Fans at Sunday night’s XFL game in Washington between the D.C. Defenders and Seattle Sea Dragons were not pleased when security took away their beer snake. After security confiscated the coalition of cups at Audi Field in D.C., fans responded in bizarre fashion—by launching lemons onto the field.
Exactly where the lemons came from remains unclear, but the disgruntled Defenders supporters didn’t hold back while pelting the fruits onto the playing field as they booed security.
ESPN’s commentators were left befuddled as a barrage of lemons cascaded onto the turf. Then they explained the situation with the beer snake, which apparently is a tradition among D.C.’s XFL fan base.
Defenders fans clearly hold the beer snake tradition in high regard, and the fact that stadium staff shut down their fun so early into the season did not sit well with those in attendance.
The tradition dates back to the 2020 XFL season, during which beer snakes became a mainstay at Defenders home games. While the league was dissolved due to COVID-19 in 2021 and 2022, it returned in 2023.
Unfortunately, the beer snake might not be making a return to Audi Field with the team. It’s clear, however, that fans are going to meet these new anti-beer snake measures with plenty of resistance, evidenced by their lemon-fueled response on Sunday.
“If you don’t give us beer snakes, we’re going to continue to give you lemons here,” D.C. fans told ESPN sideline reporter Stormy Buonantony at Sunday’s game.
This could be a war that wages all season long between the Defenders fans and the Audi Field staff, as neither side seems likely to give in.
