Whats wrong with FedEx
 

I have been a huge Redskin fan my entire life, started going to games so young i dont even remember. not until recently have i started not wanting to go to the games anymore. aside from the beer being 8 bucks (which is ridiculous) and the drive being a nightmere, i just dont ever have the desire to go back.

Now someone can correct me if im wrong, but some of you old timers on this site have to remember the battles that used to go down near that tunnel at RFK. that damn tunnel was a war zone for opposing fans, and when i was little (as in like 4) i used to get intimidated walking through it after games. RFK used to be an intimidating place for opposing teams fans to come watch. not anymore, not at fedex.

now ive had scuffles at FedEx, and im not going to say it doesnt happen there. and im not saying fights would draw me to the stadium, all im saying is that there is something missing, we have a good fan base, but the die-hards are the minority. ive been to baseball games that sounded louder than FedEx.

now all the homers on here can talk shit and its cool, i really dont care because its the internet. but if you are sorta feeling the same way i am i'd like to hear what you have to say.

i think our next stadium needs to seat fewer. its embarassing to have the largest stadium, and its not even loud.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

Smaller stadium!! How many season tickets are you going to take away? Redisigned? yes, new? yes. Smaller!! no!!!

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

I'm in the same boat as you man. And I think you answered the question with something in your post.

[quote]ive been to baseball games that sounded louder than FedEx.[/quote]
It seems as if the Redskins and a majority of their fans want you to sit down for the whole game and just be quiet. During a game, it was 3rd and two, M. Washington was trying to get everyone to stand up and cheer -- I did so. The person behind me started threatening me, and instead of the security guard talking to him -- I was told to sit down and not stand up the rest of the game.

I would prefer to stand the whole game, especially on defense when I'm cheering as loud as I can non-stop. I'll sit down on offense by will most of the time, a brother has to eat a hotdog sometimes!

The fact is, the Redskins want to attract casual fans. I can't blame them for that by any stretch, however for those of us who live and die by this team -- it cheapens our experience since we can't enjoy football like we love. Football has turned into a networking destination, not a fans destination.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=Skinsfan1967;359740]Smaller stadium!! How many season tickets are you going to take away? Redisigned? yes, new? yes. Smaller!! no!!![/quote]


i would have no problem if AOL had to give up maybe 10 of thier 40 or so seats in the club level, or booze allen or every car dealership in tysons, or..... you get my point i hope.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

The influx of "casual fans" has nothing to do with the size of the stadium. [U]Nothing.[/U] The price of tickets has turned attendance into a corporate endeavor, which has left a lot of hardcore fans out of the loop. This isn't specific to FedEx - nearly every team's home field factor has been diminished. Kansas City is probably the best example of a team bucking this trend, but it's primarily because they're in [I]Kansas City[/I].

As someone who has been to both stadiums, there are trade-offs. In FedEx we get more seats, that live up to building codes. (You didn't think the stands were [U]supposed[/U] to shake like that, did you?) I also note that the same people who bemoan the loss of the RFK mystique don't make those comments after going to a Nats game, because RFK is a spittoon.

Believe me, I want a united fan population at every game, and that's a tall order in today's NFL. Blaming Snyder, or the stadium, or the price of beers is creating a boogeyman where none exists.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

That sux, being told to sit down at a game. Imagine that, getting kicked out of a football game for standing up. The guy behind you had a choice, he could stand up too and cheer for the defense on 3rd and 2. You want to sit down and watch a game, go to a bar or stay at home.

I agree Brudlee, the NFL has gone corporate. Kinda like how NBA crowds have turned, the NFL is going the same direction. It better be careful, because all of this is dependent on the passion of the diehard fan, but as they go after more corporate dollars, they risk alienating the diehards. Diehards want to stand during the game, corporate fat cats want you to sit down so you don't spoil their view. The best games are the ones you stand damn near the entire time, last year vs Dallas I felt like a pogo stick, up when Portis scores on the long run, up when TO drops the bomb, up again when the FG gets blocked and Sean Taylor saves the day.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

Fed Ex is terrible. I get free tickets all the time through work and I refuse to go. It's just not the same as it used to be. It just seems fake with all the fireworks. Plus your not on top of the field. But a new stadium had to be built cause RFK is a shithole. I went to see the Nats a few weeks ago and it's just run down and beat up.

