Random Commanders Thoughts

[tshile]

I've said before t, if they change the name, they kill the team. I will continue to be a Redskins fan. The problem is, there will be no Redskins team. The history dies with the name. Without the history, there is nothing for me to root for.

Yup. The only thing left is Snyder.

Long time fans are going to be reduced to asking themselves, with the colors and logo gone - Do I want to cheer for Snyder?

Because that's going to be whats left.

No more history.

I think history is what has held this fan base together so long. Without it...

I've told myself I'll keep my tickets for the first year. That first home game introduction is going to be the determination for me. I'm willing to give it that much.

I'm afraid I just wont feel it though :\

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I've said before t, if they change the name, they kill the team. I will continue to be a Redskins fan. The problem is, there will be no Redskins team. The history dies with the name. Without the history, there is nothing for me to root for.

This is such a myopic, close-minded view of the situation. The team is defined by the name? This goes against every lesson we have ever learned, from "Sticks & Stones" to "Romeo & Juliet." Teams have changed names a lot over the years, and their history is still there. The Washington Bullets still have a championship banner hanging in Verizon center (last time I was there it was, anyway). Teams move so that the name has no relevance, yet they are still cherished. The Los Angeles Lakers makes no sense, but people love them out there. The Utah Jazz makes no sense and has no history, but people loved watching Stockton & Malone deliver the mail.

Personally, I think the name has the least amount of significance out of all things they could possibly change. I bleed burgundy & gold, if they changed the colors it would really effect me. I grew up in the DC area, if they moved the team it would significantly effect me. I have rooted for the Washington Redskins my entire life - if I'm rooting for the Washington Powhatan tomorrow...meh. I'll get over it and in 5 years it will be like it ever was. That's just me though.

 

[Bulldog]

I am a Washington fan.

I root for the Nationals and before 2005 the Expos history means nothing to me.

Walter Johnson and Harmon Killibrew were Washington players, Gary Carter and Tim Raines never were.

If the Redskins change the name but stay here and represent the city I will root for them.

 

[Ax]

But we don't know what might be offensive 20 years from now.

Perhaps once they are extinct people will begin to complain about the Panthers, Lions, and Bengals

Well, as I advocated in one of the other threads...if they have to change the name, it should have absolutely nothing to do with Indians. No way, no how.

They need to lose Washington, as well as Redskins.
They should move the franchise to LA.
The new name would be The Los Angelos Deadskins
The logo would be a Zombie

 

[Bulldog]

How about the Washington Gridlocks. Bad traffic and bad politicians.

 

[Ax]

This is such a myopic, close-minded view of the situation. The team is defined by the name? This goes against every lesson we have ever learned, from "Sticks & Stones" to "Romeo & Juliet." Teams have changed names a lot over the years, and their history is still there. The Washington Bullets still have a championship banner hanging in Verizon center (last time I was there it was, anyway). Teams move so that the name has no relevance, yet they are still cherished. The Los Angeles Lakers makes no sense, but people love them out there. The Utah Jazz makes no sense and has no history, but people loved watching Stockton & Malone deliver the mail.

Personally, I think the name has the least amount of significance out of all things they could possibly change. I bleed burgundy & gold, if they changed the colors it would really effect me. I grew up in the DC area, if they moved the team it would significantly effect me. I have rooted for the Washington Redskins my entire life - if I'm rooting for the Washington Powhatan tomorrow...meh. I'll get over it and in 5 years it will be like it ever was. That's just me though.

Apples and oranges. I don't think any of the examples you mentioned were forced to make those moves. We have an outside force trying to kill our team, by forcing their will on us.

 

[Ax]

How about the Washington Gridlocks. Bad traffic and bad politicians.

How about the Landover Disenfranchised.

 

[tshile]

This is such a myopic, close-minded view of the situation. The team is defined by the name? This goes against every lesson we have ever learned, from "Sticks & Stones" to "Romeo & Juliet." Teams have changed names a lot over the years, and their history is still there. The Washington Bullets still have a championship banner hanging in Verizon center (last time I was there it was, anyway). Teams move so that the name has no relevance, yet they are still cherished. The Los Angeles Lakers makes no sense, but people love them out there. The Utah Jazz makes no sense and has no history, but people loved watching Stockton & Malone deliver the mail.

Personally, I think the name has the least amount of significance out of all things they could possibly change. I bleed burgundy & gold, if they changed the colors it would really effect me. I grew up in the DC area, if they moved the team it would significantly effect me. I have rooted for the Washington Redskins my entire life - if I'm rooting for the Washington Powhatan tomorrow...meh. I'll get over it and in 5 years it will be like it ever was. That's just me though.

Context is important.

Whether you personally agree with it, whether it is 'right' or 'wrong', there is a huge perception among the fan base that Snyder has ruined a once proud franchise. That he's a sniveling little douche bag that treats anyone with less money than him like trash.

This isn't just about a name change.

It's about 20 years of changes to the Washington Redskins.
New stadium... new owner... awful team... yearly embarrassment.. finally some hope with a new QB, only to have the drama of the injury and offseason leave us back wondering if anything ever changed at all...

losing the team name?

The emotional detachment caused by that could very well be the final nail in the coffin.

I'm sure there are tons of fans that would never leave, even with a name change.

I also think there are tons of fans that have been hanging on to their fandom by the tips of their fingers and this could effectively be the foot that steps on them.

