Intergenerational Washington Fandom – An Interview with the “Junior”
April 14, 2022
By Paul Francis
I don’t know the average age of the Hog Sty readership but context clues tell me that we are generally an over-40 crowd. We cut our teeth in the days of football fandom when you picked a team and rooted for them. You watched whatever game was broadcasting on the local channel of the major network. And Monday Night Football was about football instead of product placement, gaggles of talking heads with Twitter accounts, and pop stars serenading Al and Chris. For folks like us, the glory years of Joe Gibbs set the backdrop for our Washington experience.
It’s been more than 30 years since Washington won its last Super Bowl. Joe Gibbs retired, unretired, then retired. A younger generation of fans has cropped up that have no firsthand knowledge of the Gibbs Glory years. Many of them root for players, not teams. Between NFL Sunday Ticket and pirated internet streams, they can watch whatever game they want. And Monday Night Football now sometimes happens on Thursday night…or is it Saturday night…or is it both?
Times have changed, and so has NFL fandom. Within the Paul Francis household, I have witnessed a passing of the torch as my 16 year old son has become every bit the passionate miserable Washington fan that his father is and more. It’s been an interesting phenomenon watching my son blossom into a full-blown football junkie. I find him watching cut-ups of college prospects on All-22 film (that he ordered with my credit card!), live-streaming commentary during the draft, and reporting to me almost daily on what some idiots have posted on Instagram about the team. Things I never did – or could do – when I was his age.
The 40-somethings and older remain an important and core demographic, but the future lies with the next generation. This has become even more acutely the case here in Washington as we dawn a new era of the Commanders. Truth be told, Dan, Jason and the gang need my son to be psyched about the Commanders more than they need me. It’s got me wondering…what is it really like being a next-gen Washington fan? What will make them tick, and is there a going to be the kind of legacy for the Commanders that we 40-pluses have with the Redskins?
As we wait patiently for the next FA signing, the draft, or the newest Dan Snyder scandal (whichever may come first), I decided to do a brief interview with 16 year old Junior, and pick his brain a bit about his Washington football experience:
What is your earliest Washington Redskins memory?
I really started getting into the Redskins when RG3 was a rookie. My first memory was his long rushing TD against the Vikings in 2012. For almost 10 years he was my favorite player. That was one of the few years when I was happy with the team. Another early memory I remember was the huge comeback we had against the Bucs around 5 years ago.
What is the highlight(s) of your time as a Redskins/WFT/Commanders fan?
Scary Terry’s ascendence, RG3 rookie year, Taylor Heinicke vs the Buccaneers (2021), and losing to the Giants to lock up Chase Young!
How do you think the 2022 season will go? Why?
I think our record will show that we are a decently competitive team. I’d say 9-8 to 12-5. I say this because last year we had the hardest schedule in the league in a Covid/injury-riddled year with a backup QB starting. Now, we have the easiest schedule in the league and a starting caliber QB that fits the passing system well. As long as we stay healthy, anything under .500 is a disappointment for me.
Who is your favorite current Commanders player?
Easily McLaurin. Charismatic, one of the best fundamentally sound receivers in the league, makes spectacular plays, a great leader, and puts the team first. What’s not to love?
What do you think would be the best draft outcome for Commanders?
Either somehow having Sauce Gardener falling to 11; or trading back to the 20’s, grabbing a 2nd round pick and a mid-rounder in the process, and drafting Treylon Burks.
Do you like what Commanders have done so far in FA? What else needs to happen in your opinion?
No. I hate it, actually. Other than the Wentz move, we’ve done nothing basically. We cut Flowers to downgrade at G and cut Ioannidis for what appears to be no reason. What’s the point in clearing cap if we aren’t gonna use it? We waited too long to get a MLB and now instead of potentially getting a guy like Rashaan Evans, we have to settle for a Joe Schobert at best.
You play football at your high school. What do most of the kids your age at school think of Washington Commanders? How many are local kids and how many are fans?
They think the Commanders are garbage and horribly run, often calling them a poverty franchise, which is fair criticism to an extent. I’d say about 70% of the local teens have bandwagoned to other teams.
How much do you care about the controversial ownership tenure of Dan Snyder? Does that affect your fanhood?
Oh I care about that a ton. He’s the reason we haven’t won anything the past 30 years. So many awful signings, busts, and lack of ethics due to him. Once we’re rid of him we could be a decent team.
What kind of future do you think Washington has with your generation of fans? What would it take to win others like you over?
As long as Snyder’s the owner not a bright one. Maybe if Wentz has a resurgence or we draft a good QB for once we’d get some bandwagon fans. McLaurin also has a huge role in winning over new fans.
Do you like the new Commanders identity (name, uniforms, logo, etc)?
The name is fine. I would’ve preferred Redwolves, but obviously we weren’t allowed that due to copyright stuff, but Commanders is the next best option for me. I love the jerseys. They have the really clean ones that anyone can get behind (the burgundy ones) and the new interesting ones that still look cool (the white and black ones). The logos however I hate. We got an updated “W” and a soccer crest. No thanks.
Do you regret my influence in your life pushing you to be a Washington fan?
I don’t think so honestly. It’s taught me to be patient and makes me relish the small things as a fan (like a 9-7 year) and if it weren’t for you, I’d probably be a Ravens fan, which would’ve been an upgrade for sure, but it’s not like the Ravens are the Patriots or anything.
I remember years ago probably 2010 or 2011, that you started talking about becoming a Ravens fan. Do you remember that? Why didn’t you switch ultimately?
I do vaguely remember that. I didn’t switch because of how electric RG3 was.
Do you see yourself leaving the Commanders? If you did, what team do you think you’d root for?
I’m in too deep to leave now.
Let me be honest. I don’t know why my son is a fan of this team. But he is. I am a Washington-guy anchored in the Gibbs Glory years born, bred and raised in the DMV. I am in too deep. He is not. He could jettison easily and casually like so many his age. Can you imagine having your best memories of the team revolve around RG3? Or genuinely be excited about the prospect of a 9-7 season? Wow. When I press him on these thoughts, he maintains that there’s no place to go but up. And that there is something hopeful about the bar for success being so low that a simple winning season could bring him joy. And maybe there is something to that; maybe the glory-memories of the Gibbs years for my generation have somehow become a weight over time instead of a joy. He probably takes on too much of the mold of his overly-loyal father, and for that I am both proud and saddened (for him) at the same time. But he eschews the bandwagoning nature of his generation, and I’ve got to hand it to him for calling that out. I don’t know what it is in him that keeps him in the Washington fold. But at the end of the day it’s fun, it’s bonding, it’s memory-making for us. And so whatever else might be happening on or off the field with the Commanders; it’s football playing the role that it should.
And the Commanders had better be praying that there are a lot more 16 year olds out there like my son!