Why the Washington Football Team should not tank in 2020
By Jonathan Eig
The Washington Football Team should not tank. Here’s why.
In the wake of one of the Washington Football Team’s most embarrassing losses in recent memory, a loud chorus of angry complaints and helpful solutions has been inevitable.
I will not address the complaining. I’m right there with you. To list all the poor performances on WFT this week would take up all my time here. And I’m not the type to kick someone when he’s down. (Actually, that’s not true – I’m just not in the mood today.)
I just want to focus on one of those helpful solutions, and say simply…
DO NOT TANK!
This always happens, in any draft-based sport. If your team is bad – I mean really bad, year in and year out – fans begin to see this bright and shiny escape door at the end of a long and dismal tunnel. Just tank the season, get the No. 1 pick, and grab – oh, it doesn’t really matter. There’s always a savior waiting behind that door. Always.
Even if you say – “no, this guy is different. He’s a once-in-a-generation QB.” No, he isn’t. There will be another along. Maybe not next year, but in a couple years. Always.
But that has nothing to do with why you don’t tank. You don’t tank, first and foremost, because it doesn’t work.