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On the bright side, sign-related injuries are down 400%.
2 replies
On the bright side, sign-related injuries are down 400%.
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You will like your Free Speech Zones.
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\"I rather be at bingo\"
Sigh...
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Hell, we used to call them the Deadskins.
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@MisterE: We still call them the deadskins :)
I upset a co worker once when I hung the redskins mascot from a bunch of rubber bands connected to one of the ceiling tiles :)
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Dan doesn't really \"own\" the Redskins - It's the former \"NationsBank\", now \"Bank of America\" who loaned him all the money...
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Daniel Snyder's is obviously trying to make Detroit Lions owner, William Clay Ford, look competent.
I love how sports fans get upset they can't bring their signs in the stadium and at the same time the very same people laugh at you when you tell them about the free speech zones.
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The signs are bad enough, but banning negative t-shirts is just beyond comprehension. Sounds like Danny boy took a cue from the Bush admin.
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@TBGBoodler: Wow!?! Really?!? You tried to bring Bush into this? I agree it was a bad move on the Redskins part, but we can't bring politics into every single aspect of our lives. It only drives us apart.....
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@TBGBoodler: Well isn't this the same guy who banned people from using the name of the stadium where the games are played? When's the last time you heard somebody say \"FedEx Field at Jack Kent Cook Stadium\"?
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They have also banned the press from interviewing tailgaters in the parking lot.
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@TBGBoodler: Because Bush banned offensive T-shirts? Because we all suffered under the iron hand of censorship under the cruel reign of Dear Leader Bush?
Give me a break. Take your persecution fantasies somewhere else.
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@winshape: I think TBGBoodler was making a reference to the people who were kicked out of Bush rallies (and in some cases arrested) for wearing t-shirts that were against the party line. Why is that an unfair comparison and worthy of your scorn?
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It's not because they're offensive, or they obstruct view. These are both excuses. It's cause Dan Snyder's precious ego is getting hammered by people who pay good money to watch a team they love, and are gettting punished with a terrible team and no real solutions from the management. People are finally laying blame with who deserves it - the people who are making decisions, and making them poorly.
Some people just wanted to say hi to their spouses in the military posted overseas. Some people had signs encouraging the team.
I say if Vinny Cerrato can spend so much time making stupid, cheap car commercials instead of actually doing his job, he deserves the ridicule. Anyone who has been to an area AMC theater has seen this craptastic work.
@pecan 3.14159265: It always amazes me when people at the top of big business make stupid decisions like this. I wonder a) how they go there in the first place and b) if there really so stupid that they don't think it's going to turn into a shitstorm once somebody on the internet gets a whiff of the story.
@pecan 3.14159265: Hi Pi! It's not just the performance of the team, either, that's affected. We stopped using our season tickets a few years ago because the FedEx Field game experience is awful.
Seat prices are outrageous, parking fees are too high and you get no help getting out of the stadium after the game. I know I sound like an old lady, but the PA system is too loud and commercials are blasted at you from every angle.
Food prices? Remember my story about the \"feminine napkins?\" Bottles of water are confiscated at the gate. It's just an all-around miserable day.
@TBGBoodler: Yeah, I never quite grasped what genius decided it was a great idea to have the Washington Redskins play in Landover so their biggest market outside of DC (Virginia) has to cross the District. Terrible.
@pecan 3.14159265: Jack Kent Cooke *wanted* to build in No. Virginia. But the NIMBYs didn't give him any concessions, so he bought up the land in Raljon, and MD gave him infrastructure from the Beltway to his stadium.
Then he died, and forced his kids to buy the team from the estate, and Snyder was able to get more money, more than the \"Kids discount\".
@ShruggingGalt: Right, for values of \"wanted\" that mean \"but not if he had to spend his own money on his business.\"
We all want any number of things, if we can get complete strangers to buy them for us. (I'll take a nice brownstone in Brooklyn, please--or tickets to the Chocolate Show.) But only multi-millionaires get away with \"I wanted to do this, but I would have had to pay taxes like the little people\" and \"but I would have had to try making a profit on my business without subsidies! Waaah!\"
On second thought, maybe Snyder is going to start selling signs and sign-making materials in the stadium and he doesn't want any competition! :-)
You want to know the best way to get your point across about these no-talent assclowns who run the Skins?
DON'T GO TO THE GAME.
Organize with other fans/season ticket holders and pick a game for everyone not to go to. Don't re-sell or pass your tix on to someone else. Let the seat sit empty. The best part is that since the tix have been sold the game won't be blacked out. Let the TV cameras show row upon row of empty seats. That seems to be the only thing that gets the attention of the NFL front office.
