The N&R’s Ed Hardin wasn’t offended by the Panthers’ play yesterday as much as he was by the Redskins’ home field:
It was a galling defeat in a galling place.
The 91,704-seat stadium is by far the largest in the NFL and by far the most troubling. There are no more drunks here than in any other pro stadium, and only a few come clothed in dresses and artificial pig noses.
But an organization that can wrap itself in native-American marketing in the 21st Century while sporting a nickname so offensive it should never appear in an American newspaper doesn’t deserve its reputation for excellence.
Until you’ve seen this place up close and personal, you have no idea how far out of control this thing has gotten. The sickening display of silly traditions is a demeaning cartoon of insensitivity.
The fans are whipped into a frenzy as a marching band of bad musicians wearing headdresses follow a man carrying a war lance and wearing a white leisure suit. The paying customers come to their feet and sing along to a song once called “Fight for Old Dixie,” which until quite recently called on the players to scalp the opponents.
“We want heap more,” the original lyrics brayed.
Even more evidence that political correctness is embedded in the sportswriting profession.
