Could Commanders Return to Washington D.C., RFK Stadium Site?
The Washington Commanders' franchise hasn't called RFK Stadium home since 1996. Even the days of the Washington Nationals and D.C. United playing at RFK -- which opened in October of 1961 -- are long gone. And that's led to the idea of demolishing the stadium, paving the way for a state-of-the-art facility to be built on the site.
In fact, Meagan Flynn and Sam Fortier of The Washington Post are reporting that Rep. James Comer -- a Republican who serves the first congressional district in Kentucky -- is slated to introduce legislation that would allow a new field to be built on the site that is currently home to RFK Stadium:
"A House Oversight Committee spokesman confirmed Thursday that Comer (R-Ky.) is preparing the legislation that could allow D.C. to develop the RFK site, which is on federal land, although he stressed it would not be a land sale," The Washington Post writes. "The spokesman, Austin Hacker, said that details of the legislation have not been finalized and that talks are ongoing with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s office."
On July 20, the 31 other NFL owners will vote on whether Josh Harris' group will be approved in their purchase of the Commanders from Daniel Snyder. Harris' ownership group will need 24 of the 31 owners to vote in favor of the sale, and there's no reason to believe that won't happen.
While finding a franchise quarterback and deciding whether Ron Rivera is the long-term answer as the team's coach are the micro issues that Harris will inherit if approved, one of the main macro issues for the Commanders will be securing a new stadium. FedEx Field -- which opened in 1997 -- is widely viewed as the worst stadium in the sport.
The potential location of a new stadium -- and which jurisdictions will be asked to contribute taxpayer money -- remains to be seen. FedEx Field is located in Landover Maryland, and is more than half an hour away from some parts of D.C. It would seem to make sense for a team that is said to be from Washington to play its home games in the district. This bill could be the first step towards bringing the football team back home.
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