What It Means to Be a Fan

What the hell do we care?

We sit around our TVs every weekend from September through December, wearing our lucky jerseys, hanging on the edge of our seat, swearing at every frustrating penalty and leaping like a kid on Christmas at every touchdown. For what? To watch 11 men we never met run around on a football field? What vested interest could we possibly have in seeing these perfect strangers win some game that, at the end of the day, puts no heat in our homes, puts no kid through college, and puts no food on our table?

None. Except for the love those men put in our hearts.

Needless to say it's a shame that it takes an event this tragic in nature to shake us from the sleepwalk that insulates us from all that is troubling in this world. But this tragedy slapped us all in the face - hard. And it still stings. Why do we care about Sean Taylor anyway? He's a man we never met, save for a select few of us who managed to grab an autograph at training camp. This was not our mother. This was not our son, our daughter, our friend, our spouse. This was a football player we never met.

But this week we mourn his death as if realizing we'll never see our best friend again. So please Charles Barkley types, please don't tell me you're not a role model for our children. Because when you succeed, we elate. When you make mistakes, we are disappointed. When you skip rookie symposiums, we are flabbergasted. When you return fumbles for touchdowns, we exalt.

And when you leave us, we cry.

We've never met you, we've never had a single conversation with you, we've never met your family. But we love you. We love you.

So please, set examples for us, because we are always watching you. Work hard, show good sportsmanship, play with passion, be professional. Love your children, honor your parents, stand up for what's right. Show loyalty and committment to your teammates and your family. And most importantly, always live a life filled with love.

Pedro, Jackie, little Jackie, Gregg, Joe, Clinton, Santana... you were blessed to have Sean in your lives, you clearly care deeply for him. And Sean clearly loved you all.

We all loved him too. In fact, we love you all.

We're fans. And we always will be.

Being a fan also means sharing a civic bond with perfect strangers. I've high fived and hugged fellow Redskins fans that I've never met during moments of triumph.

We mark our lives with memories of our heroes, even if we never meet them. And with this dark episode, we vow to always remember the passion and intensity of Sean Taylor. Much like I tell my son about the great Len Bias today, I will tell my grandchildren about the great Sean Taylor tomorrow.

Being a fan also means sharing a civic bond with perfect strangers. I've high fived and hugged fellow Redskins fans that I've never met during moments of triumph.




Excellent point. When I was 12, 70Chip Sr. took me to RFK Stadium to see the NFC Championship game against Dallas. The moment when Darryl Grant scored, there was a collective electricity in that place that I have never felt in any time or place since. You could cut it with a knife. Words are never adequate to explain a transendant experience like that, so I'll stop trying now.

Drug addicts talk about "chasing the dragon", trying to re-live the first, best high. I think my years as a Redskins fan have been akin to that persuit. I just want to feel that good again.

Nice post, Schneed.

excellent...

Nice post.

I think Clinton Portis supported your point with the comments he made on Thursday

"You see how much football is important because you see all the people that respect Sean. You see all the people who Sean has affected.

"It's touching around the world. It's the biggest news. It's on every channel. Everybody is talking about it.

"A lot of days, we come out here and we're like, 'Man, I don't feel like practicing. I don't feel like doing this.' In doing this, you realize that we are cheering up a lot of households.

"There are a lot of people that get appreciation out of life by watching us, so we have to go out there and give everything we have."

Nice post.

I think Clinton Portis supported your point with the comments he made on Thursday

"You see how much football is important because you see all the people that respect Sean. You see all the people who Sean has affected.

"It's touching around the world. It's the biggest news. It's on every channel. Everybody is talking about it.

"A lot of days, we come out here and we're like, 'Man, I don't feel like practicing. I don't feel like doing this.' In doing this, you realize that we are cheering up a lot of households.

"There are a lot of people that get appreciation out of life by watching us, so we have to go out there and give everything we have."

It's nice to see when players like Clinton "get it."

deep down, i really think they all get it. its just to different degrees. good post schneed. i do care about the tragedy. but in the end i am a redskin fan. and while the faces of the organization have changed over the years, im still here cheering for the burgundy and gold every Sunday. i am like most around here. bitching at the dumb penalties, wondering what our coaching staff is thinking at times. yelling for portis, moss and the offense to keep on doing what they do. loving London Fletcher, and will miss the jacked up daily by Sean Taylor. but it is still the Washington redskins that keep me coming back come Sunday i fully expect these guys to put it on the line, and play up to their capabilities, because that's just what a pro does. battles thru adversity, and performs to the best of their ability

I almost posted something regarding this a few weeks ago. I haven't been able to see many games this year and I have had to make a committed effort to limit the time I spend on following the team. Every week I am on the edge of my seat for four hours and I usually have some amount of quizzes or tests the next day. After its all over, I ask my self what the point was? Why did I just waste my time with that? This whole season, and recently this tragedy have really brought home what my fandom means to me. It means being heartbroken after every loss because its one less chance my now blind grandfather has to smile during the week. It means knowing somewhere my brother is still trying to figure out how to make the play-offs. It means I'll spend every off season hoping and praying that we get it right. It means watching my videotaped copies of the 88 and 91 Superbowls over and over again. I was born in the same hospital at the same time as Dexter Manley's son. He gave my dad his autograph in the waiting room. John Riggins carried my brother around on his shoulders in the parking lot of RFK.
This tragedy has opened my eyes. No matter what, I will never forsake my fandom. Its just a game, but it also represents so much more. Thank you Sean for all the memories, for even in death, bringing us closer together as fans. Your presence will be missed. We'll be thinking of #21 every time we yell HAIL TO THE REDSKINS.

Very good post Schneed! Very good post indeed! I also echo the sentiments of SouperMeister.

You guys seem to always eloquently post things that I think about a lot myself.