Washington’s Targeting a New Era of Fans

Dear RFK fans,

It’s time to say goodbye. You’re getting old and the team is looking towards the future. You know, with its new name and all.

It’s seismic shift time for the former [Washington Football Team]. The team is pivoting to a new generation of fans as demonstrated by the hiring of a new communications head, broadcasting trio that should be more entertaining and team president who’s only 38 and will have a major impact on the next stadium.

The path forward means not looking backwards and this is where a split will come between young and old fans. Like most American industries, the team is more interested in future fans now that it has ground the old ones into the dust.

Those faithful fans living off the King Arthur stories of RFK are nearly gone. Maybe 10,000 fans overall, which included a small fraction of old RFK regulars, steadily came to games last season only to be surrounded by visiting fans. I mean, when the Detroit Lions bring more fans to FedEx Field than locals, it’s a serious Come-to-Jesus moment.

The RFK faithful are largely in their 60s and older now given it has been 23 years since leaving the venue. They remember the great times between the Vince Lombardi turnaround season of 1969 and Joe Gibbs’ last Super Bowl championship in 1991. Since then, fans have steadily been worn down by losing, higher prices, longer walks and no sense of stadium community.

OK, it was going to happen eventually. No team thrives on a retirement community fan base aside maybe Florida teams whose supporters more often want to see visiting New York teams. Washington owner Dan Snyder finally felt the needed eureka moment that the franchise was either entering a black hole or everything must change.

So now we’re seeing change, but it’s geared for younger fans who can grow into new name over the next three decades. Rather than fight to keep Redskins name for a few more years to appease long-time fans, Snyder will find a fresh name to attract the city’s young crowd that are often transients. After all, 1 in 5 Washingtonians was born in another country and only 40 percent of the region is natives. This isn’t Cleveland, Green Bay or Baltimore where you are born, live and die in the same town and root for its teams.

Washington needs to teach newcomers to embrace the team and ridding themselves of the controversial name was the first step. The interim name – Washington Football Team – may not be temporary. There is a growing appreciation for its simplicity. No decision will be made for a while. Team officials may want to monitor public reactions over six months before opting for something else.

No name will make everyone happy so best to avoid something currently fashionable that will fade over time. Redwolves seems the hot leader right now, but will fans in 2030 love it or is it just a passing Twitter fad? This is why Snyder is keeping the burgundy and gold team colors for continuity.

The team is also heavily into new content on social media that is used by younger fans. The radio broadcast of games will also be live streamed so younger fans addicted to their phones can both hear and see the booth. Julie Donaldson was hired from a local TV job to become head of media and has already made positive additions with shows on social media to attract fans of all ages. The new broadcasting team of play-by-play host Bram Weinstein and former player DeAngelo Hall as an analyst alongside Donaldson promises a fresher perspective, though not juvenile humor. The trio are all in their 40s so it’s a compromise between older and younger fans.

New team president Jason Wright is the type of manager Snyder should have hired 20 years ago. Former GM Vinny Cerrato and president Bruce Allen were disasters that wrecked the franchise. Snyder has also chosen business execs with past connections that didn’t have football backgrounds aside from Brian Lafemina, whose candor cost him the job in just eight months. Snyder wasn’t ready for such frank and forward-looking talk. But, maybe he is now after seeing more Washingtonians watching Dallas Cowboys games than Washington games last season.

Wright is a business-side leader despite having played in the NFL. He has an MBA from the famed University of Chicago’s business school. There is so much to like about this hire if Snyder lets him do his job.

But, that’s always the X factor. Snyder has often promised change, then reverted to his meddling ways. Expecting this time to be different is a stretch. It’s like crashing five straight times running through a red light only to think the sixth time will be fine. Maybe it will, but past performance says no.

Still, it’s a new day for the franchise. Hopefully, with new results. Nothing attracts fans like winning and incoming fans especially ride bandwagons to championships. Ask the crosstown Nationals and Capitals.

For those who once bounced in RFK’s midfield stands, they can’t take away your memories. Yet, the team needs to move on with new followers.

Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Washington football team in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks