Before going to several Tennessee Titans games with Chris D. back in 2000, I had never been to an NFL game. I was really spoiled going to those games because the Titans were fairly new in Nashville (having moved from Houston a couple years before when they were temporarily called the Tennessee Oilers); the nice, open, natural grass stadium was brand-spanking new; and the fans were very enthusiastic and knew how to get behind their team – they knew when to stand up and get loud and when to quiet down and let their offense work. I even got to witness the Music City Miracle that season, when complete strangers hugged each other and high-fived at the unforgettable conclusion of that game. The Titans went to the Superbowl that year. My impression from my time living in Tennessee is that the Titans led by Jeff Fisher are a class act, regardless of their record, and so are their fans. I’ve always thought Joe Gibbs and the Redskins were a class act too, but between Daniel Snyder’s ownership and the kind of fans I’ve encountered at FedEx Field my last couple of games, class isn't a word that comes to mind during the past few years.

This has been a disappointing season for the Redskins. It’s the third year since Joe Gibbs came back and having won six straight games at the end of last season, the stage seemed to be set for a run to the Superbowl. There are probably a lot of different factors that have prevented the Redskins from getting on track (Al Saunders’ play calling is one that always gets my attention), but when I sat in FedEx Field yesterday I came up with another theory: the so-called Redskins fans. Now before I make too broad a generalization, I will say that it’s always a few rotten apples that spoil the bunch and there were lots of great fans at the game. Plus at this point in the season, even the best Redskins fans are feeling frustrated, including me. I am taking those things into account. But the negative energy coming from many of the fans around my section seemed like enough to make even the most cohesive team want to pack it up and go home. With the first dropped pass in the first quarter, the heckling started. “YOU FUCKING SUCK! DO ME A FAVOR AND GO KILL YOURSELF COOLEY, YOU FUCKING LOSER!” Having just remarked to Lia before the start of the game about the cute kid a couple of rows up and how great it would be to someday have the opportunity to bring my son or daughter to a football game, I was offended. And it didn’t stop. In fact, other “fans” just piled on. I could go on and on with foul quotes like the one above that came from dozens of different people, but the bottom line is that I encountered a lot of Redskins fans who clearly have no class. They were an embarrassment and I would never bring a child into that environment.

Now I don’t have a problem with voicing criticism and getting fired up at a game. That’s all part of the fan experience. Hell, I can hardly talk when I leave a game because I’m so hoarse from yelling. But this was out of line. Aside from the fact that there were quite a few kids around (and the inherent obnoxiousness of that kind of ranting) we were sitting within earshot of the players! Yeah, that’s brilliant. That’s how to get your team motivated, right? Scream like a lunatic that they should just give up and go home, or better yet, just go fucking die for being such losers? This is what the players should deal with on their home field? All this in the first quarter of the game.

Then there were the people behind us who wanted us to sit down. We’re in a 3rd and long situation on defense and I’m standing up making noise, and at the end of the play a lady behind us yells, “hey, will you please sit down?” I looked at her and said, “This is a football game!” and continued to stand. The entire section next to us was on their feet, the players were jumping and waving their hands to tell the crowd to get up and get loud, and dammit, I was at a football game! So about fifteen minutes later, we’re on defense again and I hear some guy yelling, “Hey, sit down! Sit down!” I ignored it for a minute and made sure I was hearing correctly and that I knew where it was coming from, and then I turned around, gave the look of death, and yelled, “IT’S A FOOTBALL GAME, MAN, WHY DON’T YOU STAND UP!” And of course I continued to stand. It actually discouraged me for a while and was starting to ruin my fun feeling that everyone in the section was against me, but eventually I felt vindicated when a guy a couple rows in front of me starting yelling at everyone to get off their asses and make some noise. That guy didn’t give a shit. He turned around and yelled at the whole crowd, waving his arms to get people to stand up and cheer. I probably should have done the same, but at least I stood my ground and acted like a fan, while so many others sat on their asses and heckled the players on the sidelines.

There were dozens of other examples of heckling and cursing at players and other fans. Waiting to get on the shuttle bus back to the car, some kid threw an empty cigarette pack and hit a guy in front of me in the face. I heard people on the bus talking about a fight that broke out in their section. I guess all the Philly fans felt right at home ;)

Unfortunately it’s sometimes the negative things that get most of the attention and provoke these kinds of long rants, but Lia and I really did have a good time. I love the Redskins and I’ll always be a fan. And I know a lot of good people around here are dedicated fans and support their team and have fun. But I don’t think anyone at that game can deny the negative energy in that place. Maybe it’s just the frustration coming out at the end of a disappointing season. Maybe it’s the unsurpassed commercialism, impatience, and selfishness that seem to have been cultivated under Daniel Snyder's ownership. Or maybe it’s just another sign of a more generalized decline of our society, and this was just a typical sporting event. Who knows? What I do know is that a lot of people at that game apparently did not go there to have fun and I think it would be tough for any team to be successful in front of fans like that.

But maybe these fans are onto something. Maybe we should we just fire Joe Gibbs and bring in our sixth head coach in seven years, pay millions to bring in some old washed-up players hand-picked by Dan Snyder, and once we get them here, tell them how much they suck and that they should go kill themselves. Sounds like a recipe for Superbowl victory, huh?