Redskins’ popularity wanes - PFT

[GusFrerotte]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

It's because even some of the brightest minds out there are basically fickle and stupid when it comes to being fanatical about their team. Opinions change day to day (minute by minute on our gameday threads). But I've said this a 1000 times and I'll say it again, I believe one of the hardest things for Snyder to do (and I believe he now is) is to take off his lifelong fan hat and put on the owner hat. We have the fortune of being fans who can be irrational and retarded. Unfortunately for Snyder, when he bought the team he basically had to stop being a fan of the team. Our irrationality can go unchecked. His can't

I still think the economy and the heat are keeping most of the folks away. If there is any factor that is team related that is keeping fans away it is the QB situation. The team made all the right moves other than that. They are getting younger, addressed needs in the draft, younger FAs, etc. A lot of these never satisfied, fickle fans, have written them off because of the Beck situation. I haven't written them off, but I am not sure how Beck is going to do if he did manage to beat out Rexy for the #1 spot. Also, face it man, we haven't had a real strong playoff team since 1999/2000 when Johnson and co set all of those offensive records. That was the last really decent O line we had, etc. Since then a lot of HCs and QBs have come and gone and the fanbase has been faced with mediocre football. The economy, the heat, and the Beck talk, all can be seen as why camp attendance is down.

[MTK]

If I lived close by I'd be there every possible day, but that's just me.

[MonkFan4Life]

How about it's been about 90+ and felt like 100+ for the past two months or so.

Isn't PFT the same site that gained fame and credibility by saying that we were going to sign TO every year ?

[SmootSmack]

I wonder if the Twitter world we live in also impacts the attendance. Before if you wanted to know what was going on you had to attend camp, now you can get full updates anywhere. Often by people with closer access than you would have anyway

[GusFrerotte]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I wonder if the Twitter world we live in also impacts the attendance. Before if you wanted to know what was going on you had to attend camp, now you can get full updates anywhere. Often by people with closer access than you would have anyway

That would be a big factor also, or the fact that forums like this will have guys posting about what they saw,etc at the practice. I just wouldn't want to roast in almost 100 weather just to see a practice if some guy is blogging it.

[Gmanc711]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I wonder if the Twitter world we live in also impacts the attendance. Before if you wanted to know what was going on you had to attend camp, now you can get full updates anywhere. Often by people with closer access than you would have anyway

Thats a really good point, and one I probably think is very true. Even back ten years ago; you didnt get a quarter of the coverage you do now. Now you have radio shows live at camps, TV shows, highlights, website interviews, twitters and everything. It basically feels like you're right there anyways.

[MonkFan4Life]

Smoot I didn't even think of that. I think The Heat Dome, Twitter on top of the fact that there haven't been those splash signings (that we as fans complain about) is a part of the reason that the attendance is down. I've never been because of the distance but once my son gets to the age that he appreciates football then I'll take him down for a few days.

[diehard]

The season ain't even started yet and I'm being picked on for being a Skins fan.

[ethat001]

1) NO QUARTERBACK.
2) NO FREE AGENT SPLASHES

That's why we don't have the excitement this year. No clear leader/QB, no big splashes in free agency. Although wise moves for the team, it doesn't pay dividends in jersey sales and training camp attendance. If Snyder wanted to sell out training camps and preseason, he'd have gotten: (1) Nnamdi Asmougha, (2) Reggie Bush, (3) Sydney Rice, (4) Santonio Holmes, (5) Yanda, (6) Kyle Orton / VY / Hasselback.. Instead of this, we've gotten young team-building players that will serve us better in the long run.

Remember: Haynesworth, Archuleta, Willie Parker, etc = ticket sales, but team failure

[sportscurmudgeon]

Even if the measurables here actually indicated a waning of Skins' popularity - - and I doubt that they do at all - - the magnitudes need to be considered.

The Skins "decline" might be like the decrease in the height of the Rocky Mountains due to erosion over the past 1000 years. AND, even after that "decline" the Redskins remain THE more important and popular sports option (professional or amateur or collegiate) in the DC area by an inestimable margin.

The acronym best applied to this "analysis" is BFD...

[Dirtbag59]

Two words as to why training camp attendance is down. John Beck. Over the last decade of training camps we've either had an in house 1st round pick or at worst a solid veteran. (Ramsey, Brunell, Campbell, McNabb) Beck is such an unknown that it's hard for a lot of the fan base to get behind him

[skinsfan69]

The lockout has nothing to do with the small crowds. Bottom line is the fans are tired of the losing. I also think that blackouts are right around the corner. Never ever thought I say that but it's going to happen.

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

The lockout has nothing to do with the small crowds. Bottom line is the fans are tired of the losing. I also think that blackouts are right around the corner. Never ever thought I say that but it's going to happen.

Danny Boy can avoid blackouts at about 30-cents on the dollar for unused tix by addign that amount to what the visiting team gets paid for showing up at Fed Ex.

I truly believe that Danny Boy recognizes that blacking out games in DC would hurt his bottom line more than "fillling the till for visiting clubs" out of his revenue streams would hurt the bottom line.

If the Redskins have to go into "blackout mode", it will be an indicator that the franchise itself is teetering...

[tryfuhl]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

The lockout has nothing to do with the small crowds. Bottom line is the fans are tired of the losing. I also think that blackouts are right around the corner. Never ever thought I say that but it's going to happen.

We've been strong at camp and we've been losing for awhile, the lockout certainly plays into the attendance

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by tryfuhl

We've been strong at camp and we've been losing for awhile, the lockout certainly plays into the attendance

perhaps but so does the losing.