Quote:
Originally Posted by Chico23231
ivnetop, why would you ever become a fan of a team with such an offensive name? Are you saying within the last year redskins is officially an offensive term?
|
I grew up with the team since childhood... was at RFK to feel the stands rocking. Lived through the glory years with The Posse and The Hogs. Couldn't sleep after sneaking off to watch MNF, only to witness LT ending Joe Theismann's career. My heart dropped when Marcus Allen eviscerated the team in the Super Bowl. It sang when Doug Williams dropped 4 tugs in one quarter several years later. I mourned through Sean Taylor's death. I've stuck with the team through nearly two decades of mediocrity and below.
The emotional highs and lows, the camaraderie I felt back home and now at my local "R-bar" in LA, the screaming at a stationary box (from 13 inches of analog to 52" of high definition precision)- these are memories built every Sunday with friends and family. An inanimate mascot or name had little to do with it.
Yes, I used to sing HTTR when I was younger. But now I don't say the word out loud because I cringe before doing so. I'm not sure what happened, but I've been off the Redskin name bandwagon for a very long time (if you dig up old archives, my ancient posts reflect such). From soccer pubs to Red Sox and Yankee bars, fan bases around the world are built on local ties first and foremost. The team represents where you are, your neighbors and community. Of course there are always exceptions of fans outside the team's audience, but for the most part it comes from a sense of local pride.
I didn't stop being a fan of DC hoops when they became the Wizards and I won't stop being a fan when Redskins is removed, either. It's just a matter of time. And I hope the majority of the fanbase will quickly resume cheering the organization after the inevitable few weeks of hate and vitriol is spewed towards an ever-changing society.