One of the most famous, and God knows loyal, fans of the Washington Redskins refuses to say he hates the Dallas Cowboys, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. will concede the following:
"They did build an incredible stadium, which I hear great things about but I won't go in it because I'm a Redskins fan," he said. "It's been tough being a Redskins fan but I'm invested. I've been there for all of those years and I'm here. I don't care if they lose another 20 years, I'm a Redskins fan."
In a recent interview with the retired NASCAR champion, I asked the driver famously known as Junior about his deep affection for the Redskins. Specifically why, if he loves the Redskins, does this automatically mean he hates the Dallas Cowboys?
"I just don't pay a lot of attention to the Cowboys, but I don't want to say, 'I hate the Cowboys,' " he said. "You just, if you're a Redskins fan, you just don't like the Cowboys."
With decreasing exceptions, no fan base has been kicked around more by their favorite team than the Cowboys. Multiple generations of Cowboys fans can now sadly proclaim they have no idea what it's like to watch their team compete for a Super Bowl, and their allegiance is born from of geography, or family ties, more than success.
Dale Jr. is in the same spot, as is every Redskins fan. As badly as the Cowboys have been for multiple decades, the Redskins can say, "Hold my Johnny Walker Blue."
So which is the harder life: Being a fan of the Cowboys, or the Redskins?
"Right now it's probably harder to be a Cowboys fan because of the inconsistency of the team," Junior said. "The Redskins are trending in the right direction for me."
Note that this interview was conducted before the Redskins lost a good portion of their offensive line to injury, and starting quarterback Alex Smith to a season-ending injury on Sunday.
The last time the Redskins won the Super Bowl was 1991; that was the last time they reached an NFC title game.
The Cowboys will host the Redskins on Thanksgiving Day with first place in the NFC East available for one of these two bumbling franchises to grab. Considering the history of these two teams, don't be surprised if the game ends in tie.
