Pay Per Practice

The Washington Redskins doled out tens of millions of dollars to add Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith and other stars to a lineup that was already only a botched field goal shy of playing for the NFC championship.

On Thursday, the team began asking its fans to help pay the freight, becoming the first team in NFL history to charge admission to its preseason practices at Redskins Park, its new and improved workout facility in northern Virginia.

The $10 admission fee for fans over 12 didn’t seem to keep many away.

“I think it’s fine,” said Pam Hanchett of nearby Leesburg, who came along with one other adult and 10 children. “The cost of entertainment is high.”

That’s especially true of these Redskins, who will be paid about $100 million in salary and bonuses in this season of Super Bowl-or-bust expectations.

A crowd of about 4,500 turned out, and many lauded the team’s move from its training camp at Frostburg, Md., about 125 miles west, to Redskins Park.

Frank Marutollo never made the trip to Frostburg and didn’t mind paying $10 to park and $10 to get in after making the 15-mile drive from his Great Falls home.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said, adding that he was expecting to spend another $10 on food. “You might do it once a month, instead of on a repeat basis.”

Ted Morse of Silver Spring, Md., a season-ticket holder for 43 years, also said he didn’t mind paying to see his team’s first full workout of the season.

“I go to training camp wherever it is,” he said.

Between the light morning workout and the afternoon session in pads, music blared from a sound system and fans flocked to the all-new “NFL Experience,” a series of stations where they tested their throwing, running and kicking skills.

Charlie Gardner of Ashburn had never been to training camp before, and he thought the carnival atmosphere was great for kids, but maybe not for the team.

“I’m a little concerned that it may be a distraction to the players on the field, where you put 7,000 people up here and expect them to train,” he said.

Starting quarterback Brad Johnson said the bleachers built to hold about 6,000 fans and their presence at workouts as paying customers could prove helpful.

“There’s going to be a lot of distractions through the course of the year,” he said after the morning workout. “This will be a good test to go through.”

And a great test of whether fans will pay to see practice. The Redskins have permits to have 7,500 fans on hand on weekdays and 15,000 for weekends.

Hanchett and her group cut their costs by arriving about an hour before the grandstand opened and tailgating in the parking lot with sandwiches and sodas.

For others who came less prepared, the expense mounted.

Hamburgers and chicken sandwiches were selling for $5 each in the concession area, a bottle of beer also was $5 and a hot dog or a soda was going for $3.

In the less busy merchandise tent, a Redskins golf shirt was $74.99, T-shirts were from $19.99 to $24.99 and an adult replica football jersey was $59.99.

Redskins president Steve Baldacci said charging admission was not a business decision but an emotional one by Snyder. He said the owner wants to improve fans’ access to the team, and also to boost its championship chances.

In Frostburg, the nearest airport was a 3 1/2-hour drive away, making it expensive for the team to travel or to bring in players for workouts, he said.

“If you look up there, the fans decided” whether it was a good decision, he said, pointing to the stands that were more than half full as afternoon practice began.

James and Audrey Oliver of Northwest Washington agreed.

“We were here about 8 o’clock,” James Oliver said, adding that he and his wife quickly realized they were too early and drove around looking for a place to eat.

“Today is our 24th wedding anniversary. What a way to spend it,” he said.

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