For the first time in years, we could have football back in DC again within just a few years.
The Washington Commanders, formerly the Redskins, were forced out of the stadium years ago when the stadium was deemed no longer fit for use.
With excessive maintenance costs needed to keep it operational, the stadium has been set for demolition in 2023.
Now, there are rumors that the Washington Commanders may want to build a new stadium on that site, which will surely create a hornet’s nest for local politicians, reported Sports Illustrated.
Plus and Minus
A local football stadium will surely generate additional revenue, but a new stadium generally means tax breaks, and we all know how much Democrats hate tax breaks.
Locals, however, may push this for the fact they would love to have football back in the city. At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie hinted as much, stating, “The energy is palpable, it doesn’t matter where you go. The Commanders belong in the District of Columbia.”
McDuffie added, “We’ve got to bring the team home. And my case for bringing the team back to the District of Columbia is really a simple one — the residents would like to see it,” reported WTOP.
Mayor Bowser also supports the move, but there are plenty of DC politicians that are quite cold on the idea.
For instance, Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen stated, “It’s pretty clear that NFL stadiums around the country don’t generate the jobs. They don’t generate the tax revenue and return. They’re not a good investment to your public dollars or good use of your land.”
Uhm, does he know how many people work at a game on any given Sunday? Not to mention the fact the stadium can be used for plenty of other events.
Allen would prefer to revamp Capital One Arena, which has far more activity than the football stadium. He stated, “In 2027, the lease is up. We’ve got to make sure that we keep that year-round activity happening at Capital One Arena. They’re active 250-plus days out of the year. There’s over $340 million worth of spending that happens in our city because of that venue.”
And if you add a football stadium, make it enclosed so you can do year-round events there as well. Not to mention that when a new stadium is built, it automatically goes into the pot for Draft Day and Super Bowl considerations, events that would bring a local windfall to business owners in the area.
This will become a hot potato during the election season if the talks start to warm up on using the old RFK location to build a new stadium.
It will pit Democrats against Democrats, which is what we love to see.
