The Redskins drew their largest crowd to training camp
so far this season for yesterday's practice and intrasquad
scrimmage, according to Liz Clarke of the WASHINGTON POST.
Although the exact attendance was not released, Redskins
President Steve Baldacci estimated that "more than" 7,000
showed up Sunday. Saturday's rained-out practice meant that
those fans who paid to attend Saturday's session were
admitted "free" Sunday, but there was "no way to tell how
many fans they represented" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/24). ESPN's
Mitch Albom, on the Redskins charging $10 for training camp:
"This is a terrible trend because they're all going to start
doing this now." ESPN's John Feinstein said that the next
thing Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder will try is to "charge
people to come to his house and watch him eat dinner" ("The
Sports Reporters," ESPN, 7/23). In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley
wrote that Snyder "might be the single worst development in
modern pro sport since the emergence" of the PSL. Wolfley:
"Charging fans to watch practices is without precedent in
the [NFL]. It's also without soul and makes an observer
wish the Redskins fail spectacularly this season" (MILWAUKEE
JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/23). But ESPN.com's Ray Ratto wrote,
"If you're stupid enough to pay for something with so little
value, you should have to pay big for it. ... Thus, we
applaud the Redskins for penning up the seriously deranged
and keeping them out of harm's way" (ESPN.com, 7/21).
OTHER TEAMS WATCH AND LEARN? SCRIPPS HOWARD's Joe
Donatelli wondered, "Could this be the future for other NFL
teams? ... Privately, one Redskins official says, 'I know
for sure that there are a number of teams watching us that
would love to implement this type of policy and are watching
now to see if it is a success.'" Jaguars Senior
VP/Marketing Dan Connell: "I think every team is looking for
revenue opportunities, and I think everyone will watch with
interest here" (SCRIPPS HOWARD/POST-DISPATCH, 7/23). Colts
Owner Jim Irsay said free admission to his team's camp "is a
mind-set I have where you want to make sure you are able to
have families come in. It takes a lot of money to go to
sporting events and you want to make sure there is a window
at what you do so everybody can come and see you." Irsay
also said that while the Redskins are offering $10 tickets
to practices, the Colts offer $10 game tickets. Irsay: "We
have tickets to games that the Redskins are charging for
practices" (INDY STAR, 7/22)....Bills fan Freddie Harris was
asked whether fans would pay to watch the Bills practice: "I
don't think that would ever work here. Western New Yorkers
are kind of conservative. We like our team, but I don't
think we like them that much." Bills Owner Ralph Wilson, on
charging for camp: "It won't happen here, not as long as I'm
showing a pulse" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 7/23).
