Brett Haber's Commentary on Redskins Fan Mistreatment

Now a thought tonight on what we used to think was a partnership between the Redskins and you -- their fans... lately, it seems less like a partnership and more like a dictatorship, where you pay the taxes in the form of tickets and parking and merchandise and food, but then you have your rights stripped away by the king. We saw it this Monday at FedEx Field, as any fans who brought signs and posters even remotely critical of the owner, saw those signs confiscated. Even some chants and cheers were silenced by team security, with several fans ejected from the stadium -- not because the chants were obscene or offensive, but because they dared to question the authority of the owner.

 

Then last night, more of your rights curtailed, as the team declared that fans, could no longer speak their minds to television cameras while on FedEx Field property, including the parking lots. The team claimed this rule has been in effect forever, which of course we know and you know is patently untrue because, as you can see here, we and every other TV station, including their own TV partners, have interviewed tailgaters at every game since the dawn of time. We spoke with the NFL tonight and they confirm that no such rules exist on a league-wide basis -- if a team wants to allow signs and interviews with fans, they can.

It is an affront to those who support this team. Dan Snyder will take your money, but he doesn't want to hear your complaints... granted it's his team and his stadium, he can do what he wants, but just in case you're wondering. Look at a map of FedEx Field. Free speech is not allowed anywhere in this picture, but then the Redskins called us and said fans can speak to the media on all the sidewalks. Then we found out, those sidewalks are owned by the County, and the Redskins can't control what happens there anyway.

 

This has become a national story -- ESPN devoted time to it just this morning -- not that the Redskins have a bad football team -- that's not a crime, but that their relationship with their fans is deteriorating. But we think the fan's voice needs to be heard... that's why we're creating a forum for you to say all the things the Redskins won't let you say and all the signs they won't let you display -- and we'll put them on TV. Just go to our website, wusa9.com and click on "Skins Sound-off". Once there, upload photos of your signs, and videos of your chants and songs and cheers and messages, and we'll show them. Because we believe in free speech, and we believe the fans should have a voice. And we believe that one man, no matter how consumed he might be about controlling his and his team's message, doesn't really have that power. Owning the team does not mean owning the thoughts of an entire city.

Written by Brett Haber
9SPORTS NOW & wusa9.com