The Tough Life of a 22-Year-Old Redskins Fan

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

I still remember my first memory of watching the National Football League. It was January 1992 and the Washington Redskins were about to win Super Bowl XXVI.

I was five years old, and man was football fun to watch.

My parents had plenty of friends and family over my house to watch and celebrate Joe Gibbs' third championship in nine seasons. We played Hail to the Redskins after every score, and I had learned every word by the end.

I fell in love with football that night and with the Washington Redskins. My father groomed me into a fanatic.  If I only knew what I was about to get myself into.

Stress, agony, heartbreak, death, frustration, excitement, impatience, anticipation, annoyance, and high expectations. These are just the feelings I can think of off the top of my head.

I honestly can’t remember much about Gibbs' last season the following year. They made the playoffs, advanced a round, and then he retired.

Between his retirement and eventual return to the sideline, the Redskins' record was 74-101. This 11-year period was forgettable to say the least. There was one division title and playoff win in 2000.

Norv Turner and new owner Daniel Snyder (names synonymous with winning) led the team to within a botched field goal snap of a possible NFC Championship game in 2000.  It was about as bad as Tony Romo's botched hold for those who do not remember.

The Skins lost 14-13, and that is when Mr. Snyder became famous in NFL circles and a laughingstock of football fans everywhere.

Months after the loss, Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Mark Carrier, and Jeff George all signed with the team as free agents. Chris Samuels and LaVar Arrington were drafted second and third overall.

Giggity!! We are going to win it all!!!

Or so Redskins nation thought.

Nope, we finished 8-8 a huge disappointment. To add insult to injury, the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl that year.

I live 30 miles north of Washington DC, which means 20 miles south of Baltimore. You get the picture; all of a sudden I am the only kid still rocking a Darrell Green jersey. All I see is purple, EVERYWHERE.

All the kids in class apparently have “always been Ravens fans.”

Did they know the difference between Peter Boulware and Jermaine Lewis? No. All they knew was Ray Lewis and Marvin Lewis. Hell, that’s all they needed to know.

The Redskins were no longer the favorite team in town.

This was when things began going from bad to worse. Now every man is rocking purple in town. Nobody likes the Redskins nationally anymore either because of Snyder’s annual spending sprees every offseason.

This still rings true at this very moment. It just doesn’t seem right.

Finally a moment of happiness arrives when Norv Turner is fired, only to be replaced by Marty Schottenheimer. They started the year 0-5, yet somehow rebounded to finish 8-8.

Great, we’re making progress now. Stephen Davis was running like a beast, Arrington was becoming a defensive force, and the team was playing smart football.  

About two weeks later reports surface that Snyder was having dinner with the one and only Steve Spurrier fresh off of an Orange Bowl victory over my Maryland Terrapins. 

Marty Ball out, Fun n’ Gun in.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?