@doctor_cos: I think the rationale I've been hearing is that if they don't go to the games it gives Dan Snyder an excuse to move the team. Not sure where he would move it to, Not many markets out there that could provide the revenue stream that DC/MD/VA has.
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@hi: I love irrelevant hypothetical strawmen.
The op hasn't said anything about free speech zones or that this is a violation of freedom of speech, nor has he \"laughed at you when you've told him about free speech zones.\"
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@PSUSkier: It is a new consumerist feature :-) I have noticed this on a couple of other posts and thought I was going nuts.
On a positive note, at least consumerist ads fon't serve malware.
@Rachacha: I think (can't prove) what is happening is that the user hits reply in one place, maybe starts typing something, then decides they really wanted to reply to something else. So they click reply there and the input box moves down to the other post. They might erase what they already typed, but the post is still \"attached\" to the original parent.
This system's had replies go weird for a while now, it's not a \"new server\" thing.
@Rachacha: It's the new Consumerist scavenger hunt. Find the correct post, mark it down, send it to Ben at the end of the week.
Signs are annoying and many stadiums ban them, but the main reason that the Redskins are banning them is because Dan Snyder is a prick and they don't want to be criticized. The fact that there are regular chants condemning Snyder at *every* home game is indicative that there's a problem. I feel bad for Redskins fans... one of the most prolific franchises in NFL history, and since Snyder bought the team, it's been the laughing stock of the league.
If it's any solace, at least the NFL is the ONE league that will take action against negligent owners, like in Detroit. It's bad for the NFL's image that the fans are vocally and obviously upset with the owner, and have been for a decade, so, some pressure will come from above that will force the Redskins hand if necessary.
Are season ticket holders obligated to purchase those tickets for the next year or can they just walk away when the season is done? Not buying tickets for next year would send a big enough message if enough people did it.
I really don't get the depths that people get into professional sports. The overpaid athletes that continue to exhibit really bad and many times criminal behavior. The blatant greed of owners and the NFL etc, the cost of anything pro sports in insane. Cheering for the home team just doesn't seem worth it.
@bohemian: No, you cannot walk away.. even if you are going into bankruptcy, the Snyder will still sue you.. Unless you are in the last year of whatever contract you signed for the season tickets.
Personally, I hate American football.. its a bunch of pussies who wear 40 pounds of armour.. You want a real sport, go play rugby.. or even better, Aussie rules.
The players are over paid morons (okay a few actually made it through college or high school using their brains rather then being passed by sports driven teachers and lecturers).
And Fedex field is a joke, they won't even permit people who live in the area to walk to the stadium, so if you live 200 feet away, you have to drive and pay the outragious parking fees.
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I'm pretty sure that no one has the power to *force* people to drive. What happens to those that can't/don't drive...as in..don't have a license, don't have a car, etc?
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@jvanbrecht:
Written like someone who knows absolutely nothing about American Football. It's your right to like whatever you like, but don't trash a sport just because you don't like it.
You think the players are pussies? I'd love for you to walk up to Ray Lewis and tell him that to his face.
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@tbax929 is rooting for a Phillies repeat: There are major differences between rugby and american football too. Rugy involves a lot of arm tackling whereas football is fullbody collision for instance.
I think hands down the rugby players are tougher for what they do and they have to have a good balance of strength and cardio as there isn't 35 seconds between each play. Hell in America we think water polo is a pussy sport but those dudes are as big as rugby players, play like rugby, AND have to tread water the whole time
But all that being said football players can be a bunch of tough mo-fos, it's just that each player is more specialiezd for his position. I would cry or crap my pants before I told Ray Lewis to shove it but if I were to tell a skinny wide receiver like Pinkston to shove it, I would be the one scaring him. Just a difference of sports.
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@bohemian: Most of them can walk away when the season is done. However, all of the teams do have a waiting list of people who want to buy season tickets, and some of these lists mean a waiting time of decades (i.e. Packers, Steelers, Redskins, Cowboys). Giving up your tickets means that the team just sells your seats to someone else immediately.
It's a case of damned if you, damned if you don't. You can either keep paying and padding the owners wallet, or give up your tickets, and let some other sucker pad the owner's wallet.
@bohemian: Most of the sports fans I know love sports because of the athleticism, not the drama. Mr. Pi loves sports, but constantly laments the downfall of great players due to careless and terrible mistakes that cost them their careers or lives.
My thoughts are that yes, athletes are overpaid, but there's also no one guiding them when they suddenly find themselves flush with money. Many criminal behaviors could be avoided entirely if only someone had been a source of wisdom and mentoring and steered these young athletes away from guns and the need for a certain lifestyle.
Alternatively, we could just pay the athletes reasonable rates for what they do instead of pouring money on them that they proceed to waste on exorbitant, unnecessary lifestyles. It's sad how much they make compared to, say, teachers.
