continued all the way through the weekend – and even Grant & Danny, as they opened their show Monday afternoon, noticed the infectious happiness was palpable elsewhere in DC sports over the first non-Snyder weekend this millennium.
“The Nationals drew close to 30,000 a pop, people were in really good moods, and it seemed like the energy was great, and I don’t think that was a coincidence,” Grant said. “I think things are feeling really good and sports fans are happy here.”
“Business is picking up, and I wish we had a less cliché term like a weight has been lifted, but that’s what it is,” Danny replied. “This dark cloud over anything and everything around the most significant team in town is gone – and having Dan Snyder here just messed with everybody, by extension sometimes. There’s a negativity associated with everything, but it can be fun again, and that’s how it feels.”
No one is telling you the Nationals, still 17 under .500, have arrived, and the Caps and Wizards still have eight weeks or so before their pre-seasons get underway, so they won’t benefit – but if the weekend is any indication, the good vibes are going to be here for a while.
Producer Darris Dameron can attest, as he saw a lot of burgundy and gold in the stands at Nats Park Saturday, and Grant talked to an usher in Bowie who saw the same this weekend overall.
“Just talking to Commanders fans around town the last few days, the optimism and positivity have been so refreshing,” Grant said. “It’s a prideful thing where people are putting on team gear – I don’t do that at this point in my life and career, but even I’m wearing burgundy and gold today, and a couple of people in the building are wearing gear.”
Of course, eventually, the product on the field is going to have to carry the momentum, but as Grant noted, in the meantime, ‘all systems are go.’ Even on the softball field, where Danny had a chat with his opposing team’s third baseman about how good the Commanders could be this year, which is abnormal in those circumstances in the middle of July.
The biggest takeaway for Grant, though, from the last 96 hours or so? People who like people are back in charge.
“As much as I knew that Dan Snyder was awful, and as much as we talked about how incompetent he was, seeing decent human beings, people with people skills, acting normal and saying the things they’re supposed to say and looking moderately comfortable, doing things like shaking hands and signing autographs? I’ve never seen Dan Snyder do ANY of that! He’s not walking through the parking lot at FedEx Field high-fiving fans; he’s a robot who lacks human skills and the ability to be a person with any kind of social grace – and it has been amazing to me watching this new group, and it has been real eye-opening to how bad it was. Just seeing 72 hours of this is a reminder of what an owner can be.”
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