But it's a different era now and I honestly think that has something to do with it. Guys come and go all the time. It's just never going to be the same as it was in the 80's and early 90's. NFC East was at it's best then.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

dude, its called winning. its called playoffs, superbowls, consistancy. In RFK we had that. since going to Fed X we have had two winning season. And not an over all good home record. who the hell would be afraid to come into this stadium. we generally blow half time leads anyway.

home field advantage? I dont think so, not right now anyway

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

What's wrong with FedEx? Corporate Patrons and Fans who sell their tickets to other fans. Capitalism at it's finest.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

Winning makes the difference, bottom line. The other thing is nostalgia. "Wow, RFK was so great, we won all the time, that stadium was terrific!" Here's my experience. I've been to only four Redskins games in my life, two at RFK and two at FedEx, so take that for what it's worth. The games at RFK were in 1994 and 1995. The Skins were horrible and they got beaten both times and I don't remember the Stadium being particularly intimidating. I was at the Cowboys game at FedEx in 2005 and that stadium was rocking and I think it did make a difference. Was the stadium the difference? No, the Redskins were good in 2005 and ten years earlier they were not. There is something to how close the fans were to the field at RFK, but a stadium has MUCH less to do with winning and losing than the team.

Also, standing up does not make you louder. You can actually be quite loud without standing up. There are times to sit and times to stand, but no need to stand the whole game. I know in 2005 at the Cowboys game I was yelling my butt off, and so were all those around me, but I only stood up at those times when it was appropriate, not during the entire game. I don't understand how we end up with so much negativity after one loss.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[QUOTE=chrisl4064;359743]i would have no problem if AOL had to give up maybe 10 of thier 40 or so seats in the club level, or booze allen or every car dealership in tysons, or..... you get my point i hope.[/QUOTE]

I do see your point but do you think that corporations will be the ones to lose or common folk like ourselves? Money talks my man.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

Winning cures all

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

There are a couple of things wrong with Fed Ex:

1.) The reply screens stink - I can't wait till Dallas gets their stadium in place next year and Synder gets to see the 60 yard High Definition screens at their stadium - maybe than Synder will decide it is time to upgrade to match Dallas. Only problem is I don't know where you could place the screens with the stadium already packed to capacity with seats and we don't need any more "obstructed view seats" - the Dallas Stadium will have the screens hanging from the ceiling since it will be a dome.

2.) Lack of Metro accessibility - sorry but using the connector buses provided by Metro does not count. I went to the late night Baltimore preseason game this year and decided to watch football on the club level till the traffic died out - I did not end up leaving till about 12 midnight. The parking lot is a complete mess and gridlock is widespread across the stadium parking lot for hours. This was a preseason game mind you - I actually went to the NFC Championship against Detroit back at RFK - after the game everyone headed over to Metro and there crowd was cleared out in 30 minutes. Synder though loves the parking revenue so us Skins fans are stuck with the parking issues and traffic.

These are my only gripes. Prices will always be outrageous at the games - this is what tailgating is for. As far as casual fan vs. diehard - most NFL teams are becoming corporate events and there is not much we can do about it.

If I had my choice here is what I would like to happen as far as our stadium goes:

1.) Relocate in DC next to a Metro stop - this could be done as the land that RFK sits on was given to the DC governement by the Federal Government. They could simply tear down RFK and build the stadium on this site. In addition they would need to make improvements at the MEtro station which could be easily done. As far as the lease with the current Fed Ex field goes - this land is valuable and can be redeveloped so the State of MAryland can pay back the bonds that were issued to get the stadium built in the first place.

2.) Build a stadium similar to the new Cowboys stadium with comparable features - especially the reply screens and sound system. In addition make the roof retractable. I was back on forth on the roof thing as I know having an outdoor stadium gave the Skins a huge home field adavatnge with inclement weather back in the day - but I'd like to see us get a Superbowl and the only way this will happen is with a dome.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

way to big RFK was the best. FEDEX is a dump. Takes 2 days to get in and out of the place.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

I enjoyed RFK. And enjoy FedEx, the 100 & VERY LOW row 8 or below in the 200 level is nice IMO, club seating OK.

Not enough parking but thats life in the big city. Can't have it all!

