Diffusing Red Sox Fans/Cheers at OPACY

[Domenic]

Apples and Oranges. If the Skins played 81 home games a year, and for ten years weren't even close to competing, then I'm sure you would see the same thing.

If Washington fans are so much better than Baltimore fans, then why don't the Nats sell out in their brand new stadium?

As a Skins and O's fan, let me answer that. DC is a football town first. The town breathes burgundy and gold. Regardless of how popular the Ravens might be, Baltimore is a town with a great baseball tradition. The reason the Nats don't sell out is because DC just isn't a baseball town. Now the die-hard Nats fans will tell you that's our fault because Angelos tried to prevent baseball from coming for so long, and people rooted for other teams as a result. The fact is that Angelos did try to stop baseball from coming, but not for as long as they want to believe. And they also refuse to believe that DC is a town that's transient in nature. There are so many people from other places, and when they move to Washington they still keep their old allegiances. (In theory I'm "from" the DC area, but I'm not even "from" the DC area...we're a Baltimore family through and through.) So if you ask a Nats fan, they'll tell you that the reason their stadium was full of Mets fans last week was because that group of Washingtonians decided to root for the Mets when the Orioles refused to allow DC to have a team. Now that said, the people that are actually from the DC area all root for the Redskins. (When I was a kid DC didn't have baseball and Baltimore didn't have football, so it was O's and Skins for me. When the two cities got their respective teams, I stuck with the teams I grew up with, although I harbor no ill-will against the Nats or Ravens; unless they're playing the O's or Skins I generally root for them.)

[emmett16]

As a die-hard Skins fan, and season ticket holder, I wouldn't say they're awful. The Redskins' problem has always been high expectations. It's only pre-season, but I'll take how the Redskins have looked and a 3-0 record as opposed to how the Patriots have looked and an 0-2 record anyday. But I digress...

I don't condone fighting either, but there has to be some sort of middle ground in terms of intimidating visiting fans and breaking the law. In Philadelphia the "security people" sit there and laugh while visiting fans are beaten up. I guess that while I don't want people to fear for their safety when they come to our stadium, I'd like for them to think twice about whether they want to be harrassed and taunted. Instead, it's our fanbase that thinks twice about going to "home games" against Boston, because they don't want to be harrassed and taunted. There's something intrinsically wrong there. Part of it is that we've had this "most well behaved fans in MLB" crap shoved down our throats for years, and we're starting to believe it.

Season ticket holder also...I guess awful is an overstatement but, I don't think we can say they are good or have been over the last few seasons. This year should be fun. Anyways, enough skins talk on an O's boards

[frankpembleton]

A couple of issues…

To say the current team is not competitive is ludicrous. Competitiveness has no historical component. RIGHT NOW, the O’s are competitive. I don’t know anyone who decides NOT to go to Orioles games because they lost a lot the past 10 years. What does that have to do with the current team? I agree that continued losing certainly drags on attendance, I don’t disagree. But I think if the Orioles get off to a good start next year and are 5 games over 2 months into the season, I expect a marked improvement in attendance.

Maybe my personal view on why I’d like to go to a game is different than the masses. If the O’s are in almost all their games (they are), have a good chance of winning (they do), that’s all I need.

Ludicrous? We aren't competitive. We are completely out of the playoff race with no hope of getting back in. Only in Baltimore is a below .500 record "competitive."

5 games over after 2 months will do nothing to attendance figures like it did nothing this year. If the O's stick around in the pennant race late into next year you'll see a slight uptick, probably 2.3 to 2.4 million fans. The year following will be the year that you will see much greater attendance gains.

[Domenic]

Redskins fans? You mean the wine and cheese crowd at Fed Ex? I've never been to a more lame NFL atmosphere than Fed Ex and I have been to quite a few games there since I live in DC. Opposing teams fans have a HUGE presence at Fed Ex, probably worse than anywhere in the NFL.

And weren't the Skins in the playoffs last year? They are awful?

There are opposing fans everywhere you go these days in the NFL. With the advent of ebay and stub hub, it's very easy for people to get tickets in any NFL stadium. This year you might not see it so much around the league because gas prices will make people not want to travel, but I also see Skins fans in a lot of stadiums when they're on the road. There appeared to be quite a few at the Meadowlands last weekend when they played the Jets.

[Domenic]

People, this is not just happening in Baltimore, this happens EVERYWHERE.

Very true...ask anyone that attended any one of the O's "away games" in Washington this season.

[emmett16]

The nats are for NOVA peeps not really for DC. DC is a football town, Nats are marketed to suburban VA. Plus, they are just plain awful....howver, I will let you know I was at the Nats v Mets last week....Mets started a lets go Mets chant (probably 60/40 mets fans) and it wasn't nearly as bad as the Red sox last night....

[Domenic]

Season ticket holder also...I guess awful is an overstatement but, I don't think we can say they are good or have been over the last few seasons. This year should be fun. Anyways, enough skins talk on an O's boards

Come now Emmett...there's always room for Skins talk! I think they'll be good this year, but who know's?!

[frankpembleton]

There are opposing fans everywhere you go these days in the NFL. With the advent of ebay and stub hub, it's very easy for people to get tickets in any NFL stadium. This year you might not see it so much around the league because gas prices will make people not want to travel, but I also see Skins fans in a lot of stadiums when they're on the road. There appeared to be quite a few at the Meadowlands last weekend when they played the Jets.

True, there are. But opposing team fans presence is much higher at Fed Ex because of the transient nature of the city. There are just a lot of other teams' fans in the area. I live here, I see it every day.

