Redskins: Analyzing the fan experience at FedEx Field

The Washington Redskins struggled to fill their stadium in the home opener against Indianapolis, but there is a bigger struggle with the fans.

It was painful to watch the Washington Redskins flounder against the Colts in the home opener, but it was also encouraging to see the team rebound against the Green Bay Packers the following week. As a result, fans have been displaying a wide range of emotions early in the 2018 season. There have been times when anger, disappointment, disillusionment, and indifference plagued the Redskins faithful. In what seems like the flip of a switch, the same fans have been deliriously happy, encouraged, and excited during the bye week. However, there is a greater struggle for many fans that was on display during the home opener.

The Redskins home opener was a disaster on the football field, as the burgundy and gold failed to score a touchdown in the humiliating loss to the Colts. Another disaster was unfolding off the field. For the first time in fifty years, the Redskins failed to sell-out all of their tickets to a home game, per Tom Schad of USA Today. A little over fifty-seven thousand fans attended the game at FedEx Field, a stadium that boasts a capacity of 82,000. A waiting list for season tickets that spanned many decades was no longer existent – a shocking turn of events. Even more embarrassing was the number of Colts fans in attendance, which indicates that there were far fewer Redskins fans at the game – perhaps as low as 50,000.

Is FedEx Field the reason why attendance is down? Let’s take a look. The website Stadium Journey conducted a thoroughly researched review of the Landover, Maryland based stadium and had many notable observations of the Redskins home field. The “Fanfare Score” they use rates the stadium at 3.29 on a 1-5 scale. It isn’t a highly favorable score, but it is not a disaster either. The “Crowd Score” rates a 3 on the same scale. More or less, that is average at best. In this review, FedEx Field has some good ratings and some negative ratings. The review is basically one of mediocrity – not bad or good, just one that is unexceptional.

Is FedEx Field too big? Shortly before the new stadium opened in 1997, the Redskins reportedly had a massive waiting list for season tickets – perhaps as much as 200,000 souls wanting the coveted tickets. FedEx haS 35,000 more seats than longtime home stadium RFK had in Washington. There was still a big waiting list – a good problem for the team to have, and knowing a 90,000 seat venue would be filled to capacity from day one was certainly a plus. Fast forward to 21 years later, and the Redskins no longer have such a waiting list, and the fifty-year sellout streak ended with the first home game of the new season.

Why did the attendance at FedEx Field suddenly shrink? Was it all the losing seasons, poor performances, and falling short of expectations from the Redskins over the years? Is it the high cost of tickets? Does the elevated costs for parking keep fans at home? Do the inflated prices for food and drink items chase fans away? The answer might be ‘all of the above’.

The Redskins record since 1997 is 148-193-2. In that span, they have won two NFC East Division titles and produced five playoff teams. In other words, the franchise has produced very little on the field, and that could certainly lead to an apathetic fan base.

The cost of tickets is an issue as well. In a recent CBS News research piece, the Redskins were found to have the highest cost for tickets in the league. The cost for parking is also expensive as mentioned in several of the aforementioned articles. The same holds true for food and beverages.  Keep in mind that you can’t bring your own food and beverages into the stadium. These are problems for FedEx Field and the Redskins.

There are ways to mitigate many of these costs. For example, the Redskins recently announced a four-game package at a lower cost per game. That is a good first step and it can lower the price for tickets if you want to attend more than one contest this season. Another way to cut costs is ride sharing with fellow fans. By sharing the cost for parking, the “damage” to your wallet will be far lower. Tailgating with plenty of food and drink before and after the game would certainly lower the cost – there would be no need to purchase food items in the stadium. Yes, you should stay properly hydrated during early season games, but going to a game later in the season reduces the need for having any kind of drinks during the game.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to lower the cost at FedEx Field. Going to any contest is not cheap, but I still recommend going to an NFL game – especially when the Redskins are playing. The NFL experience at any stadium is truly an adventure that is not to be missed. Fans say that winning cures everything and that point can’t be argued. Let’s hope for a lot of winning and improved attendance at FedEx Field.