Where is the future Redskins fanbase going to come from?

[dj_stouty]

Redskins fans come in all shapes and sizes. Some diehard, some casual. Some attend games, some rarely do, some wish they could more often. Some paint rooms in their houses in Burgundy and Gold regardless of spousal complaints. Some spend hours a day on team message boards and some others just enjoy being spoon fed their filtered Skins news from the team. But no matter what, we all love (or at least really like) our Washington Redskins.

And this gets me to thinking about the future of our fanbase. Most of the fans I know either came out of the womb singing HTTR, lived outside the beltway and were lured into fandom due to the fantastic Skins teams/players/coaches of yesteryear, and some got on board later in life and are still trying to play catchup.

But what about the future of the franchise? Will the local DC, MD, VA kids of generation Y and Z really follow suit of the kids brought up on the Skins in the 70s and 80s? What has happened in the last two decades that would make an impact on a youngster that would instill a dedication to the team for a lifetime? In the 19 seasons since the Skins' last Super Bowl title in 1991, the franchise has only 5 winning seasons, 4 trips to the playoffs, 3 playoff wins and only 1 division title. Pathetic by all standards.

Look - I'm not suggesting the younger generations are pure band-wagoners, but they simply aren't gluttons for punishment either. Why cheer on a team that is constantly putting out a product on the field akin to a 3-ring circus? At least at the circus, you come home with an expensive-yet-breakable toy that will hopefully last the card ride home. When you leave FedEx, you likely leave with a loss in hand and no hope for the future. And the only enjoyment you get these days is during the offseason when the Redskins hype machine fools you into thinking "things will be different this year!".

DC is as much of a transient town as ever these days. Rarely do you bump into someone who was actually raised there and still lives there - or at least those people are the vast minority now. The town is dominantly made up of people who come from other areas of the country and have brought their fandom of another team with them. And shocker - these out-of-towners are not raising their kids as Redskins fans. Why would they? The younger generation has been raised on the internet with vast amounts of information at their fingertips. Want to be a Packers fan? Sure! Watch the games on DirecTv, spend some time on the message boards to become knowledgeable on up-to-date team happenings, and go to NFL.com and have your customized replithentic Rodgers jersey sent overnight to your home in Fairfax, VA. No longer are you bound to home-team fandom because the borders of NFL teams are pretty much non-existent these days.

I fear that with every passing year of Redskins suckitude, the future of our fanbase dies a bit. Where are these future fans going to come from? Certainly diehard Skins fans like ourselves will demand our children to step in line, but what % of the fanbase do we even make up these days? Probably a lot less that we think. Will the casual fan of the team really make a conceited effort to replace his little one's newly purchased Chris Johnson jersey with a Ryan Torain jersey? Likely not.

The Redskins have always had one of the league's most loyal and educated fanbases, but the times are a changing. The current front office, coaches and players need to finally make a change and make the Redskins relevant again or else the core of the fanbase will continually get older, while the younger generation opts for other avenues. Turn things around now so we can all be truthful the next time we sing the words to "Hail to the Redskins".

[Ibleedburgundy]

That's an interesting question. The transient nature of the area doesn't bode well. But it is still a large market none the less so there is a floor for how small the fan base can get. The Redskins brand is certainly in decline. But they are going from #1 in total revenue possibly down to #10 at worst. It's hard to see them ever being much lower than that. DC is a football town first and foremost, and if that's going to change it'll take a generation or two.

I came out of the womb singing HTTR and I also grew up during the glory years (I'm 32). I was always a skins fan. My kids will do the same if they want a roof over their heads lol. The legacy will live on but it might never be what it once was.

[Keino]

Originally Posted by Ibleedburgundy

That's an interesting question. The transient nature of the area doesn't bode well. But it is still a large market none the less so there is a floor for how small the fan base can get. The Redskins brand is certainly in decline. But they are going from #1 in total revenue possibly down to #10 at worst. It's hard to see them ever being much lower than that. DC is a football town first and foremost, and if that's going to change it'll take a generation or two.

I came out of the womb singing HTTR and I also grew up during the glory years (I'm 32). I was always a skins fan. My kids will do the same if they want a roof over their heads lol. The legacy will live on but it might never be what it once was.

Sorry but DC is a REDSKINS town first, but outside of the Redskins it is a Basketball town. Basketball is a much bigger sport than football in DC.

When I was first introduced the team it was not a very good team in the late 70s. It was commonplace to hear them called "Deadskins" at school and around the neighborhood. In my family, I have established being a Redskins fan as part of the family tradition (the same way my father did). Supporting a losing team affords all sorts of opportunities to discuss concepts like "loyalty" and "Fairyweather Fans" and how that equates to being a "Cowboys" fan. It brings a tear to my eye to hear my kids espouse hatred of all things Dallas. It lets me know that I am raising them correctly.