Having been to plenty of games in Baltimore and DC, I can say that without a doubt there is much more of an opposing fan presence at Fed Ex. The Steelers pull a few thousand fans into Ravens stadium when the Ravens are bad, but no other teams really have any presence at all. In Fed Ex, Giants, Cowboys, Eagles fans and pretty much every other visiting team have a presence.

I'm not putting down the Skins loyal fanbase, either. It's a huge fanbase that stretches from DC down to Carolina. They are great fans in general.

[Domenic]

The nats are for NOVA peeps not really for DC. DC is a football town, Nats are marketed to suburban VA. Plus, they are just plain awful....howver, I will let you know I was at the Nats v Mets last week....Mets started a lets go Mets chant (probably 60/40 mets fans) and it wasn't nearly as bad as the Red sox last night....

That was a big part of the problem when it came to building the stadium. The DC City Council never wants to do anything if it could potentially benefit suburbanites. Their argument was that DC residents shouldn't pay for something if 70% of the people using it would be from the "rich suburbs." Nevermind that it could potentially be a great thing to pump revenue into the city, but if it helps suburbanites it's not worth doing. I've been to a bunch of Nats/Mets games, and they're comparable to O's/Sox games at Camden Yards for the most part. If the home team wins (which the Nats didn't last week) you come away with a bit of a different perspective because the O's/Nats fans are all cheering as opposed to the Sox/Mets fans.

[emmett16]

Come now Emmett...there's always room for Skins talk! I think they'll be good this year, but who know's?!

Agreed, Trust me I want nothing more than a good football team to pull for....what does this say about the orioles being competetive, that we are on an O's boards talking about the skins?!?!?!? Anywas, I think O's/Skins fans are lucky to have Trembley and Zorn - I see a lot of similarities!! First time to be excited about something in a while!!!!

A little poll - What will attendance be like in BMore when the skins are in town?

50-50

60-40 Ravens

60-40skins???

[jamessemaj]

This is what makes the Redskins so attractive if you ask me - they are awful, however if another team's fan even decides to say as much as Go Whoever! They will be punched in the face - not that I condone fighting, but Id choose that over what happends at OPACY when the sox are in town. Baltimore has always been a bandwagon town...But I still love the O's.

Totally false. I've gone into the Redskins garbage stadium for two Ravens games, as a Raven fan, and did as I pleased. And I've been to a Cowboys game at the Redskins garbage stadium and it's almost like a Red Sox game at OPACY.

Just not true.

[emmett16]

True, there are. But opposing team fans presence is much higher at Fed Ex because of the transient nature of the city. There are just a lot of other teams' fans in the area. I live here, I see it every day.

Having been to plenty of games in Baltimore and DC, I can say that without a doubt there is much more of an opposing fan presence at Fed Ex. The Steelers pull a few thousand fans into Ravens stadium when the Ravens are bad, but no other teams really have any presence at all. In Fed Ex, Giants, Cowboys, Eagles fans and pretty much every other visiting team have a presence.

I'm not putting down the Skins loyal fanbase, either. It's a huge fanbase that stretches from DC down to Carolina. They are great fans in general.

So how do the transient citizens of DC get on the 25 year long waiting list?!?!?! I've been to every skins game in the last my whole life, and I haven't noticed other teams fans at the games - I have seen 40 year old skins fans talking crap to 12 girls of opposing temas however

[Domenic]

True, there are. But opposing team fans presence is much higher at Fed Ex because of the transient nature of the city. There are just a lot of other teams' fans in the area. I live here, I see it every day.

Having been to plenty of games in Baltimore and DC, I can say that without a doubt there is much more of an opposing fan presence at Fed Ex. The Steelers pull a few thousand fans into Ravens stadium when the Ravens are bad, but no other teams really have any presence at all. In Fed Ex, Giants, Cowboys, Eagles fans and pretty much every other visiting team have a presence.

I'm not putting down the Skins loyal fanbase, either. It's a huge fanbase that stretches from DC down to Carolina. They are great fans in general.

You're right for the most part. The problem is that the Skins have the largest stadium in the NFL. When they played at RFK it was sort of a treat if you could go to the office on a tuesday morning and announce that you were going to the game that weekend. Now if you do that the reaction is, "...great, so are 90K other people." The worst town for away fans I think is Tampa Bay. We all know that they have worse of a problem than we do with the Yankee/Red Sox fans, but the Bucs also have a huge visiting fan population. I think that Arizona is very similar as well. I was out there in April, and I saw very few Diamondbacks/Cardinals hats in the stores. I read that the only way that people could buy single game tickets to their home game against the Cowboys this year was to purchase tickets to one of their preseason games as well. They figured that would prevent the throngs of Cowboy fans from getting into the game. It annoys me to no end that there are a few thousand fans rooting for the other team at FedEx Field (and they always seem to be in my section!), but a I said, it's the largest stadium in the league, so it's not surprising.

[PaulBako]

The best way to get rid of Red Sux fans...

<img src = "http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b385/JosephJoeyJoe/guillotine1.jpg">

/just kiddin'

//maybe...

YES! :mwahaha:

[frankpembleton]

Agreed, Trust me I want nothing more than a good football team to pull for....what does this say about the orioles being competetive, that we are on an O's boards talking about the skins?!?!?!? Anywas, I think O's/Skins fans are lucky to have Trembley and Zorn - I see a lot of similarities!! First time to be excited about something in a while!!!!

A little poll - What will attendance be like in BMore when the skins are in town?

50-50

60-40 Ravens

60-40skins???

90-10

Ravens.

Like it is for every game in Baltimore. It won't be anywhere near as bad the number of Ravens fans at Fed Ex a few years ago.