@Schildkrote: Supply and demand.
How much money are you willing to pay to see a middle school teacher teach history? And how many millions of people could be trained to teach middle school history from our population?
Compare with number and skill of NFL quarterbacks, for example. I could never be trained to throw a ball 50 yards with any accuracy, nor would fans spend millions to watch me do it (or not do it, rather).
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Wasn't there a story a few weeks ago about the Redskins suing an 80-year-old woman for not renewing her season tickets like she was obligated to do?
She ended up in that because she has \"premium seats\" so they make her and other fans sign multi-year contracts.
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Um, made him turn his shirt inside out? That is ridiculous. His shirt's no more offensive than Eagles fans anytime they come to FedEx field.
Pi's right - Snyder's getting his ego tromped on and his short man syndrome can't take it anymore.
I quit!
@pinkbunnyslippers: Snyder's getting his ego tromped on and his small dick syndrome can't take it anymore.
/fixed
@pinkbunnyslippers: \"His shirt's no more offensive than Eagles fans anytime they come to FedEx field.\" Somebody is still upset about the monday night game......;-)
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In related news, the Redskins have also banned media outlets from doing any interviews with fans tailgating in the FedEx Field parking lot. I'm not sure how they think this will keep people from criticizing them - surely sports radio is keeping the lines open 24 hours a day to unhappy fans.
I'm not seeing what the problem is with keeping people from making jackasses of themselves at the game. If anything, more policy changes in that direction would make going to games a lot easier to enjoy.
@Schildkrote:
Our forefathers died for our right to make jackasses of ourselves! If I want to paint my face red and scream at the top of my lungs for my beloved Phillies, who exactly am I hurting?
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@Schildkrote: Hey, listen up. People have a RIGHT to make complete jackasses of themselves pretty much anywhere. Its called the First Amendment. Look it up.
@Schildkrote: There are fans with signs at pretty much every pro football game. I don't see how this is making anyone a \"jackass\" - they're just fans.
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When the zombie apocalypse comes (and it will come) I hope the first one out of the grave is Jack Kent Cooke and he makes a bee line for Daniel Snyder. Oh wait. Zombies eat brains. Guess that make Danny Boy safe.
Joe Theismann was an ego-maniacal jackass, John Riggins had a drinking problem, but how I long for the old days...
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I can see the signs, but the shirt? How is it offensive? It's not hate speech or foul language or anything. So if you had a shirt with jim carey that said dumb and dumber, it's be offensive as well?
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Time for the \"F*** Censorship\" T-Shirt.
I was at a Green Bay Packers Game last week and there was a table set up inside the stadium for fans to make their own signs. Paper and markers were supplied. If it is such a hazard, the NFL should ban it, not individual teams. The Packers encourage signs....
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@triumph110: The Cardinals have that too. The people staffing the booth will even help you make your sign.
So I wonder if fans could coordinate their efforts show up to the game and all get up and walk out of the staduim 7 minutes into the first quarter while chanting whatever* they seem to be upset about, preferably on a game that was being broadcast live. Can you imagine the message that would send to the owners.
*Personally, I can not stand to watch or follow football, and while I live in the DC area, I generally tune out anything having to do with sports, so I really don't care what the fans are pissed about.
I'm a long time redskins fan, born and raised here (only a few blocks from Synder's house). Even worked at FedEx for a season after he bought the team. Back then those of us who worked there knew he was bad for the team, but he has sunk lower than all our expectations.
Can't believe I'm saying this. If you are a true Redskins fan, BOYCOTT THE TEAM! Don't buy tickets, take your name off the season ticket waiting list, don't buy or wear their merchandise. Money is the only thing Snyder understands, he doesn't give a f*** about the bad press. Losing money is the only thing that will make him listen, which will be better for the team in the long run.
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God I love this. As a Cowboys fan living in DC for the past 26 years... this is great. It's so fun to watch them all get so so mad at their team and owner.
So delicious.
Heh, I was at the game on Monday night. At one point I was waiting in line for a hot dog and watching the MNF telecast of the game on an overhead TV while I waited. It happened to be the moment when they showed Dan Snyder in the owener's box and the surrounding crowd all seemed to give Snyder on TV the middle finger in unison.
Not much love for Dan and Vinny these days. Yet they keep finding ways to make even more PR gaffes.
Ok I fully realize the reasoning behind the sign-bannage has nothing to do with obstructing views, but you know what... I support the ban for that exact reason!
The last time I was at a game the assclowns a few rows in front of us were trying so hard to get on TV that they held up their signs throughout 80% of the game. People around them who complained were simply ignored, and therefore some people who paid good money to see a game were instead treated to several hours of staring at the back of poster board.
