Redskins Demise? The Washington Capitals

I have this little theory. It’s kind of out there, but I think one day-possibly soon- it’s going to come true.

If the Washington Capitals win a Stanley Cup, a generation of Redskins fans will never cease to be. It sickens me to write this article, but if the Redskins don’t get on a winning track soon, fans might start jumping ship from Fed Ex Field to the Verizon Center.

Let me give you a little background before I investigate into the possible demise of one of the greatest fan bases in all of sports.

The Washington Redskins are what winning sports were founded on in our Nation’s Capital. The Redskins were an elite NFL team from the 1983-1993. The ‘Skins missed the playoffs only twice in that 11 year span and dictated the NFL with Four Super Bowl appearances and Three Vince Lombardi Trophies under legendary Coach Joe Gibbs.

All of this will become ancient history if the Washington Capitals win the 2010 Stanley Cup.

Why? Because I am a 21-year-old die-hard Washington sports fan, and I’ve never seen sports success in Washington DC. Taking a line from the Sandlot, it’s been FOR-EV-ER.  

I’ve never seen the Wizards win a division title (their last was 1979) and have witnessed only one playoff series win. Sure I got to see Michael Jordan, only he seemed like a Boxer who couldn’t let go. Even worse MJ botched the only number one pick we’ve had, Kwame Brown.

I’ve seen the Orioles get robbed by a 13-year-old Yankee fan in 1996, a year in which baseball for me was like a drug. I even made the switch to becoming a Nationals fan in 2005 (yeah that’s going well..) after watching Peter Angelos make all the wrong moves, cementing Baltimore’s spot in the AL East basement for 12 years.

And I’ve sat through dozens of Redskin losses that ate at your skin all week.  Sometimes the losses were so embarrassing I was mortified to go to school the next day. I could blame my Redskins for only giving me three playoff berths in my lifetime, but I won’t because I’m loyal. I’ll explain soon.

The one sport I could never really get into for some reason was Hockey. Probably because I could barley ride a bike, let alone ice skate. And now that the Capitals are running the NHL, I find myself a bandwagon fan, unable to truly enjoy their success unlike if it was the Wizards, Nat’s or especially my Redskins.

My Parents grew up during the 1980’s. This era will be remembered for its goofy neon outfits, heavy cocaine use and a time when the Redskins never seemed to disappoint its fan base, thus over time, making ‘Skins fans amongst the most loyal in all of sports. These Parents passed down “their” Redskins to their children, reminding them daily of how good times used to be at RFK Stadium or the Super Bowls they physically attended. I still get the chills each time my Dad talks about John Riggins breaking his famous 4th down run to beat the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.  

You want to know the Capitals history? HAH. Since 1983 the Caps have made 20 playoff appearances. Not too shabby, except for the fact that they were bounced out of the first round 12 of those times. The Caps made one measly Stanley Cup appearance in 1997, but were mopped up by the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-0 sweep. The Caps history doesn’t scare me, it’s their future combined with the Redskins longest drought in franchise history that has me shaking in my Nikes.

A 54 win season, 121 points and almost non-arguably the most talented player in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin, has the Washington Capitals soaring to new heights the franchise has only dreamt about. Capitals tickets are the hardest to get in town, and it’s no secret why. This team is young enough to control the Eastern Conference for years. The Caps are planting the perfect seeds for a blossoming new fan base, who are sick of the same losing teams.

Before you Capitals fans chime in and say the Capitals already are the class of Washington DC sports, show me a Championship. This is how Sports are measured and this is why we love them so much. The glory of being a true fan of the last team standing is something you will pass onto your children. Trust me, I know.

With that being said, anything short of a Stanley Cup Trophy should be viewed as a failure for the Capitals. If your team has its best season in 36 years, a championship should be the final result to show for it, especially if you have the league’s MVP and the top four +/- players in the league. A Stanley Cup will legitimize this franchise that has seen a rise in their bandwagon, rightfully so, due to its recent success.

Although the NHL may not see their TV contract as an advantage from an overall league standpoint, I see it as a great advantage in creating fan bases.

The NHL broadcasts a weekly game on Versus (Gary Betman is a joke of a Commissioner) and NBC gets a weekly Sunday game following the end of the NFL season. This means to become a serious NHL fan you must follow your local team, thus also getting to see the rest of the league.

This limited amount of coverage also makes fans more inclined to come to games. See for example the Capitals rise in attendance, now number one in the NHL. The average Redskins season ticket price is face valued at $79, 10th highest in the NFL. The average Capital season ticket is face valued at $44, 21st in the NHL.

The combination of DirecTV and the RedZone channel is in directly crippling NFL fanbases who would rather watch from home, follow their fantasy team, not wait in line at the bathroom and have their wife bring them beer and nachos. I know of several fans that have traded in their Redskins season tickets for Capitals tickets simply for that factor alone.

Going to NFL games now almost seems like a job, with the traffic, parking and non-stop drunk heckling (yes I take apart in the heckling). How can the Redskins compete with the Capitals? How about consistently winning? Football and the NFL will reign supreme in America for a longtime coming, but will it in Washington DC?

The pressure is on the Redskins, especially Mike Shanahan. This town hasn’t had a football coach willing to lead his men into battle since Joe Gibbs part one. With the arrival of Quarterback Donovan McNabb (nicknamed Don Burgandy amongst us diehards) and GM Bruce Allen, the Redskins finally seem to have proven winners in all three key positions of leadership. Fans were clamoring for a long needed rebuilding project. But after gutting the team of so-so veterans (Randle El, Cartwright, Griffin, Smoot, etc.) and replacing them with their own hand-picked older players (Johnson, Parker, Buchannan) maybe Shanahan and Allen see that this team can win now?

Bottom line: if the Redskins don’t succeed with this regime, will they ever? If they don’t make a deep, deep playoff run during the Shanahan era, then I myself might have to consider jumping ship to the Capitals bandwagon (if there is still room).

The only hurdle really in the Caps way is overcoming its sorry playoff history. If they are able to win a Stanley Cup, new loyal fans will be born, like my Parents were, and will overthrow the Redskins fan base domination since the 1980’s. I’m scared to say when we look back on 2010’s, will we remember the goofy neon outfits, the heavy marijuana use and the Washington Capitals never seeming to disappoint its fan base, making Washington DC a hockey town?

So what is it going to be Ovechkin? I’ve laid out the evidence arguing your Capitals are ready to take over the Washington DC sports scene. Are you going to lead the Capitals to the promise land and make the Washington era, particularly young kids fall in love with Hockey? Are you going to make the Redskins-for once- the second fiddle in town? Or are you going to repeat Capitals history and the current Washington DC sports trend and choke away another promising season?  

Okay. Before you come and look up my address and burn my house down, I am still supporting the Capitals. I’ll Rock the Red, yell for Ovi and hope Varlamov doesn’t melt down like he did last year in game 7 verses the Penguins. But in the back of my mind I’ll be thinking of the Redskins glory days, and how watching the Capitals steal their thunder will add to the many sad moments of my DC sports fan hood.