Regaining Fans Isn't That Hard

What’s it going to take for Redskins fans to return to FedEx Field?

- Rick Snider

Owner Dan Snyder thinks it’s about big names he treats like shiny objects to distract everyone from the simple truth that the team has been terrible over his 21 years. Bait and switch.

But it’s not working anymore. The last three years have been a steady erosion to just a few thousand Redskins fans coming to the final two games. Indeed, every home game this season saw more visiting fans than Washington supporters. It wasn’t just Dallas, Philadelphia and New York fans, but even Detroit outnumbering locals. That’s really saying something.

Now I’ve talked with more than 100 fans in recent years over why they’ve surrendered their season tickets, including one whose family had them for 72 years. That’s post-World War II! Many were multi-generational ticket holders who just had enough.

We talked about the reasons. Many were getting too old to handle the long gameday experiences and their kids didn’t want the tickets. Most were tired of the persistent losing. A number were being outpriced so they instead bought a couple games on the secondary market.

A lot were tired of giving money to Snyder. They wanted team president Bruce Allen gone as a precondition of buying 2020 tickets. Well, that’s done. But still, many hate that Snyder has taken fans for granted and charges obscene prices for parking and concessions.

At the end of conversations, I ask a simple question: “If this team was headed to the Super Bowl would you keep your tickets?”