Redskins learn nothing from 2008's Fan Appreciation Day debacle

July 10, 5:06 PMDC Sports Business ExaminerRobert Webster

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Do you feel appreciated yet? (WPost)

The Redskins are circulating the annual email encouraging fans to sign up for a free pass to watch select team training camp drills from July 30th to August 8th.  The final date is Fan Appreciation Day, which is scheduled to occur at Redskins Park again despite last year's debacle.  A reported number of 28,000 fans made it through the gates of a facility completely inadequate to accommodate that number, with thousands more being turned away or giving up entirely.  (To make matters worse, the featured scrimmage was ended early, further short-changing fans who were supposed to be shown appreciation by the team that day.)

Some friends and I headed to the event hours before the scrimmage, only to be greeted by a huge traffic snarl as we turned from Route 28 onto Waxpool Road approaching Redskins Park.  Later reports from the team's own website revealed that "lines of cars began forming before sunrise" on roads ill-equipped to handle the volume of cars that came.  We turned around after a half-hour of waiting and didn't worry about missing out as we planned to attend the Redskins-dominated Hall of Fame ceremonies a few days later.  However, the debacle was poorly received by numerous fans at a time where Redskins brass have good seats available at FedEx Field and need to market the team more effectively than by holding an event at a location that cannot sustain it.

A spokesman said at the time that the organization would re-evaluate the event and its location, which without question should be held annually at FedEx Field in the same manner of the draft day event.  The only fathomable reason the Redskins have refused to move the event is compliance with the new marketing partnership the team has with Loudoun County , for which the county is paying the Redskins $100,000.  If that's the reason, it's a bad one unless some major changes have occurred at Redskins Park or the roadways unbeknownst to the general public.  In the meantime, team officials should start lining those roadways with Port-O-Johns to show how much they appreciate the next group of fans daring enough to sit in gridlock in early August en route to Fan Appreciation Day.