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

fed-ex seats 92,000 fans and out of them maybe 65,000 are really dedicated fans, so it is kinda sad, RFK had 55,000 and only the true fans came, moving to fed-ex is a loss

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

BEST STADIUM IN THE LEAGUE TODAY! FOR US! Better luck on your 23rd try detroit, OR NOT.........

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=CHIEF CHUCKING MY SPEAR;359805]way to big RFK was the best. FEDEX is a dump. Takes 2 days to get in and out of the place.[/quote]

FedEx is far from a dump buddy, the place is rediculous as far as quality goes. However, even though RFK was and is a dump, it had that college atmosphere

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

I was very dispointed in the fans today. I was at the game and at least 35% of the seats were empty

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=skinsfan69;359749]Fed Ex is terrible. I get free tickets all the time through work and I refuse to go. It's just not the same as it used to be. It just seems fake with all the fireworks. Plus your not on top of the field. But a new stadium had to be built cause RFK is a shithole. I went to see the Nats a few weeks ago and it's just run down and beat up.

But it's a different era now and I honestly think that has something to do with it. Guys come and go all the time. It's just never going to be the same as it was in the 80's and early 90's. NFC East was at it's best then.[/quote]

*** What an accurate quote. RFK is a shithole. but it was our shithole in a very sketchy area of DC. I loved coming off the green line at Stadium-Armory and seeing Native American rights protestors and the kids banging on bucket drum kits. But the reason the new stadium really sucks are:
1) Ticket prices
2) Corporate seating
3) Ticket brokers who buy too many tickets
4) Landover MARYLAND (There's a reason the Bullets/Caps left)
5) Transportation (Metro sucks with shuttle bus ride and parking cost more than a lapdance)
6) The fans
*RFK was always rocking and rolling, even when we sucked in the 80s and 90s (not often). Our fans are kinda weak now, kinda like the yuppie-dom that's going on in DC. But I'll take 3-1 over 1-3 at RFK anyday. Loving on JC.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

I think most fans are considerate about standing/ sitting etc. You get your jerks and drunks ofcourse. A few years ago I had seats in the 8th row and the guy behind me told my brother and I to sit down. Made me so mad didn't know what to do. Instead of clocking him we decided to tell him to go get the usher. He didn't and people around us came to our defense. My theory is buy the front row if ya don't want people to stand up and cheer at a football game. 'Stand up and cheer' is different than meander and listlessly view the spectacle.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

Yeah, I was standing up for a number of plays today and some prick a couple rows behind me kept to telling me and a number of other people to sit down. He didn't win the battle though everyone told him to shut up.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=Cowell;360883]Yeah, I was standing up for a number of plays today and some prick a couple rows behind me kept to telling me and a number of other people to sit down. He didn't win the battle though everyone told him to shut up.[/quote]

If you sit DOWN at a Wisconsin Badger game (my alma mater) then you get punched. In the nuts. Really hard.
I think standing up is the thing to do, and it's too bad the broom-up-their-asses fans at Fed Ex probably never went to RFK. Stand up if you're a skins fan, y'all.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

They need more bathrooms. Your'e there drinking beer, and you gotta piss! You gotta wait 45 minutes in bathroom lines. God forbid you gotta take a dump!

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

Its funny that after the Giants game people said it was so loud and they were pumping in fan noise. This week its about the stadium not being loud enough.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=firstdown;361100]Its funny that after the Giants game people said it was so loud and they were pumping in fan noise. This week its about the stadium not being loud enough.[/quote]


no, if they had to have the speakers pumping out crowd noise, obviously it would be because the stadium was not loud enough.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=chrisl4064;361109]no, if they had to have the speakers pumping out crowd noise, obviously it would be because the stadium was not loud enough.[/quote]

And yet, there hasn't been any claims of fake crowd noise this week, when people are saying it was too quiet in the stadium.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=SanFranSkinsFan;360845]*** What an accurate quote. RFK is a shithole. but it was our shithole in a very sketchy area of DC. I loved coming off the green line at Stadium-Armory and seeing Native American rights protestors and the kids banging on bucket drum kits. But the reason the new stadium really sucks are:
1) Ticket prices
2) Corporate seating
3) Ticket brokers who buy too many tickets
4) Landover MARYLAND (There's a reason the Bullets/Caps left)
5) Transportation (Metro sucks with shuttle bus ride and parking cost more than a lapdance)
6) The fans
*RFK was always rocking and rolling, even when we sucked in the 80s and 90s (not often). Our fans are kinda weak now, kinda like the yuppie-dom that's going on in DC. But I'll take 3-1 over 1-3 at RFK anyday. Loving on JC.[/quote]

I think in terms of lap dances as well, monetarily speaking.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

There are talks to move the Redskins back to DC, mayor Fenty and Snyder are in an open discussion apparently! Fed Ex is a good stadium overall though, at the very least for the meantime!!!!

