For Redskins, importance of training camp extends beyond the field

With training camp at our doorstep, the future of the Redskins roster is ready to take shape.

Training camp is a time for young players to prove themselves, for veterans to show the ropes to the rookies, and for once forgotten football names to earn their chance to strap up the pads on Sundays.

But for fans, there is something special about training camp. In a way, training camp provides them with a taste of what they’ve been missing all spring and summer long. It gives them a chance to see football in a way that they may never otherwise get the chance to see.

Most importantly, it connects the fanbase to the team in a special way. You fall in love with the underdog player trying to make the team. You cheer on the new free agent signings, and you just can’t stop watching how good it looks when a football is thrown with such a perfect spiral.

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For kids, it’s a chance to meet their idols, and see first-hand what it takes to be a professional football player. It’s experiences like these that help young kids grow up to make their own kids fans. Seeing the game as a kid first-hand shows you that football, as cliche as it sounds, is more than just a game.

I know because I was one of them.

I was seven years old in 2005, and my dad took me and my brothers to Ashburn to watch training camp for the first time. Of course, I was a Washington Redskins fan from the moment I could remember. In my house, Sundays in the fall included morning Mass and Redskins football.

That was it. I was hooked.

But seeing the burgundy and gold in person gave me a new perspective on what it was to be a fan. Meeting the Redskins stars like Sean Taylor, LaVar Arrington, Chris Samuels, Mark Brunell, Clinton Portis, and so many others reminded me that football meant more than just a game to these guys. They loved being with the fans. They loved meeting the kids and talking about songs or movies on the sideline. I learned that football was, like most sports, something that brought people together.

Training camp gives access to fans that, during the season, they would never otherwise get. Football has come a long way since the days of tryouts and summer practices in small college towns. Access during the season is extremely limited, and fans, for the most part, can only watch from a distance.

But that is what makes training camp so special. It gives fans access to watch their teams play, and to watch their stars go to work. It gives the players a chance to meet their fans, and connect with the people who cheer them on.

So as the quarterback battle heats up in D.C., and the positional battles are fought in Richmond, keep in mind how much impact the play on the field extends to the roped-off sections where the fans are. Who knows; there may be a chance somewhere along the line for a kid to fall in love with their team, just the way I did.