When did you realize you were a Skins fan?

[Cowboyhater]

I have an interesting tale about my experience. When I was about five or six years old I was an Eagles fan. I had no ties to Philly whatsoever. I just liked the color green and the wings on their helmets. I was too young to understand hometown pride or the Redskins. That all changed the day I went car shopping with my folks. We went to Martens Chevrolet in Silver Spring. The very place where Chief Z worked. That particular day I was wearing a Harold Carmichael jersey, the kind you that you could order from the SEARS catalog. This was back before the explosion in popularity of sports apparell. We walked into the showroom and with my bright green Eagles jersey I stood out like a sore thumb. One of the sales staff looked at me and said, "Uh oh you better take that shirt off!" My Dad and I looked at the salesman with perplexed facial expressions, asking Why? We soon had our answer. From the other side of the showroom we heard this "What the hell is that jersey doing in my showroom!" It was Chief Z sans the Indian headress and gameday outfit. My Dad reconized him instantly and started to laugh. Chief-Z ragged on me a little and then did a magic trick. He lit a ciagarette and then extinguished it on my Eagles jersey, without burning a hole in it. He showed a few vehichles to my Dad and then we went home. He signed a business card, "Hail to the Redskins,Chief Z, Hole in the Eagles shirt!" When we got home I took off the Eagles jersey and never wore it again. I have been a Redskins fan ever since.