Who's Who?

Redskins or Ravens?  DC or Baltimore?  The Post or the Sun Paper?  Ever wonder how things around here got so mixed up?  Our community is a veritable melting pot for football fans, and for the two major cities with which we share borders. 

Drive down Route 2 towards Mayo and you’ll see plenty of Washington Redskins flags snapping in the wind.  Hit the in Edgewater on a crisp fall Sunday and you’ll probably find yourself in a sea of purple and black Baltimore Ravens balloons as far as the eye can see.  (Believe me, I found this out the hard way last season when—to my horror—I realized I was in the wrong grocery store on a football Sunday.  Always remember:  Redskin fans shop at the !)

As a die-hard Redskin fan living in Davidsonville, I find it interesting both fan bases have been able to co-exist peaceably here since the Ravens came on the scene in the late 1990’s.  Maybe it’s because the Redskins have been so dreadful for so long we Redskins fans been forced underground.  Or maybe it’s because of my long-held theory that “DC people”, and I’ll include transplants like me from Northern Virginia, folks from Montgomery County and even the Eastern Shore in this non-scientific poll, don’t worry all that much about anything happening in Baltimore, including the Ravens.  But “Baltimore people” really, really seem to care about (read:  despise, actively) all things DC-related, especially the Redskins. 

So there isn’t really a true rivalry here between our fan bases.  It’s more like a one-way disdain on the part of Raven fans for all things Redskin-related.  And with good reason.  The Redskins have been pretty awful for a good long time now.  There, I admitted it. But I’m still a fan of my team, for better or for worse.  (And believe me; I know things can be worse.)

In any event, I'm fascinated by the fault-lines that cut through our area, dividing whole neighborhoods right down the middle between Raven and Redskin jerseys, Post or Sun readers, Baltimore or DC news viewers.  We may send our kids to the same schools and watch our kids play on the same lacrosse teams, but under the surface, the question still remains:  Redskins or Ravens?  Baltimore or DC?

As football season approaches this year, take note of your neighbors and see if you can tell who’s who.