Besides, do we really need another cliche-loving fan to cut out a little picket fence and a huge \"D\" thinking they are clever? Do we need another anti-creative inventing some clever anagram using the letters \"F-O-X\" or \"A-B-C\" or \"E-S-P-N\" just so they can get their 12 seconds of fame by appearing on national television?
No - we don't. What we need more of are thoughtful people who don't feel the need to obstruct the view of other fans who went to actually go to the game to *gasp* watch the game. They should institute a \"no-signs\" policy for every single stadium.
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From some of these comments Consumerist should stay away from sports since most of the idiots here don't care about sports or have played sports or have supported an activity that might be considered exercise. But for the people who do like sports, thanks for the article.
@bigd7387: Way to generalize and be offensive there, D! I could retaliate by speculating what that initial stands for, and suggesting that it's really little rather than big, but that would be generalizing that anyone with your apparent intolerance for opposing viewpoints has underlying insecurities that compel them to be obnoxious.
I happen to love watching the athleticism involved in some sports (my favorite was college football), but I can't stand the rest of the crap that comes with commercialized sports franchises. Throw away the extra three hours of advertisements and banal commentary, the \"branded\" stadiums, the exorbitant player salaries and egos, and the illogical bluster of sports fans who go on and on about their team and their guys, so I can focus on the tension of whether the home team will get that last 2 yards (and, I admit, how good they look in those pants). Then maybe it'll be worth the money to buy a ticket to a game.
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I'd rather watch a high-school team play. They play because they love the game - not because of the $$. I'd rather bring my own drink, blanket and sit in comfort. As soon as it becomes about money - the players become idiots and owners think they are god... p.s. The view is better from my TV than the end zone.
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I generally have no problem with a private owner regulating activity at his private stadium, but when the tax payors give these NFL owners huge tax breaks and all kinds of money to build the stadium then the issue becomes much more complex. Most of these stadiums should be considered government owned until the tax breaks run out and as such should be considered public space free from censorship.
The Redskins are one of the most valuable sports franchises in the country. I think they are either #1 or #2 in the NFL and probably not far behind the Yankees in value. That said, this is not a business for Dan Snyder. It's a toy and a way of saying that his is bigger than yours (which for a guy who has to stand on a chair to talk to his players is going some).
If you don't like the product on the field, don't go to the games and don't watch it on tv. Don't patronize its sponsors.
Watching the Redskins has turned into something like watching a train wreck. It's horrifying but you can't turn away.
Contrast Snyder with the Rooney family in Pittsburgh or the Mara/Tisch ownership in New York. Snyder is the Peter Angelos of football.
Remember the 'Aints. Remember wearing paper bags at the game because you were too embarrassed to be seen on national TV watching a team that seemingly could not win a game even if the other team was not on the field?
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People pay far too much money to be at the game to have to put up with signs, stupid hats, and wigs getting in the the way of their view. If your obstructing a fans view, you either need to take it off, or put it down. If your not willing to do that, then it's justified for the stadium to make you so so.
Seems to me Redskins fans have created enough complaints with these sort of actions, that an entrance policy was worthy of being created. I see no problem with this rule, and can only blame the fans who abused the freedom to do as such for it's creation. If one can't show a little respect, then they lose the right to violate the good time of others.
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Is booing still legal?
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PSA: If you in any way measure your life by how well some other guys play a game, you might be pathetic.
@j-o-h-n: I love you. I don't begrudge people the right to enjoy sports, but a lot of people really go WAY too insane about it. I don't need to hear my friend throw a temper tantrum all day because the NY Post dared insult his beloved Phillies, nor does my mom need to get her car keyed because she dared drive around with a Yankees bumper sticker in Maine. I'm also sick of my twitter friends posting play by play updates on whatever game they're watching. If we cared, we'd be WATCHING THE GAME!
It's a bunch of strangers performing well or poorly at some arbitrary set of rules. Enjoy it, sure, but calm the fuck down about it.
@j-o-h-n: People who measure their lives by how well William Shakespeare wrote a play are pathetic. People who measure their lives by how well Beethoven wrote a symphony are pathetic. People who watch other people acting in a movie, on stage or on television and derive pleasure from it are pathetic.
Relax man. It's entertainment as is the World Series that's starting tonight. I have a psychic investment in who wins, but the sun will still rise tomorrow (unless it rains).
@j-o-h-n:
Yawn. \"I hate sports, so people who enjoy sports suck\".
@j-o-h-n: I don't see that this man measures his life by the Redskins from this article.
Besides, do you not enjoy and invest yourself in the pursuits and activities of other human beings? Shall we all find the same things worthwhile?
I'm bored just by the thought of that.
@j-o-h-n: If you enjoy watching other guys play a game professionally, but your local team can't play to save their lives and won't let you call them out for it, that team might be pathetic.