Conversation with a WFT Fan Ambassador

The Washington Football Team has been a mediocre franchise under the ownership of Dan Snyder. In fact, mediocre does not really do justice when conveying the deep-rooted resentment against the owner and his double decade of failure.

Fans of the team, especially at FedEx, have dramatically declined in number and it was in relatively recent times that the front office were still offering up the falsehood of the mythical season ticket waiting list.

How can the burgundy and gold reverse the trend of rival fans, such as Philadelphia, taking over the stadium due to the apathy around the Washington NFL franchise? Perhaps two of the biggest sparks to generate excitement are obvious. Namely, a successful on the field team and a stadium back in the Nation’s Capital.

The hire of Head Coach Ron Rivera and Team President Jason Wright have been a firm step in the right direction.

Jason has been interactive with WFT fans, showing a genuine interest in opinion, and was no doubt at the heart of the new Fan Ambassador Network (FAN) who are quote “a diverse group of Washington Football fans who will serve as the voice of the fanbase and provide perspective to the organization as we prepare for the 2021 season and throughout our rebrand process”.

Here at UKHTTW, we caught up with a friend of the blog, Rio Robinson, who was chosen as one of the ambassadors for the WFT. Rio is the host of the Rambling About Washington Podcast.

Rio, congratulations on the FAN ambassador success. Was this a surprise to you and how did it feel to get the email?

It was not much of a surprise to me, but the longer I waited and saw other fans on Twitter posting their emails I got a bit nervous!

Joey and myself had a very strong rapport during the interview process, and I just bring that fire/passion and realness needed for the FAN Network. Getting the email was pure BLISS! Chills ran through my body when I opened it up and watched that EPIC video Coach Ron sent to all the chosen FanBassadors. I was ready to run through a wall for the guy, & I ran through my house to relay the news to my family.

As the Host/Creator of The Rambling About Washington Podcast, do you feel the FAN role might prevent criticism of the WFT or are you just keeping it real?

Even though I was one of the chosen few I plan to always keep things transparent, authentic, & RAW. Being critical of the team (when required) is part of the whole Fan Experience and I think the team is now willing to hear out some of the critiques of the fans. At least the reasonable ones.

Although most of us have been critical of the failures under the current ownership, do you feel there has been a genuine Lightbulb Moment for Snyder to hand over decisions to Rivera and the business/marketing talent in the building?

We will always be critical of Snyder, but he has certainly realized that he needs to get All the Way out of the Football decision making and the marketing side as well. He has hired such a diverse group of talented people to run the show and I believe he did so because it is what is best for the team and his personal image. I hope he continues to let these versatile skill sets of decision makers cook and stays out the kitchen in the meantime.

A major decision looms ahead for the WFT; that of a new name. Do you have a personal favourite and, conversely, one name you really hope WFT avoid?

Personally, I would be fine with anything other than WFT. It is a real mouthful and makes talking, podcasting, and saying the name in general is inconvenient. My personal favourite in the race is Wolves.

NO RED! just Wolves! It sounds great with the alliteration; it markets greatly, and the fans can all unite as a Wolfpack! My son loves it too!

And lastly, tell everyone how they can tune into your podcast and what they can expect from The Rambling About Washington Podcast?

You can find my podcast Rambling About Washington on all Digital Streaming Platforms.

And give me a follow on all Social media outlets @rio_robinson91 & @rawpodcastwrio

Thank you HTTWUK for taking the time out your day to pick my brain and see how I’m feeling about the current state of Washington Football!