WASHINGTON — Evan Diaz is the designated head of the beer snake. And he takes this assignment seriously. Dressed in all red, save for his gray team-branded sleeveless hoodie, Diaz mans his post in the shadow of the uprights in the first row of Section 137 behind the north end zone at D.C. Defenders home games.
That’s where the beer snake — a winding and sticky collection of empty, stacked plastic cups — begins each week for the dedicated fans of this alternative spring football league. Where it ends is anyone’s guess.
There’s 30 minutes left before the Defenders, the defending champions of the United Football League, kick off against the Dallas Renegades, and the stands still look sparse. Diaz begins to fret about attendance. The regulars are filing in, sporting their bright-red game day gear, but they're outnumbered by the empty gray seats at Audi Field.
The beer snake is typically growing by now, says Diaz. But not today.
If imbibing beer is synonymous with sports, then the D.C. Defenders are inextricably linked to the beer snake, a recent but storied ritual that ties the team to its most devout fans. The tradition is not unique to the Defenders. The beer snake has popped up at sporting events across the country since its first recorded sighting in 1969 at a Chicago Cubs game, as documented in the Chicago Sun-Times.
As pervasive as the practice is, no sports team seems to lean into the beer snake quite like the Defenders. That serpentine assembly of cups is a point of pride for supporters of the most recent Washington, D.C.-based professional team to win a title. It’s spurred controversy, inspired a new team mascot and gives these fans something to rally around.
But attendance, and therefore the size of the beer snake itself, is waning. Though the Defenders stand atop the UFL standings, only 7,019 fans were around to see them win their fifth straight game that day. The figure marks another drop in turnout for the Defenders. It also matches a trend of declining attendance afflicting much of a league that’s trying to capitalize on America’s football craze during the NFL offseason.
Fans in the stands at Audi Field can’t help but wonder if the beer snake will grow to the size it once did during its heyday. Is the shrinking snake a blip? Or is it indicative of something larger affecting their beloved team and a league trying to break into the mainstream?
Just as much as their shared love for the Defenders, the beer snake brings these people together. It’s a mascot, quite literally, for the team. And these supporters hang their hat on its assembly, whether it’s two cups or 1,200, rain or shine.
The Defenders-Renegades game also clocked in as the most-watched game of the UFL season, per ESPN, with a peak of 1.16 million viewers. So even if the in-person audience is down to four figures, overall viewership was in the seven figures.
As the supporters who made the trip to Audi Field shuffle out of the stadium, they affirm their intention to return the following weekend to feed the snake and cheer on their UFL-best Defenders. But will more fans join them?
