Commanders Unite City Even After Dissolution

Commanders fans turn out to show their love for the now defunct team. (Photos by: Luis Vazquez, Contributing Reporter - San Antonio Sentinel)

April 12, 2019 - Alamo Beer Company Brewery (Hays Street Bridge)

Article By: Jonathan Guajardo - Editor, San Antonio Sentinel // On-Scene Reporting & Photography by: Luis Vazquez, Contributing Reporter - San Antonio Sentinel

In January, Alamo Beer announced that they would be teaming up with the San Antonio Commanders to release two brews that would be sold at Commanders games in the Alamodome as well as throughout the city in cans. Commanders Light and Commanders Amber were then enjoyed by droves of fans from all walks of life as the city filed into the Dome week after week to watch their home team wreak havoc upon opposing ball clubs. Cheering raucously from the stands, San Antonio supporters holding Alamo Beer cans made their presence known as the most spirited and intimidating home crowd in the Alliance of American Football. Friday, the devotees filed in once more to support their team for one final hurrah. This time, however, these fans enjoyed their beers in the company of friends united towards the common goal of bidding farewell to a team that had ceased to exist thanks to the dissolution of their league over money issues and squabbles with the NFLPA.

Patrick Muskivitch, organizer of the event, described his motivation for creating the Farewell Party as having to do with wanting to provide fans with an avenue to unite one last time under the Commanders’ banner, but also to help clear out overstocked inventory. “We had production for cans that extended to the next three weeks, considering that we would hopefully get a playoff game. And obviously we canned everything that week before on that Thursday, and the league shut down on Tuesday,” recalled Muskivitch. “So we have a lot of extra beer to sell and we thought why not have a celebration and a farewell party for the Commanders and hopefully move through some of the inventory.”

With free barbecue provided by Kiolbassa Smoked Meats and beer as cheap as $3 for a tallboy can of Alamo Light or Amber, those in attendance at the event dubbed the “Commanders Farewell Party” found some enjoyment in the dire circumstances of their team’s demise. Many reflected on the wonderful times they had with friends who became like family over the course of the team’s successful season. Dedicated fan Mark Juarez described why his team of tailgaters continues to stand together despite the team’s dissolution. “So we became a family right? We were all close, describes Juarez. “But through the Commanders inaugural season, we grew larger. A lot of fans…people we didn’t know that we became kind of family with. So we’re going to keep our ‘tailgating’ going and keep the family together as long as we can.”