Washington City Paper article on "The Redskins official fan message board"

[BDBohnzie]

I found the responses to be rather humorous...

Washington City Paper: News & Features: Blogs

Originally Posted by Dave McKenna

Chairman of the Bored
Posted by Dave McKenna on Feb. 5, 2008, at 3:18 pm

The Redskins official fan message board, extremeskins.com, has been a very fun read lately. Folks who hate everything Dan Snyder has done since Joe Gibbs fled are battling it out with folks who love everything done by the owner of the team, who happens to also be the owner of the board.

But not everybody’s enjoying the banter. I got an email over the weekend from an “Eric Smith,” a longtime extremeskins member who as of Saturday was banned from Snyder’s message board while defending, sort of, a City Paper story I wrote about the owner and his Redskins employees shared ties to investments in Six Flags, the amusement park chain.

Specifically, Smith, while posting as “Shadowplay,” was kicked off Snyder’s site after insulting one of his and my insulters, a veteran moderator named Gary Mark Steven.

The beginning of the end of Smith’s extremeskins membership came when Steven, who posts as “Om,” had followed up one of Smith’s posts in the thread about the City Paper column with some snark: “Yawn. Meet Dave McKenna’s target audience,” Steven posted.

Smith met Steven’s snarkiness and raised him: “Yawn. Meet Daniel Snyder’s pool cleaner,” Smith rebutted.

A chuckler of a comeback, I’d say.

Alas, Smith’s walking papers from Snyder’s site came quickly after that was posted. Steven emailed Smith to say he had been booted off “indefinitely.”

Steven, who in my recent email exchanges with him seems to be as whiny and humorless away from the message board as he is on it, is currently the most powerful moderator at extremeskins - his avatar caption describes him as “The President” of the site. He also freelances puff pieces for Snyder’s main website, Redskins.com. Steven gets access to the press box for Skins games and to team hotels on the road through the team.

Yet, far as I can tell, Steven, who inserts smiley faces into his message-board posts at a creepy rate for a 47-year-old guy (if his bio information on the site is to be believed), has never fully disclosed to extremeskins members the extent of the privileges granted him by the team for his attacks on critics of Skins management, let alone his apparent status as an employee of Snyder’s.

Even without the most basic disclosure, the uptick in insults members of the message board are now throwing Steven’s way makes it seem like posters have sniffed out his conflicts of interest just from his attack-dog act.

Smith, for one. In his email to me, Smith said he called Steven “Snyder’s pool cleaner” out of frustration with “the Snyder yes men who run the message board and effectively control the message if it’s critical of the owner” and “the system of intimidation and bullying that the extremeskins staff uses to keep the dissension to a minimum.”

Asked to respond to Smith’s charges about Snyder’s site and questions about the degree of his employment by the Redskins, Steven said via email that after reading my City Paper stories he regards me as being “completely unbound by any sense of objectivity, accountability or even a passing sense of honor” and declined.

Steven must really dislike me. His email didn’t include a single smiley face.

[DynamiteRave]

Man, I bet Matty wishes he could be in the box during the home and away games!

At least Matty's not a D-bag like that tool over at Extremeskins. Thats what I like about the WP. We can bash whoever and say pretty much whatever (so long as it's not completely asinine) and not get banned.

But I guess when you're all over Snyder's junk like the mods there (and when he's shoveling Redskins goodies at you), you don't really have a choice but to just be a spineless pool of jello.

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Originally Posted by DynamiteRave

Man, I bet Matty wishes he could be in the box during the home and away games!

At least Matty's not a D-bag like that tool over at Extremeskins. Thats what I like about the WP. We can bash whoever and say pretty much whatever (so long as it's not completely asinine) and not get banned.

But I guess when you're all over Snyder's junk like the mods there (and when he's shoveling Redskins goodies at you), you don't really have a choice but to just be a spineless pool of jello.

Yeah Bash WHOEVER WE WANT SO D Rave SCREW YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Creepy Enough!

[hesscl34]

Originally Posted by DynamiteRave

Thats what I like about the WP. We can bash whoever and say pretty much whatever (so long as it's not completely asinine) and not get banned.

Hmmmmmmmm!!..

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

I can't believe the City Paper wrote an article about ES banning a member.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I can't believe the City Paper wrote an article about ES banning a member.

That was the first thing I thought. I can't say I hate ES because they are fellow Redskins fans and all, but I'm sure glad I don't waste any time on their site.

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I can't believe the City Paper wrote an article about ES banning a member.

I'm suprised they actually revealed the member's name.

[djnemo65]

I thought the pool cleaner line was great

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by djnemo65

I thought the pool cleaner line was great

You have to admit is was pretty good.:headbange

[mcarey032]

Originally Posted by djnemo65

I thought the pool cleaner line was great

Yeah I agree. I don't know why people take things so personally .

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by mcarey032

Yeah I agree. I don't know why people take things so personally .

They take things personally cause they have alterior motives to protect. You can't insult the owner of their site and the person that gives them benefits and expect those benefits to keep rolling in.

People here complain about the mods, but fact is, even though they are human, they allow for people to express their opinions without repercussions. All you have to do is pretty much not insult others, or be rude beyond belief. They have even allowed people to rant and chaulked it up to emotion. Not saying they are perfect, but I have been around, and they have the most patience I have seen.

[sancho2613]

Well I found a Packers message board and all I can say is ..... Check it out there's a couple 14 year olds talking about stupid shit when the topic was is "Is Favre returning" LOL i'm serious check it out. Just be happy this site doesn't turn into that

Packer.com Message Board :: View topic - Is Favre returning?

[skinsguy]

Originally Posted by sancho2613

Well I found a Packers message board and all I can say is ..... Check it out there's a couple 14 year olds talking about stupid shit when the topic was is "Is Favre returning" LOL i'm serious check it out. Just be happy this site doesn't turn into that

Packer.com Message Board :: View topic - Is Favre returning?

Oh that's horrid! I just lost precious IQ points reading that, and I don't have much to give away as it is!

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by sancho2613

Well I found a Packers message board and all I can say is ..... Check it out there's a couple 14 year olds talking about stupid shit when the topic was is "Is Favre returning" LOL i'm serious check it out. Just be happy this site doesn't turn into that

Packer.com Message Board :: View topic - Is Favre returning?

It's on every site for every team.

[mcarey032]

Originally Posted by jsarno

They take things personally cause they have alterior motives to protect. You can't insult the owner of their site and the person that gives them benefits and expect those benefits to keep rolling in.

People here complain about the mods, but fact is, even though they are human, they allow for people to express their opinions without repercussions. All you have to do is pretty much not insult others, or be rude beyond belief. They have even allowed people to rant and chaulked it up to emotion. Not saying they are perfect, but I have been around, and they have the most patience I have seen.

Yeah the one thing that I see over at ES, and I post there quite a bit is that people just want to believe whatever the redskins do is great and that if you badmouth it, you are a bad fan. I know that a lot of people over there hate Czaban, but the guy to me is funny and has some valid points. He was out of line by asking that question of Brunell, but he asks the tough questions. Fans over there always say that Czaban hates the redskins. I don't think that its true. Just because you disagree with how your FO manages the team doesn't make you hate the team. There is very little tolerance over there, IMO. They do have some great posters over there, but it does get a bit of control with the protection of the Management of the team.