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

glad for this thread, w/JLC's article last week about us losing halftime leads, I posted that it seems at the beginning of games & the 2nd half, you can see a lot of empty seats. I figure this is just people coming & going in the rat race of fedex. It hurts us though when we don't have all the fans in it at the beginning of the 2nd half. that's when we need noise.

I'm a historic preservation advocate & sentimental by nature, so I'll always give RFK props, but so did Troy Aikman last week during the g-men game. He said in RFK the fans were right on top of you, and that's the way I remember it there. He said we "lost" some advantage moving to fedex.

Some of what people are complaining about here I haven't experienced personally, though I did have an older man at the 05 Dallas game tell me to sit down (was kinda ridiculous since by the 2nd qtr. the whole place was standing). I agree that a lot of it must be due to the corporate ticket sales, box seats & all else that the danny has done to maximize profit. I go to Va. Tech games regularly & I've seen a great difference over the last 8 years since I was in grad school. As the team has gotten better & more publicity prices have gone up & the AD has kicked a lot of old season ticket holders to the curb, in favor of new boosters that donate big $ to the school. This seems to have also resulted in less students & a less rowdy atmosphere. People never used to leave early, even in a blowout, but not people will leave in the 3rd qtr. if we're behind by 14.

Seems much the same w/Fedex. The common man that made RFK a special place is no longer the avg. fan, or at least there arent' as many of him around. It's all a product of the Danny's financial success & the popularity of football in general. I wish he would've renovated RFK, but I don't know if that was feasible or an option to begin with.

As a few here pointed out, the best we can hope for is for this team to keep winning. The crowd was a factor in the Dallas game in 05. We win next week the crowd noise should definitely increase when we come back to fedex vs. the cards.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

The only positive of fedex is I get more free tickets offered to me when people can't go since there are so many seats....I would not be able to afford season tickets right now so that is my only shot........PLus the tailgating is good...and you can save a lot of money by getting drunk in the lot before the game and can avoid the pricey beers. My two friends just got those seats behind those pillars.....rediculous. The thing that angers me the most is the $6 fee for the transfer buses from metro

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=freddyg12;361129]glad for this thread, w/JLC's article last week about us losing halftime leads, I posted that it seems at the beginning of games & the 2nd half, you can see a lot of empty seats. I figure this is just people coming & going in the rat race of fedex. It hurts us though when we don't have all the fans in it at the beginning of the 2nd half. that's when we need noise.

I'm a historic preservation advocate & sentimental by nature, so I'll always give RFK props, but so did Troy Aikman last week during the g-men game. He said in RFK the fans were right on top of you, and that's the way I remember it there. He said we "lost" some advantage moving to fedex.

Some of what people are complaining about here I haven't experienced personally, though I did have an older man at the 05 Dallas game tell me to sit down (was kinda ridiculous since by the 2nd qtr. the whole place was standing). I agree that a lot of it must be due to the corporate ticket sales, box seats & all else that the danny has done to maximize profit. I go to Va. Tech games regularly & I've seen a great difference over the last 8 years since I was in grad school. As the team has gotten better & more publicity prices have gone up & the AD has kicked a lot of old season ticket holders to the curb, in favor of new boosters that donate big $ to the school. This seems to have also resulted in less students & a less rowdy atmosphere. People never used to leave early, even in a blowout, but not people will leave in the 3rd qtr. if we're behind by 14.

Seems much the same w/Fedex. The common man that made RFK a special place is no longer the avg. fan, or at least there arent' as many of him around. It's all a product of the Danny's financial success & the popularity of football in general. I wish he would've renovated RFK, but I don't know if that was feasible or an option to begin with.

