my fandom where my 19 year old college self cried for hours and hours on end in his dorm room after Dan Turk botched a snap that cost the Redskins a chance to advance to the NFC championship game.
There was once a time in my fandom where I shed pure tears of joy and pride at the announcement that Joe Gibbs was returning to revive a franchise that was in disarray.
There was once a time in my fandom where I moved mountains to go watch the Redskins live whenever they visited places relatively close to me like Detroit, Buffalo, and Green Bay.
As the stench of Daniel Snyder permeated more and more through the building and the franchise crumbled piece by piece over the years, like for many of you, the passionate emotions towards the team dwindled too. The loyalty is definitely still there, but in many ways, it is more a case of simply going through the motions every Sunday. I watch the games, but losses and wins don't really matter, because I know that Dan Snyder is lurking behind the curtain. I mentioned this is a another thread, but I am basically at a point now where I wouldn't even dare encourage my own boys (who both really like football) to cheer on this team. That to me is a lost bonding opportunity and to be honest with you, quite sad.
The beauty of being a diehard fan are the emotions that come along with it - the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. In the absence of that, there is a major void.
As a self-proclaimed life-long and diehard Redskins fan, you have to think that there is a part of Daniel Snyder that feels terrible for how this has all turned out under his watch. A part of him must be getting eaten up inside for not being capable of leaving a positive mark on this franchise's history. If he truly loves the team as much as we do, part of him must want this team to get back on track (even if he is Satan).
I guess what I am trying to get at is that if Dan Snyder is even the slightest bit sorry for all the destruction he has caused to this franchise, and the torture he has put fans through from a football perspective, he will at the very least ensure that he puts this franchise in the hands of new ownership that gives us an opportunity to experience a true rebirth and long-lasting, consistent success long after he is gone. Wouldn't a guy who idolized this team as a boy want that, even if it is blatantly clear that he is incapable of doing it himself? This is my true hope/wish. Securing the best financial deal is one thing. Selling to the RIGHT buyer is a completely different animal. I understand that this is all largely dependent on Snyder having a bit of a moral compass, something which is HIGHLY questionable. However, it is his very very last opportunity to be remembered for anything truly positive in this franchise's long history.
Go away, Dan, and do what is right for all our sake.
