Monday, June 22, 2009

Snyder continues to careless about the fans


Since purchasing the Redskins in May 1999, Daniel Snyder has spend millions of dollars on free agency and traded countless draft picks. And it results in mostly a mediocre season like an 8-8, 7-9, or worst. Sure there were two playoff seasons in 2005 and 2007 with Joe Gibbs, but the team has been mediocre for mostly this decade under the Snyder regime. In addition, Snyder set outrageous prices for parking, food, and season tickets.

And today the team announced new tailgating and parking polices before every Redskins game at FedEx Field.

The team announced that they will open a new parking lot with additional 3,000 parking spaces. They have also reworked traffic patterns to handle the flow of incoming and outgoing traffic.

More importantly, fans will parked their vehicles at a specfic lot directed from any parking attendent at the stadium instead of choosing their own spot.

Tailgating however, will only be permitted in the last few rows of each lot, and it will no longer be allowed in the platinum lots.

In other words, fans who want to tailgate and spend time with their friends will be parked at the back of the lots, and for others who simply want to attend the game will be parked closest to the stadium.

In the past, parking spots were given on a first-come, first-served basis and fans could arrive at dawn and take up several spots in the front row closest to the stadium and tailgate from there on.

Here is one of the fans comments on this new policy from Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog.

"My fear is we will lose the sense of community we have developed in the lots. I have made personal friendships with neighboring tailgaters over the last five years, and with this new policy, everything we have done the past five years is gone."

According to Redskins officials, the policy was implemented to make the game day experience more fun and decrease traffic congestion around the stadium.

"Like other stadiums, we found that fans consider this system a true enhancement to their game-day experience," Gershman said. "It helps us get maintenance, security, or medical staff moving faster and more efficiently if the need arises."

Honestly, I never been to a Redskin game at FedEx due to the high costs of parking and tickets, and the last Redskin game I attended was at RFK several years back. But judging from the fans comments on Steinberg's bog and the fact that the Redskins ranked 25th for fan experience at NFL Stadiums last season, this move is probably another way for Snyder to eat up consumers wallets despite an ongoing recession.

Parking at Fed Ex field generally costs from $25-30 per game, and add another 3,000 parking spaces, Synder is easily gonna make more money from this move. And while the Redskins are still one of the proudest franchises and one of the largest fan bases in the league, Snyder continues to alienate his fans, and this move in no exception.

So not only Snyder puts a mediocre team on the field, but he ripoffs season ticket holders and die hard fans. The way its going, its only a matter of time before TV Blackouts could occur here, and fans could cancel their season tickets.

Then again, for fans who parked closest to the stadium and are very annoyed by dealing with drunken tailgaters while trying to simply walk to the stadium, this move is a huge victory for them.

Redskins Explaining the New Tailgating and Parking System
Redskins to Restrict Large Tailgate Parties

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