Skins’ and the City
Washington D.C. is such an interesting organism within sports culture. It can’t survive without controversy, and yet it is willing to starve itself for success.
Just a few weeks ago, there was justifiable talk of a Super Bowl run for the Washington Redskins. Now, there is a healthy debate about whether the Skins should tank it for a better draft pick, or fight for the NFC Wild Card.
Not to mention the rumblings of firing Jim Zorn.
And then you have the curious case of the Washington Wizards. They haven’t been a good team for a long time, but the coaching acumen of Eddie Jordan often willed us into low-to-mid seeding in the playoffs. At the first real sign trouble, we bailed on him. (And apparently, as I write this, we bailed on Antonio Daniels as well.)
If the Washington Capitals begin 0-3, something is wrong. If D.C. United isn’t in contention for the MLS Championship, nobody really cares. And the racing presidents at Nationals Park stand a better chance of supplanting the racing brats in Milwaukee as the dopiest baseball attraction in America than this town taking a real interest in the Nationals’ free agency dealings.
What causes this dance between malaise and mayhem? Is it the dearth of teams? Is it that they play in a town where political intrigue allows little time for sports fanaticism? Or has the Redskins’ dramatic fall from football relevance completely wrecked the sensitivities of the Metro sports fan?
Most likely, its the latter.
This generation has been privy to the best and worst of Redskins football. A juxtaposition of multiple Super Bowls, a new wave of marketing genius, and one of the most haphazard and interfering owners in all of professional sports. This volatile mixture has forged a standoffish embrace between the fans and the organization. With every win, there is a sense of pride returning in spite of Daniel Snyder. With every loss, they know exactly in which direction to point and shout along with Colin Cowherd.
Have there been a number of instances beyond anyone’s control? The un-retirement and re-retirement of Joe Gibbs, the death of Sean Taylor? Absolutely. But they should be carefully separated with the Jeff George and Deion Sanders’ signings, the Marty Schottenheimer and Steve Spurrier experiments, the LaVar Arrington saga, and the poor drafts.
And its the combination of fate and fury that has Skins fans off balance at FedEx and beyond. Its this abusive relationship that leaks over to the other area pro sports. We’ve learned not to trust our one true love, so how can we ever heal enough to even flirt with the Wizards, Caps, Nationals, Mystics, or United?
The dark overcast is heavy on us, so every bit of sunlight seems much more than it really is. We can’t help it. We are a sports nation scorned.
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Good Post. I think folks are getting a little restless because they have not had a champion in quite a while. Bush is leaving, so they do have that to root for. I think the Wizards made a mistake in letting go of Eddie Jordan. I think Snyder made the wrong Decision when they hired Jim Zorn, so fans in DC should look at the ownership and question the leadership and not the talent.