[shally]

twitter ????? facebook ????? lol

[nicefellow31]

Originally Posted by Keino

Sorry but DC is a REDSKINS town first, but outside of the Redskins it is a Basketball town. Basketball is a much bigger sport than football in DC.

When I was first introduced the team it was not a very good team in the late 70s. It was commonplace to hear them called "Deadskins" at school and around the neighborhood. In my family, I have established being a Redskins fan as part of the family tradition (the same way my father did). Supporting a losing team affords all sorts of opportunities to discuss concepts like "loyalty" and "Fairyweather Fans" and how that equates to being a "Cowboys" fan. It brings a tear to my eye to hear my kids espouse hatred of all things Dallas. It lets me know that I am raising them correctly.

I'm a little bit older than you but I to remember during the late 70's all you heard was "Deadskins" in school. That used to get me fired up and of course you had the Cowboys "fans" who lived to agitate. I'll continue to root for the Skins, my oldest daughter is a Skins fans, and we are raising her son to do the same.

[redskin_rich]

My kids are Redskins fans and not because of any other reason than supporting me. I doubt that they will ever be close to as fanatical as me towards the Skins but they do have an understanding of bandwagoning. They always know who won each week by what jerseys are worn at school and they especially dislike the Cowpies and Stealers.

[shally]

my oldest daughter was raised right.. then she married a *^$$# Eagles' fan.. it kills me to see my little grandkids wearing that sickening green..

....sharper than a serpent's tooth is an ungrateful child...lol

and on top of it, i had to endure my son in law braying about the trade that brought mcnuggett to us.. last year was the dregs !!!

[IH Brave]

Originally Posted by Keino

Sorry but DC is a REDSKINS town first, but outside of the Redskins it is a Basketball town. Basketball is a much bigger sport than football in DC.

When I was first introduced the team it was not a very good team in the late 70s. It was commonplace to hear them called "Deadskins" at school and around the neighborhood. In my family, I have established being a Redskins fan as part of the family tradition (the same way my father did). Supporting a losing team affords all sorts of opportunities to discuss concepts like "loyalty" and "Fairyweather Fans" and how that equates to being a "Cowboys" fan. It brings a tear to my eye to hear my kids espouse hatred of all things Dallas. It lets me know that I am raising them correctly.

That's where the future fan base will come from. We need to to instill it in our kids. My wife told me when my baby girl was younger they were at the mall. They walked past a Redskins T-shirt and my daughter said "Daddy." Right there she (my daughter) knew my passion for the Redskins. My daughter is not quite 2, but when she hear me say "Cowboys" she boos with her thumbs down. And she says "Yay" when she hear Redskins. Will she continue to do so when she gets older? I'd like to believe so. I feel I'm in the same boat as Sean. I'm raising my daughter right.

[redskin_rich]

Originally Posted by IH Brave

That's where the future fan base will come from. We need to to instill it in our kids. My wife told me when my baby girl was younger they were at the mall. They walked past a Redskins T-shirt and my daughter said "Daddy." Right there she (my daughter) knew my passion for the Redskins. My daughter is not quite 2, but when she hear me say "Cowboys" she boos with her thumbs down. And she says "Yay" when she hear Redskins. Will she continue to do so when she gets older? I'd like to believe so. I feel I'm in the same boat as Sean. I'm raising my daughter right.

My teenage daughter posted a pic of her holding the hand 'L' loser sign over the head of her friend wearing a Romo jersey, on her facebook page, lol.
When I saw it, it was a proud father moment.

[IH Brave]

Originally Posted by redskin_rich

My teenage daughter posted a pic of her holding the hand 'L' loser sign over the head of her friend wearing a Romo jersey, on her facebook page, lol.
When I saw it, it was a proud father moment.

That's awesome. lol

[Lacquer Head]

The same place Bills and Mets fans come from?

[DaveKShape]

my wife and i have talked about this a lot. we're definitely going to raise our kids to be redskins fans. i'm old enough to remember the 87 and 91 super bowl wins. i can only hope my my sons/daughters will have the same magic once they're born in a few years. even if they're still a terrible team, there's a certain pride/underdog mentality that has its benefits when it comes to teaching a kid. it's kind of hilarious, but it's one of the main things i'm looking forward to when it comes to bonding with my future kids.

[dj_stouty]

I'm guessing that us members of HR are part of the top 5% of the fanbase in terms of dedication and fandom. Of course we will raise our kids as Skisn fans. But what about the other 95%? 19 years without any real success has jaded our average fan and definitely our casual fans, IMO.

Losing seasons, bad pricing/service at FedEx, and a circus-like atmosphere from Redskins Park is shrinking this fanbase dramatically. And it will only get worse...

[SpicyMcHaggis]

One thing is certain: the Redskins fanbase outside the U.S. is at an all-time low. Over here there used to be plenty of Redskins fans (in Rome especially since the team colors are the same), but now there are hardly any at all.

[VegasSkinsFan]

My guess is that it will come once we get a winning tradition rolling again. GO SKINS !!!!