WASHINGTON — On a stunning spring day in Navy Yard, a lot of people were celebrating what felt like a new regional holiday: The Commanders "New Start Day", or the day a once-beloved team saw end of the Dan Snyder era.
Hope springs eternal, but after 17 years without winning even a single playoff game, Commanders fans are feeling particularly inspired by word that Snyder is nearing a deal to sell the team to an ownership group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris.
"Dan Snyder is a really atrocious human being," said Capitol Hill resident Logan Hollers. "Very happy he’ll be out of our lives. This hopefully puts the Commanders on a new path."
Out eating a yogurt parfait with his wife Ally, and dog Copper, Nationals relief pitcher Hobie Harris was cheering word of the Commanders sale. Harris is from Dallas, and more of a fan of the Cowboys, but he's celebrating the possibility of a revival of the legendary Washington-Dallas rivalry that fizzled with the Commanders record.
"As a new resident of D.C., it would be cool to see the rebuilding of a historic franchise," the pitcher said. "And for me, it would be cool to rekindle that rivalry on a big stage."
Kevin Franklin, a lifelong Washington fan, was unloading wine cases wearing sunglasses embossed with the old team logo and dreaming of the future.
"Been a long time," he lamented. "We need to go to the playoffs, Super Bowl and everything else."
Of course, Snyder may be laughing all the way to the bank. He bought the team in 1999 for $800 million and is said to be selling it for around $6 billion.
Phil Ward was visiting with his two daughters from the UK. He’s a football fan, and even in London, he’s heard of Washington’s owner.
"I know Dan Snyder," he said with a smirk. "I’m happy, as an Eagles fan, how bad he is."
But what’s perhaps surprising is how hard it is to find people on the streets who even follow the Commanders, who now rank near the bottom of the NFL for attendance. That's a big change from 24 years ago when fans had to wait years to get season tickets.
In a season of rebirth, there's hope a new ownership team will bring back the team's former glory.