I've felt this way for a while... since Snyder bought the team and started down the path that was the early 2000's through now... I don't blame people that have given up. I wont blame those that leave when the name is changed either.

edit: I'm not saying you're wrong for thinking that way. I just question whether your thoughts on it represent the majority or the minority...

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Hmmm...I'm not sure. In my opinion if you made it through the Spurrier & Zorn years, you can make it through a name change.

 

[Bulldog]

I agree that Snyder has not built up confidence to the point where people assume he is necessarily going to make good decisions.

He seems impulsive and at times reckless as we saw with the Zorn hire and the Haynesworth contract.

But I think in this case he has held out on the name issue and been very loathe to make any sudden changes.

Goodell spoke to him again and I think we all know what the league wants us to do.

We have had everyone from the Washington Post to Obama to Bob Costas rail on this for some time.

Again, I would not blame Snyder here.

Do you really think another owner in the NFL would do as much to protect the name?

I think guys like Kraft and Rooney would already have changed the name.

 

[DieselPwr44]

What about just the name?

Most likely done.

I mean really, we're talking about a team's identity..the history behind that name..all wiped out,imo, with a name change.

What's left?

Think about this: What if former players/greats take the Johnny Unitas approach to the name change?

When asked about his records,Unitas once said "I don't have any records in Indianapolis. My records are in Baltimore".

How weird would it be to see Joe Theismann,Riggins or Art Monk say...."I didn't play for the Warriors, I'm a Redskin."

Awesome for me if they said that but would suck for the people of Washington and fans of the Warriors.

 

[Bulldog]

I agree. 2 years from now there will be a new name.

 

[Boone]

I'll keep saying it - only acceptable name change for me would be to 'the Burgundy and Gold'

 

[Henry]

Yup. The only thing left is Snyder.

Long time fans are going to be reduced to asking themselves, with the colors and logo gone - Do I want to cheer for Snyder?

Because that's going to be whats left.

No more history.

I think history is what has held this fan base together so long. Without it...

I've told myself I'll keep my tickets for the first year. That first home game introduction is going to be the determination for me. I'm willing to give it that much.

I'm afraid I just wont feel it though :\

This is probably what would drive me away. It's not the name has to be the same forever and ever. If our owner was still JKC and the name changed I'd probably grudgingly get over it. But Snyder is such a tough guy to root for. He's really soured this franchise to such a degree that if the Old Traditions went away, there wouldn't be much to keep me attached to the team anymore. I'm already just kinda hanging around at this point. A big change like that would probably be it for me.

 

[Boone]

I'm close to Henry on this - and I think there are more fans who view the name change issue this way than many might realize.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Eh, if you take the name away, any further Redskins history is destroyed. Not what has happened until now.

Well, they can take away last season, that would be nice. And all the Spurrier years.

 

[Nobody]

I love how some people draw their conclusion of an entire fanbase based completely on the people going to the stadium. Basing anything on people at the stadium is probably the least accurate way to draw conclusions about a team. The major disconnect people going to games live have with the bulk of any team's fanbase, is that they generally have a whole lot more money. And whether people like to admit it or not, people with money and people with little or no money, have very little in common as far as their behavior goes. So when someone says based on what they see at the stadium, the fanbase is largely fairweather......a more accurate statement would be that the big money earners of the fanbase are largely fairweather, because a lot of them are all about status, and it's not a big status symbol to root for a team who's playing horribly.

I live hours from DC, and people in my neighborhood (where the average income is $25,000 a year) wear and display all their Redskins stuff year round, win or lose.

 

[tshile]

I love how some people draw their conclusion of an entire fanbase based completely on the people going to the stadium. Basing anything on people at the stadium is probably the least accurate way to draw conclusions about a team. The major disconnect people going to games live have with the bulk of any team's fanbase, is that they generally have a whole lot more money. And whether people like to admit it or not, people with money and people with little or no money, have very little in common as far as their behavior goes. So when someone says based on what they see at the stadium, the fanbase is largely fairweather......a more accurate statement would be that the big money earners of the fanbase are largely fairweather, because a lot of them are all about status, and it's not a big status symbol to root for a team who's playing horribly.

I live hours from DC, and people in my neighborhood (where the average income is $25,000 a year) wear and display all their Redskins stuff year round, win or lose.

To be clear I'm not basing it just on people attending games.

I'm basing it on my 29 years of living in Northern VA which includes going to games, as well as talking to people and hearing other people talk, and walking around the NOVA area and see when redskins gear is worn and when it's not. I also base it on my father's opinions after living in the area for 50+ years.

But, for the stadium, redskins fans seem to have no trouble affording tickets when the games matter or the team is good, which is when they're most expensive (did you see the price for tickets to week 17 cowboys game last year? what about the seattle playoff game?). But when you can grab them off stubhub for $10, or as I said earlier - free, the stadium sits empty.

It's hard to understand until you're the one with 2, 3, 4 tickets offering to give them for free to family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors and not a single person is willing to take them.

The joke among the people I know with season tickets: At the start of the season sell all the tickets to the games you don't want to, or can't, go to. Because if they start off 2-5 you can't give them away.

There's a reason for that... It's not because the tickets become unaffordable at 2-5; in fact, they become ridiculously cheap. It's because people in this area won't go.

 

[Snydershrugged]

Snyder should pay a small tribe to use the name redskins as their new legal entity, then have that tribe thank them for honoring them publicly

 

[Dead Money]

Well at least they seem to have figured out that we need a new center. Progress gentlemen.....progress