Why I'm watching The Boondocks
I'm a Washington, D.C., area sports fan. I root for the Mystics, D.C. United, the Bullets/Wizards, the Maryland Terrapins and the Georgetown Hoyas, and all of the other DC-and-surrounding-vicinity colleges like George Mason, George Washington, Howard, and American University.
(I'm not really a Nats fan; I work in baseball for a Blue Jays-affiliated club, I've worked for a Rays affiliate, I grew up a Tigers fan, and there were no Nats while I was growing up.)
The two teams I wish to focus on here are the most popular: the Redskins and the Capitals.
You can't root for the Skins and the Caps in the same way.
The Washington Redskins have won three Super Bowls and five total championships.
The Washington Capitals have zero Stanley Cups and zero total championships.
The Redskins have been in existence since 1932, in Washington, D.C. since 1937.
The Capitals have been in existence since 1974, playing in D.C. the entire time.
The Redskins, clearly, have the lineage and tradition, with generations of faithful fans.
The Capitals do not.
However:
Each team has made the playoffs exactly 22 times. This year, it is very likely that the Caps will make the playoffs and the Skins will not. Even conceding that it is easier to make the postseason in the NHL than the NFL, it's easy to see that the Washington Capitals are a first rate powerhouse, among the favorites in the Eastern Conference entering each season, while the Washington Redskins are miserable losers with optimistic moments few and far between.
The Caps lost to the Islanders on Saturday, 5-3, after winning the previous day in Carolina. It's tough to win the second of back-to-back road outings. The defeat dropped their record to 9-3, best in the Southeast. Still, hey: I know the Caps are going to make the playoffs. That's where things get interesting since they've made a habit of losing early in the postseason. But they're going there, no doubt in anyone's mind. It's taken for granted.
The Skins lost to the 49ers on Sunday, 19-11, their fourth consecutive loss. They are now 3-5. They are terrible. Their offense is nonexistent. They were lucky to score 11 points.
That's where both teams, while their fates diverge, come together for me: I really have no must-see need to watch their games. The Caps are going to win, more often than not, but their regular season games feel inconsequential. The Redskins' games are also inconsequential because they're not going anywhere; they stink.
And so I am now watching episodes of The Boondocks instead of my teams. That's great - brilliant, even - TV.
(I'm not really a Nats fan; I work in baseball for a Blue Jays-affiliated club, I've worked for a Rays affiliate, I grew up a Tigers fan, and there were no Nats while I was growing up.)
The two teams I wish to focus on here are the most popular: the Redskins and the Capitals.
You can't root for the Skins and the Caps in the same way.
The Washington Redskins have won three Super Bowls and five total championships.
The Washington Capitals have zero Stanley Cups and zero total championships.
The Redskins have been in existence since 1932, in Washington, D.C. since 1937.
The Capitals have been in existence since 1974, playing in D.C. the entire time.
The Redskins, clearly, have the lineage and tradition, with generations of faithful fans.
The Capitals do not.
However:
Each team has made the playoffs exactly 22 times. This year, it is very likely that the Caps will make the playoffs and the Skins will not. Even conceding that it is easier to make the postseason in the NHL than the NFL, it's easy to see that the Washington Capitals are a first rate powerhouse, among the favorites in the Eastern Conference entering each season, while the Washington Redskins are miserable losers with optimistic moments few and far between.
The Caps lost to the Islanders on Saturday, 5-3, after winning the previous day in Carolina. It's tough to win the second of back-to-back road outings. The defeat dropped their record to 9-3, best in the Southeast. Still, hey: I know the Caps are going to make the playoffs. That's where things get interesting since they've made a habit of losing early in the postseason. But they're going there, no doubt in anyone's mind. It's taken for granted.
The Skins lost to the 49ers on Sunday, 19-11, their fourth consecutive loss. They are now 3-5. They are terrible. Their offense is nonexistent. They were lucky to score 11 points.
That's where both teams, while their fates diverge, come together for me: I really have no must-see need to watch their games. The Caps are going to win, more often than not, but their regular season games feel inconsequential. The Redskins' games are also inconsequential because they're not going anywhere; they stink.
And so I am now watching episodes of The Boondocks instead of my teams. That's great - brilliant, even - TV.
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