Fan excitement is back as 3,000 show up for first practice
ASHBURN — Three weeks after Dan Snyder and wife Tanya began exploring selling part or all of the Washington Commanders, Andrew and Laura Potts went to a home game and decided to become season-ticket holders.
They hoped a sale would be completed by the time they returned, and they got their wish last week when NFL owners unanimously approved the transfer of the team from the Snyders to a group led by Josh Harris.
The couple from Front Royal was in the front row at the first public practice of training camp, with the back of Andrew’s jersey bearing the words “SNYDER GONE.”
Snyder is gone, and Washington football fans are back. More than 3,000 attended Thursday, filling up brand-new bleachers and standing-room space next to the field like nothing seen at this team’s camp in recent years.
“Just the excitement: Nobody’s negative anymore,” said Laura Potts, 34. “All the negativity’s gone all of a sudden. It’s really fun to see.”
The packed stands full of cheering fans were a stark contrast from a year ago, when the grounds were nearly empty and apathy was at an all-time high. The Commanders were last in the NFL in attendance after ranking 31st of 32 teams in 2021.
And the fans who were there often wore the colors of the visiting team. Looking around at the crowd assembled for practice, offensive lineman Sam Cosmi envisioned a world this season where home games feel like home.
“It’s going to be nice,” Cosmi said. “I feel like this year we’re not going to be at a home game and having to go on silent count. I’m looking forward to that. I think we’ll have a packed stadium with burgundy and gold, so I’m excited about that.”
New ownership’s mere presence is helping. Since word emerged of Harris and Snyder reaching an agreement in principle on a $6.05 billion sale in mid-April, the team has added 4,143 more season-ticket holders, according to a Commanders spokesperson.
The effort is also there. Harris’ group is looking into fixing up aging FedEx Field, and the addition of the bleachers themselves, along with food trucks, a store and more fan-friendly activities stood out.
The team is now wanted by the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia after several off-field scandals derailed previous plans. Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, and Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s nonvoting representative in the House, introduced a bill to Congress on Thursday that could pave the way for the Commanders to make the old RFK Stadium site their next home.
Deciding on where to build will take some time, though.