Redskins Fan Base is Eroding

Poor management and representation has the Redskins as a continuous, national punchline

As a fan, you never want to see your team suffer.  You want to have an organization that takes you to the playoffs every year.  You want management that makes game day experiences for fans enjoyable and coming back.  If you cannot deliver, fans that you rely on filling seats will take their money elsewhere and to other teams in the area that are successful.  We are starting to see that here in the DMV.

No Jersey Representation

Per the NFLPA, there are zero Redskins in the top 50 of jersey sales during the NFL’s first quarter (March 1 – May 31).  Usually when you have a new high-profile player join a team, you see an uptick for those specific players.  But, we have yet to see that with Alex Smith and Derrius Guice.  Rather, you will see fans wearing Redskins jerseys of years past: Joe Theismann, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Doug Williams, John Riggins and Sean Taylor to name a few.  That could change if Guice explodes onto the scene like we all think he can and make waves in the league.  But, when fans at a national level talk about the Redskins, it’s more of a punch line than anything good.

[Five Reasons to Believe in Washington This Year]

The Stadium is a Mess

On Wednesday, June 13, the Washington Redskins sent out an email letting everyone know that season tickets were available.  This never happened in the past.  There was always a wait list that you had to be on for years.  I remember signing up for the season ticket wait list in 2008 and not getting the opportunity to buy them until 2012.  The stadium is really a whole other eye sore for the franchise.  FedEx Field is in the middle of nowhere, traffic in and out of the stadium is miserable and there is no easy way to get to public transportation.  This has pushed hundreds, if not thousands, of fans from making the trip out to Landover, MD and stay at home or go to local bars.

You are now seeing the Redskins recognizing this problem of not having a stellar fan experience.  They are offering new food items and discounts on concessions to season ticket holders.  There will also be a new fan zone behind the west end zone.

Planning on joining us at @FedExField for a #Redskins game this season? As "Taste of FedExField" showed last night, you better bring your appetite.

Learn about all of the new items here: https://t.co/s9UucPWPZY pic.twitter.com/MEnrUkq2p3

— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) July 19, 2018

Some fans, and local radio personalities, think there could be more than done to help bring fans back.  Like making parking cheaper.

The #Redskins are offering a bunch of improvements at FedExField…..That's great…they should have started & should right away cut parking prices from $40 + to $20/less if they really want to entice fans to come back to the concrete jungle. Wish someone would do this. @Redskins

— Chris Russell AKA The Rooster (@Russellmania621) July 20, 2018

[Will Derrius Guice be NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year?]

For those of us that are knee deep in our passion for the Redskins, it can sometimes be hard to see the forest through the trees.  If we are to take a step back and evaluate the perspective of the Washington Redskins, it is not good.  Whether it is the name of the team, Dan Snyder as the owner, the lack of winning or the consistent dysfunction fans are not gravitating towards this team.  They are leaving them behind for other more recently successful local teams like the Nationals and Capitals.

If Dan Snyder does not start getting this right, they could end up losing a generation of fans that are there for the taking.