I’m having a hard time getting worked up about this.

Being closest to the stadium is a nice perk of getting there at 9 am or whatever, but it doesn’t seem like it’s an ironclad right to me, nor does it seem like the end of the world to be denied it.

Assuming this is part of a successful plan to fix the nightmare that is walking or driving through the parking lots, I don’t have a problem with this.

However if the parking lots are as big of a mess next year as they have been in the past, then screw Snyder and screw this change.

If the Skins don’t make the playoffs, that means we will have had a VERY disappointing season (Skins play STL, DET, etc). If that happens and Zorn gets canned, plus tailgating is a hassle, I’d imagine there’d be a substantial amount of season tickets that get handed in. Winning solves a lot of problems.

In the lot I tailgate in, the front and the back of the lot are only like 8-10 rows apart. The issue is being able to get there, get set up and get everyone in the same place. I am not worried about being a bit farther away from the stadium. In fact, the spot we tailgate in is buried in the middle of the lot. We tailgate after games, so we figured it made more sense to suck it up and not try and get the closest spots to the exits.

Don’t get me wrong…the idea behind getting the parking lot and traffic solved is not a bad one. But year in and year out, this organization has proven that they simply don’t execute well and I worry that when the season starts it is going to be nightmare for those people like me, who get there early not because we want to the best spot to leave from, but because we want to get the grill going and the party started in a place and way that allows for maximum enjoyment for our crew.

Either that bus is stopped, or there is a serious nor’ easter coming in from the left.

Some of you may have already read this but…

http://blog.redskins.com/2009/06/22/details-on-the-new-parking-policies/#continued

A new FedEx Field parking lot will be opened for thousands of Washington Redskins fans with the onset of the 2009 season, the team announced today. Additionally, new post-game traffic patterns and parking policies will be implemented to improve traffic flow in parking lots and on stadium roads.
We expect to have more tailgaters than ever," said Mitch Gershman, the Redskins Chief Operating Officer. “Those who want to meet with their friends will have more space, and those who want to simply park will find it easier to do so.”

The most significant new procedure will have parking attendants directing fans who wish to tailgate in more than one space to the back of lots, where they will be allowed to occupy two spaces until required for additional vehicles. Fans who wish to only park, or tailgate within their single parking spot, will be directed to the front of lots, filling the lot from front to back. Tailgating is permitted in all lots, except Platinum. Platinum lot parkers who choose to tailgate will be provided passes for Purple lots.

“Everyone who wants to tailgate should be able to tailgate. We absolutely believe that,” Gershman said. “This is designed to improve the experience for fans who want to tailgate.”

“Our outside consultant analyzed the flow on roads and in the parking lots at FedEx Field, with cameras recording the traffic patterns. What we found was that when tailgaters spread into multiple spaces, it caused congestion in the lots, and resulted in inconvenience to everyone – the fans tailgating and the fans who were just looking to park in their assigned lots,” Gershman said.

The way it’s explained here, everything makes sense to me and seems like it should work. However, it will only work of course if the plan is executed correctly. Whether or not the parking lot attendants will be able to effectively implement this new procedure remains to be seen. To me it looks like they just want the tailgating groups in the back, and the individuals that only need one parking space in the front. However, this is coming from someone that has never been to Fedex (even though I desperately want to go) so I haven’t a clue whether or not this should work. I’m siding with the Redskins official blogger on this one.

From the Redskins official blogger and the same link as above:

As someone who has had enjoyable tailgates disrupted by people trying to park on top of my grill, I have to say that this doesn’t sound like a bad deal. And, as someone who has also shown up to games later than I intended and found multiple spots filled with tailgaters in lounge chairs, it sounds pretty good as well. Which seems like the definition of a win-win, if everything goes as it was explained to me.

What do the rest of you think about the new intended procedure after reading this press release? If you haven’t already read it of course.

he doesn’t give a s#%t about the everyday fan. He figures he’s gonna get his quota from us anyway, and if some of us bail on him, there’s more to step up. He’s taken that ticket waiting list and turned it into a pipeline for himself. Frankly, I’m surprised he doesn’t charge a franchising fee for tailgating, or have the tailgate lots sponsored. Of course, if this was the “Official” Redskins blog, I couldn’t say that, cuz lil’ Danny would pick it right up.

Totally sucks about the football tailgating policy, Snyder is using, “outside consulting firms” to alienate his fan base. He’s destroyed the institution that Jack Kent Cooke built. There used to be a twenty year wait list for tickets, and now I bet he will have to give tickets away to kids groups just to “claim” the sold out status like the Broncos were doing when I was in CO.

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Why don’t you cry about it a little more. In Baltimore they have been doing this since the Ravens got here and we have never had a problem tailgating. Is this seriously all you have to worry about in washington? If i were a Redskins fan, and thank god I’m not, I would be more worried about how the redskins are overpaid and suck year in and year out!!!

I will start off by saying that the new procedure is not necessarily a bad idea. As I understand it, the reason is to co-locate tailgaters who occupy an extra spot because of canopies and such to the back of a lot, thereby allowing those who venture in after the “hard core” tailgaters are set up the ease of finding open spots. I can accept this line of reasoning.

What I find disturbing is the proposed implementation: being directed to a specific space/area of a lot. And what’s the criteria for directing people: how their vehicle is packed? I park in a single spot and tailgate behind my vehicle but because my grill/cooler combo and propane tank are tied down on a hitch mounted carrier, will I be sent to the back of the lot? Meanwhile, my tailgating partner, who has everything contained in a minivan, would be sent to the front which is where our tailgate grass “island” is located in our particular lot.

What the attendants should be doing is targeting the problem areas of years past and enforcing the one spot run early. Even if they direct people to spots, they are still charged with enforcement which will happen regardless. So what do they really gain by telling people where to go if they have no idea ahead of time how to distinguish those who will take up multiple spots from those who don’t? They will wind up judging books by their covers which is something that we were told growing up not to do.

If the implementation goes like I (and others) fear, we will see a significant drop in season ticket renewals to the point that the so-called “waiting list” will be exposed because of empty general admission seats. And the blackouts that result mean having to drive south of Fredericksburg to catch our beloved Skins on TV.