The Washington Redskins may be in the news more than any other NFL team–but not for a reason they would like. The controversy over the team’s nickname–that some argue is a racial slur against Native Americans–has come to overshadow what the team is doing on the field. The Redskins have become more embattled as the media coverage and activist pressure has increased but until further notice they’re not changing the name they’ve had since 1932.
The franchise began in 1932 as the ‘Boston Braves’ but after one season relocated to Fenway Park, sharing the venue with the Boston Red Sox. The team wanted to leverage the Red Sox’s popularity for their benefit and went from ‘Braves’ to ‘Redskins’ to suggest some connection with the baseball team. At the time, pro football didn’t go over well in Beantown no matter what the team ‘s name and in 1937, the Boston Redskins moved South to Washington, DC. They’ve been an important part of the city’s culture ever since and through good times, and bad remain the undisputed king of DC sports. The Redskins met with immediate success in their new home winning the first of two pre-merger NFL Championships in their first year in Washington, DC.
The Redskins found a fair amount of success until the mid-1940’s and won their second NFL Championship in 1942. The end of WW II also brought about an end to the Redskins’ success, and they would not return to the playoffs until the early 1970’s. Since 1970, the Redskins have found both the heights of success and the depths of failure. The upside included 17 playoff appearances and three Super Bowl Championships (1982, 1986, 1991). The downside began at the turn of the century and Washington has made the playoffs only three times since 1999.
Washington has enjoyed a loyal and passionate fan base for decades. Perhaps due to the transient nature of Washington, DC, the Redskins’ fan base extends all over the country and all over the world. As of 2013 the Redskins were ranked the third most valuable team in the NFL behind the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots with an estimated worth of $1.6 billion. Not surprisingly, the Redskins’ most hated rival is none other than the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins/Cowboys rivalry began in 1960 and ranks alongside the Red Sox/Yankees and the Canadiens/Maple Leafs as one of the greatest in sports.
The Redskins are always popular with TV networks for national broadcasts due to the size of their fan base alone. The team also receives extensive coverage in the DC Metro area, though they share fans in the Maryland suburbs with the Baltimore Ravens. Fans have plenty of opportunities to watch the team on TV regionally and nationally, but it’s much more difficult to find a Washington Redskins live stream. The league’s TV partners offer little to no live streaming while the NFL official website allows fans to watch Redskin video highlights and little else. The only good ‘official’ source to watch Redskins football game online is the ‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ premium cable package. The package provides live access to all NFL broadcasts and includes a digital platform. It is expensive, however, and the streaming technology plagued with poor performance. Fortunately, a Redskins radio stream is easy to find and is available on the website of flagship station WTEM ESPN 980 AM.
A better idea is to watch Washington Redskins online free via live sports streaming. There are countless live sports streams available on the Internet featuring sports and leagues from around the world. With the NFL’s huge international popularity pro football, live streams are especially easy to find. A number of websites aggregate a comprehensive index of live streams organized by league including Wiziwig, Stream2watch, First Row Sports and vipboxsports. These sites change their web address from time to time, and new websites come online. For that reason, it’s a good idea to do a Google search to get the most up to date live sports streaming information. At this point, you’ll be watching Redskins football in a matter of minutes. You’ll have the option to select the best streaming speed for your Internet connection, and you’ll be able to watch the stream on the computer, your smartphone or television. There’s no better way to keep up with the Washington Redskins all season long and it doesn’t cost you a cent!