The Casual Redskins Fan or Do You Even Tailgate, Bro?


Exhibit A: Both pictures were taken in their respective tailgate lots around 9AM EST


Cleveland Browns fans line up around 4am (or earlier) to grab a parking spot in the Muni Lot to tailgate regardless of the opponent.  Washington Redskins fans don't give a shit about the Browns so they show up whenever.  Good for us.







As we arrived at the RedZone lot, we looked for other Browns fans. Almost instantly we saw the distinct Hunter Orange color straight ahead; we have arrived.  A group of guys from the Cleveland area took a road trip to our Nation's Capital and got there a little before we did, anticipating a crowd of fans lining up to get into the lots when they opened at 8AM.














There was no line; there were no fans.















We set up camp and cornhole.

















Flags were planted; the Browns fans owned the RedZone tailgate lot.


















As is custom, one of the locals had a Redskins Bud Light Kickoff Edition beer can in their cooler and although she didn't put it to her lips, she was a good sport and modeled it for us.



















Grilled pineapple and pork chop sliders... this is how we do.



















We decided to take a walkabout in hopes of finding some tailgating Redskins fans.  What we found was quite possibly the youngest Browns fan to date who probably woke up earlier than half of the adult Redskins fans just to get to the parking lot.











Eventually we found some adults hanging out, but it lacked something to be desired.














Here is the crew (from left to right: Jonny Law, Vickers, Papa C, Yours Truly, and the (soon-to-be) Cavanaugh couple.














The Redskins have a lot going for them.  They have a killer band...















..and they have an inflatable helmet (read: cheerleaders).














Browns fans were everywhere though.  Even this guy who was wearing a repurposed, autographed Trent Richardson jersey.









My final take: All day we were 'boo'ed by one 10-year old boy and that was the worst of it. I'd like to thank the parents of that child for raising them properly.  I get it; the Browns aren't in your Division or even in your conference PLUS they have a less than stellar record.  None of that matters.  If an opposing team's fan walks into your house, you don't just nod your head and say 'hi', you get in his/her face and you let them know that they are not welcome! (playfully, mind you.)  We got a lot of questionable looks as though the fans weren't sure why we were there or if they were seeing things, but we walked through completely unscathed.  My biggest question though?  Who built this stadium with an obstruction for every seat?!








A special shout out goes to The Browns Brothers who weren't able to make the trip. I had a cigar and a Miller Lite in your absence.









Stay tuned as we we head back to Cleveland for Tom Brady's Coming Out Party or The Great New England Clam Bake.

-----



This post is dedicated to Francesco "Frank" Loforte who took his own life today at the ripe old age of 77.  He came from the old country and brought along a recipe for the best damn pizza available on the Eastern shore of Maryland.  I learned a lot from him (in particular, Italian curse words) and even though he thought I was into men and never understood why I requested time off to travel, he meant well.  It took me nine months to do so, but before I left the pizza shop, I made him finally realize that I wasn't a "lazy Americano".
R.I.P. Frank




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Browns Trivia Fail or You're Not A Real Browns Fan, Charlie Brown

Image
So there I was at Scalper's Bar and Grille during a filming of Fox Sports Ohio's, Beer Money. I signed up for a chance to win cash by answering Browns trivia from Jensen Lewis. Before we got started I told him about the Browns Tour 2016 and even plugged the blog. The first question was essentially, "Who was the Browns quarterback in 1981?" I froze.  My mind was drawing a blank.  Why could I not think of Brian Sipe? Someone helped me from the crowd, but the damage was done. Perhaps I should have read this book that I've been carrying around all season...
Read more

Sweet Souvenir Cup Collection or One For The Road

Image
We didn't talk about it much, but I managed to grab a souvenir cup at every game I attended.  Towards the end of the season though, I ran into a problem.  The Browns had a series of six cups with different players on each one.  As the season wound down, I was having a hard time tracking down the Joe Thomas cup.  I found one in a display once, but the concession stand attendants were not very helpful in allowing me to take it.  Not to be discouraged, I contacted the Browns fan relations department who put me in touch with Aramark Food Services and after a few weeks of back and forth, I FINALLY got the last cup to complete my collection. Without further ado, here are some pictures of them throughout the season and the final product. Fun fact : Out of the 9 stadiums I visited, Philadelphia was the only one that served a souvenir beer. Another fun fact : Due to the cold weather in Buffalo, they served souvenir "Hot Cups" in place of souvenir ...
Read more

The End of the Road or Last Dance With Yinz

Image
When I first planned this tour, I said that this final game would be the hardest one to attend because of it being played on New Year's Day, however, if I made it to the first 15 you'd be hard pressed to stop me from going to this one.  After making arrangements with my cousin who lives in the Pittsburgh area with her Steelers fan husband (booooooo), we settled in for a fun New Year's Eve party at their place and a thoroughly entertaining game day experience on January 1st. First things first.  In all of the years attending Browns games in the tailgate lots, I NEVER saw an opposing team's gear being sold.  Yet here we are in Pittsburgh and I see Browns gear and a decent selection of it to boot. My Cousin Jenny and I made our presence known on North Shore Drive just outside of Heinz Field. One thing I enjoyed was all of the bars and eateries on this strip where you could hang out outside with a burger and a beer before the game. After wal...
Read more