Ashburn Syndrome, or reason for optimism for Washington Football Team?

The importance of Donaldson’s hire

From a fan’s perspective, Donaldson may be the most impactful hire. In an era of content that comes from so many different sources, Donaldson will have the ability to do something we haven’t seen from this organization in decades; she can help this organization become transparent. Transparency in 2020 is more important then ever.

Let’s face it, the organization has experienced apathy for years now. It’s grown to the point where attendance and TV ratings have plummeted. A once proud fan base needs to rejuvenated. Sure, we all know winning cures all. But transparency matters. Fans want to feel like they matter. They want to hear from the leaders of the organization, even more-so when things are going poorly.  We want to see direction.

We’re engulfed in a society of content and it comes from every direction. But we love it, we ingest it like Joey Chestnut does hot dogs at a Nathan’s contest. We like behind-the-scene looks, we like hearing from players, coaches, and front office executives. We like to know the name of Ryan Kerrigan’s dog. But why do these things matter if winning is all that matters? Because transparency makes it personal.

I love winning as much as anyone, trust me; I’ve lost my hair over the losing! But you know what allows me to leave any given Sunday as a winner, even if the team loses? It’s because I made the experience personal by the people I surround myself with. We desperately need this from the organization and I’m confident that Julie Donaldson is the right person to accomplish it. We’ve already seen the positive changes in the few weeks she’s been with the team. I’m very excited to see what she has in store.

Have you ever noticed when you’re in the presence of positive, high-character people that you feel better about yourself? The energy is different. For far too long, this organization has been led by incompetence, and they’ve been spiteful and non-transparent.

I have no idea if any of this will result in winning Super Bowls again. I’m level-headed enough to know there are many moving parts that need to come together perfectly, and it’s difficult and never guaranteed. Winning also takes some luck. Most will agree that good things happen to good people. Well, we’ve got good people in Washington now, and I’d expect that luck to come to return.

Synopsis: This isn’t Ashburn Syndrome; it’s a real reason for optimism.