As a few here pointed out, the best we can hope for is for this team to keep winning. The crowd was a factor in the Dallas game in 05. We win next week the crowd noise should definitely increase when we come back to fedex vs. the cards.[/quote]To get season tic's to VT it does not take a big donation. I have three friends who have season tics and none of them have a ton of money to donate. I would say they are bigger fans who are willing to support the team with donations to the school. If you think about it who is going to donate money for season tics the casual fan or the diehard fan? I've been to a few games and cannot recall people leaven early unless its a big blow out.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=The Zimmermans;361138]The only positive of fedex is I get more free tickets offered to me when people can't go since there are so many seats....I would not be able to afford season tickets right now so that is my only shot........PLus the tailgating is good...and you can save a lot of money by getting drunk in the lot before the game and can avoid the pricey beers. My two friends just got those seats behind those pillars.....rediculous. The thing that angers me the most is the $6 fee for the transfer buses from metro[/quote]
To be fair those seat are sold as obstructed view and they do have to have something supporting the stadium.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

RFK was A FOOTBALL ROCKIN' house. Players and coaches STILL talk about how much they hated going to RFK

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

Here's something no one ever has brought up yet:
[LIST][*]Acoustics.[/LIST]
Most baseball parks, Like RFK, have a cover partially over the stands at the highest point, creating a lid the sound waves bounce off and and back onto the field.

Think of the trajectory of a pool cue ball you hit off the rail:
[LIST][*]angle of incidence equals angle of reflection[/LIST]The partial roof traps the sound in, and reflects it into the bowl, thus magnifying it.

The open bowl shape of FED EX allows much more sound to escape, the passing C-17's on the way to Anders AFB could hear it.

Thus, a crowd making the same noise at RFK would sound quieter at FedEx.

My seats are way up in level 402, and we are screaming our nuts off. Believe me.

J-Dawg

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

My father was a ticket holder at RFK during the winning and losing years. I am a ticket holder at a FedEx. There were two games in 2005 where I felt like I was back at RFK. The first one was against the giants. During the game we were doing the wave. We stood almost the entire game. Before it was over we were chanting we want Dallas. The second game was the Dallas game. It was insane. The place was electric. One big difference I see is that back in the day it didn't matter what the score was people cheered the skins on the entire time and they didn't leave until the game was over. Now people can't wait to get out. Way back when we tailgated before and after. We couldn't even get the wave started Sunday. With a few more wins hopefully that will change.

By the way I have a philosophy on the down in front - [B][U]If my seat is in front of yours I have priority.[/U][/B] If you want to sit the whole game pay the big bucks to be in the first row.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[quote=iluv2play76;361276]My father was a ticket holder at RFK during the winning and losing years. I am a ticket holder at a FedEx. There were two games in 2005 where I felt like I was back at RFK. The first one was against the giants. During the game we were doing the wave. We stood almost the entire game. Before it was over we were chanting we want Dallas. The second game was the Dallas game. It was insane. The place was electric. One big difference I see is that back in the day it didn't matter what the score was people cheered the skins on the entire time and they didn't leave until the game was over. Now people can't wait to get out. Way back when we tailgated before and after. We couldn't even get the wave started Sunday. With a few more wins hopefully that will change.

By the way I have a philosophy on the down in front - [B][U]If my seat is in front of yours I have priority.[/U][/B] If you want to sit the whole game pay the big bucks to be in the first row.[/quote]

great philosophy... if i ever go to another game ever again that is exactly what im going to say "i have priority" haha no better way to piss someone off.

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[QUOTE=Southpaw;361111]And yet, there hasn't been any claims of fake crowd noise this week, when people are saying it was too quiet in the stadium.[/QUOTE]
maybe its because the powers that be at fedex heard about the thread on the warpath saying they were pumping in noise and they got scared and didnt do it tihs week!!:cool-smil

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

They don't appreciate their employees.

FedEx is a crappy place to work. They pay well, but it's not worth it. :hitfan:

Re: Whats wrong with FedEx
 

[QUOTE=Southpaw;361111]And yet, there hasn't been any claims of fake crowd noise this week, when people are saying it was too quiet in the stadium.[/QUOTE]

I heard it again this week. It sounds to me like they turn the band microphones on and let the real crowd noise go over the speakers. It was loud at the Lions game when it needed to be.