football team and moved the franchise to Washington, DC, renam-
ing it the Washington Redskins. In those days, professional foot-
ball was more of a curiosity than serious sport. Baseball was the
national pastime. Football was something to do on a cold Sunday
afternoon with no great import or urgency.
Marshall was a master showman, and he surrounded himself
with others who shared his vision. He realized that to build a fan
base, he needed to offer more than punts and passes on the field.
He needed to offer entertainment, excitement, and enterprise. He
began by asking the impertinent question: What can we do to
build “traditions” that our fans will take to their hearts, when last
year they didn’t even have a team to root for?
Through songwriter Barnee Breeskin, the conductor of the or-
chestra at Washington’s Shoreham Hotel, Marshall produced a
fight song, the first for a professional football team. Breeskin’s
opus was originally called the “Washington Redskins March.”
Today, it is known throughout the United States as “Hail to the
Redskins!”
It became the rallying cry as crowds grew from the hundreds
to the thousands, singing the song not just in the stadium but also
on the streets and in bars and taverns as the popularity of the team
grew. It is still a staple of the football franchise, sung by the crowd
after every Redskin touchdown and field goal more than 60 years
later, a lasting marketing medium.
Marshall also realized that he needed an instrument to capi-
talize on the new anthem. He collaborated once again with Bree-
skin, beginning with Breeskin’s swing band and transforming the
enterprise into a full-fledged marching band. The Redskins March-
ing Band became the first in professional football.
In his marketing mind, Marshall realized that this was not just
about entertainment. It was also about creating awareness and
building attendance. The band became a staple throughout the re-
gion, performing not just in the Washington, DC, area but also
throughout the South where no competition for professional foot-
ball franchises existed. The customer/fan base throughout Vir-
ginia, the Carolinas, and as far south as Georgia expanded dra-
matically.
There were times when the musical entertainment was more
compelling than the game itself. It is often credited with quadru-8 Chapter 1 Introduction to Event Marketing