Impact of Commanders fans returning
Almost immediately after the Washington Commanders fell into different hands after the NFL approved Josh Harris group's $6.05 billion purchase, the atmosphere changed. The dark cloud lifted, fans up and down the country rejoiced, and the collective level of relief was nothing short of extraordinary.
This was swiftly followed by packed attendances during training camp - a far cry from the measly numbers that disintegrated annually when Dan Snyder was running the place into the ground. Getting the fans back onside was one of Harris' primary objectives, but they never stopped caring and their absence was more a morality issue than anything football related.
When discussing the fan impact in his Football Morning in America column, Peter King of NBC Sports compared it to a popular sporting film. The writer also outlined his wish for the Commanders to return to their previous dominance and high esteem around the league with Harris leading the charge.
"Watching the fans streaming into Washington training camp is reminiscent of the final moments in “Field of Dreams,” with the cars lined up in Dyersville, Iowa to recapture what they loved so much and what they thought was lost forever. Good luck to the Josh Harris group in making the team what I remember from the late eighties and early nineties. Games at RFK Stadium were almost religious revivals. The ground shook and the press box swayed with the game on the line in the fourth quarter of so many of those games. May it happen again."Peter King, NBC Sports
As stated previously, it'll take time. But everything is off to a good start and the sale has reinvigorated a franchise that had been brought to its knees over the last two decades.