Optimism is a triumph in itself

A philosophical optimist believes that benevolent forces will ultimately triumph over evil.

In May 1999, Dan Snyder purchased the Washington Redskins NFL franchise.

In May 2023, Dan Snyder, subject to several formalities, has sold the Washington Commanders franchise.

Throughout his entire tenure, the team have ranged somewhere between mediocre to outright bad. This franchise has essentially been the laughing stock for the rest of the NFL and a source of frustration and anguish for the burgundy & gold faithful.

It will rankle a while that the villain at the centre of this ineptitude and scandal will walk away with north of $6b. At least for now the sale represents the biggest in sporting history across the globe, as it was in 1999 when $800 million was the purchase price following the death of Jack Kent Cooke.

It would be easy to bullet-point the significant number of failures under Dan Snyder, but today is not the day for that.

Instead, I wanted to highlight Commanders fandom and those, who despite how easy it would have been to walk away, still supported this ailing franchise.

I started out the blogging journey back in 2014 jotting some Redskins thoughts for a pal who had launched a general website for all things USA sports.

In 2020 I decided to go solo and launch UKHTTR, which evolved into UKHTTC with the name change. Since that time, a host of folk have contributed to the site and long may that continue. Your input is always welcome and always appreciated.

What has struck me during the last three years, and in particular over the season just gone, was that within the fanbase, both in the USA and the UK, there was a real hunger for success for this team. And, perhaps most importantly, this was from the bottom looking up.

Despite the Commanders often being the butt of jokes from the league-wide fans, there was a groundswell of bloggers and podcasters who were not going anywhere. They were going to support the team in burgundy and gold on their own terms, they were still going to attend games, still tailgate and interact across Twitter (including almost daily Spaces discussion) and in-person.

As a guy from the UK, I have found the UK and USA fans of the Commanders a consistent source of encouragement for my own support of the team. There is a tremendous amount to be said for carrying your fellow fans along with you for the ride; optimism is a triumph in itself.

So, for me, my initial reaction to the sale is that this is for the those who still carried the Redskins/WFT/Commanders flame.

You supported the team on your own terms and the future in D.C might at last be one in which the Washington NFL franchise can recapture those glory days of Championship games and Superbowl wins.

Over to you Josh Harris and partners; we, the fans, are ready for success.