Jeff Bezos Linked To Washington Football Team
February 24, 2021
by Dave Earl
[EDITOR’S NOTE: We are excited to introduce our new writer, Dave Earl. He’s going to focus on opinion columns here at The Hog Sty – this is the first of many. Please welcome him to the team.]
The Dan Snyder Fatigue
There is certainly a well-known history which surrounds Dan and this proud organization many understand all too well. I could spend the next 500 words easily hashing out what we already know, but who seriously wants to read that again? For those just new to this (or enjoy torturing yourself) check out a column published here on The Hog Sty back in 2019, Dan Snyder Has A Problem (click here to read), keeping in mind 2020 isn’t even covered here. The frustrations and anger have always been certain:
It took 4 weeks for a QB change, it took 5 weeks for fans to want Rivera and Turner fired. It took 20 years of Dan Snyder to ruin our franchise and make us all toxic and hate each other.
— WFT💯 (@_mattschoen_) October 11, 2020
I hate you Dan Snyder.
I try to never hate anyone, it’s poison for your soul. But you don’t care about the fans or the football team. You care about yourself and the money you can bilk from this fan base. You’re incompetent and a coward. And for that, I hate you.
— Jon Nestor (@thatJonNestor) January 11, 2019
.@Redskins #FireBruceAllen #FireBruceAllen #FireBruceAllen #FireBruceAllen #SelltheTeam #SelltheTeam #SelltheTeam #FireBruceAllen Everyone, even non fans, hate you both: Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen https://t.co/Mkj2o5QzMD
— Thomas (@tvmtaylor) December 20, 2019
Please make Dan Snyder sell the team please make Dan Snyder sell the team please make Dan Snyder sell the team please make Dan Snyder sell the team please make Dan Snyder sell the team please make Dan Snyder sell the team please make Dan Snyder sell the team please make Dan Snyd
— Distressed Hopkins Fan (@diggstape) July 16, 2020
It would be unfair to ignore the strides made over the last year by Dan Snyder. Hiring Ron Rivera, Jason Wright and Julie Donaldson while letting trusted advisors go produced an offseason of change unlike in the past. The organization’s culture shift was highly noticeable through the season being steered by these newly hired FO personnel. Yet, with that said, offseason controversy still found a way into the fold. It just became apparent Dan Snyder couldn’t get out of his own way; thus, fans began coming back in spite of Dan.
In Comes Jeff Bezos
It’s fair to say fans have jumped on this idea as being rescued from a fiery pit of hell. The concern isn’t who is potentially saving us but just the fact we are being pulled from eternal misery. The mere idea of moving on from Dan is just enough to blindly garner support for someone else, but is it wise? Would a Jeff Bezos run team truly be that much better?
From a pure business aspect, absolutely, as Jeff turned a small online book store into a one stop online shop. While scrutinized for making record profits during the pandemic and suspected poor handling of his employees[1], Jeff has continued to forge ahead. During critical lockdowns Amazon naturally became society’s life line especially to those most susceptible to COVID-19. Jeff Bezos’ business acumen and savvy is obviously apparent and doesn’t need in depth discussion, whereas the culture he brings has been very questionable.
Culture has become top priority for this organization as we recover from the “The culture is actually DAMN good” days to a full transformation. Through a coach-centric approach Ron Rivera has assembled not only a good staff but an environment conducive to establishing a new day. With the help of Jason Wright and Julie Donaldson we’ve seen quite a positive transformation. Now would Jeff Bezos fit into this new structure? While many have thrived under him over the years, Jeff has an approach to staff that may not essentially translate over to the NFL[2]. Ron and company certainly appreciate honesty and a forward approach, but make no mistake – the respectful treatment of staff members won’t be compromised.
Is Change For Sake Of Change Wise?
It’s like that adage “Be careful what you wish for” because supporting a change through emotion and anger can certainly come back to bite you. Sure, some will point to his running of the Washington Post as a hands off approach, but Jeff Bezos has spent his life as the only person who matters in the room. An approach which counters what Ron Rivera is building right now, which has brought hope back to this organization, isn’t what we need. As a Jeff Bezos ownership may bring initial calm to the waters, he is certainly going to want a complete clean slate from prior ownership. While Jeff is an unquestioned genius on the business end, are we sure that will translate to a successful football operation?
I say lets allow this current regime to play out as Dan’s final chance. The outing of Dan Snyder is a ripple in the water that will affect everything else in time. The last thing this organization needs right now is to see Ron Rivera and company removed prematurely as we begin to see positive changes. Although the cheerleading scandal could result in league discipline sure there’s no sense that Dan will be forced to sell. To the fan base, I personally suggest we not force an issue that uproots what we see developing today. I agree Dan has certainly exhausted most (if not all) of his lives but sometimes taking a step back emotionally could bring about a logical end result.
[1] https://www.google.com/amp/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-cashing-in-on-pandemic-at-workers-expense-is-immoral-says-rep-tlaib-210525232.html