Posted on 12/20/2024 6:41:53 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
The Washington Commanders’ plan for a new stadium in Washington, D.C., needs a recalibration.
The U.S. House of Representatives avoided a government shutdown by passing legislation that will extend funding into mid-March. However, the bill no longer includes language that would transfer control of the RFK campus in the nation’s capital from the federal government to the District.
The initial terms in a continuing resolution announced on Tuesday did include language that previously passed House and Senate committees, and would grant the District administrative control of the 174-acre campus for 99 years and allow D.C. to build a stadium along with commercial and community properties.
Even though hurdles remained to ensure a stadium project would be built on the site the NFL franchise called home for 35 years, the actions by the Commanders ownership group strongly suggested the franchise would seek to relocate from its current home in suburban Maryland.
Now, the chances of a new football stadium being built in Washington diminished unless the Commanders, led by managing partner Josh Harris, are willing to delay their stated timeline of opening a new stadium roughly by 2030.
Without a resolution before the end of this congressional session, the proposition must start from scratch after months of discussion if the District, federal government officials and the Commanders choose to begin anew.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Why should the federal government pay for a new stadium for the Commanders? Let Bowser and the local DC pols handle that. Tomorrow I’ll be driving past the abandoned and decaying RFK Stadium. If DC wants a new stadium, tear that down and build one there. I have to say they did a good job with Nationals Stadium. No reason they can’t do the same for a football venue. (The stadium in Raljon now called Northwest Field ((after the credit union)) was Jack Kent Cooke’s baby. It’s a bad location and a bad facility.)
If I'm right, this is one of the special interest items that I actually don't care if it happens.
The federal government is broke.
If the land is worth $500 million, then they need to sell it at market value.
Good. That stadium is a vanity project for Muriel Bowser. It should be killed.
If a stadium on that site does come to pass, no parking lots. The billionnaires can ride Metro like everyone else, or have their limos drop them off and come back to fetch them later.
No one who lives on Capitol Hill or in Hill East or Kingman Park wants a stadium surrounded by big parking lots that sit empty 350+ days a year. That is open land right on the river and on the edge of the city’s largest and most dense residential neighborhood. It should be used for parks and recreation.
Government should not pay for any stadiums be it city, state or federal. Those teams are private business for profit. If a team does not think DC is good let them move to another city on their own dime and tell DC, “we will leave if you do not subsidize us with a new stadium.” DC should then reply, “do as you see fit.”
The free market works. Subsidizes distort the free market to the benefit of those that should not benefit.
Good point. I’ll drink to that!
How about everyone just ignore them and not buy their brand until they go back to calling themselves the Washington Redskins.
I am sick of subsidizing stadiums for billionaires.We have done it in Pittsburgh and it has not worked for the taxpayers. Let the owners pay for their on sandboxes
There is n legitimate reason for taxpayers to pay
Learner
Chalk up Win #1 for DOGE!
Amen to that. The wise thing for them to do is just to build a new stadium at their current location in Maryland.
Maybe a denaming to like the Washington Red Skins would stir up things.
That’s good to know. I don’t want a penny of my tax money to be spent on the Washington Football Team. I am always rooting for the Football Team to lose to whomever they play.
Good!
Instead of creating more attractions to bring people into DC we should depopulate it.
Seat of congress, and the White House, but other than that make it a national park with no unconstitutional “Representation” or lobbying issues.
Jerry Jones pulled strings to screw the skins for years. My point.. The redskins have been bad business since the mid 90's. Why include federal money to help DC regain a NFL franchise.
I will say I saw several concerts there and it was a pretty cool stadium compared to others I have been in. Ie: The ravens stadium is really clean and easier to park and get away from after a game. But didn't have the mystic RFK had.
On a reshelving cart at a library I came across a book I leafed through once. It had statistical proof and background stories of many sports venues built with all or mostly taxpayer money (for the benefit of the team owners to profit).
None of them actually lived up to the hype of “so many jobs and so much tourist money flowing into the restaurants, clubs, memorabilia sales points and surrounding stores that the cost of building the arena will be made back.” Book said it never happened as promised and some (Kingdome, Three Rivers, others) get demolished later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcN4VrZk_5w
Good. We shouldn’t pay to re-build that damned bridge either.
BTTT!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.