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Redskins Stadium Update: Virginia & a Dome in MD?

We only dip our foot into politics here at RedskinsReport.com when it's absolutely necessary. This feels like one of those times.
Chris Russell|
Redskins Stadium Update: Virginia & a Dome in MD?
Redskins Stadium Update: Virginia & a Dome in MD?

I'd like to think I am a semi-expert in football analysis. I see a lot of things that others don't. I'm usually ahead of the curve on huge problems for the Redskins long before the actual issue occurs. 

I am FAR from an expert in stadium construction, sports gambling licenses and politics. 

I'll  leave that to those that know far more than me.

So here's the latest over the weekend from the Commonwealth - which has always been Dan Snyder and the Redskins preferred destination, no matter what anyone says. 

Apparently, a sports betting license has been granted in Virginia: 

This is the just as interesting part, per Phillips, who is super dialed into the political & sports mix:

If, as Phillips source claims, Dan Snyder had identified a parcel of land that could be fit for a stadium better suited for Redskins fans in D.C. and Southern Maryland, along with those in Virginia, this could be the breakthrough he and the fans need. 

I have zero clue where this location would be. One suggestion that was floated to me was in the Springfield, VA area. I don't know. 

One thing to me that is abundantly clear is that the Redskins are trying to make their current home, FedExField, and their future home, wherever that might be -- lucrative in a year-round capacity. 

A local government is much more likely to be supportive and helpful towards a project like a new football stadium if they can see alternative benefits and extra taxation. 

A year-round sports gambling establishment with food and alcohol, along with a potential mixed-use development plan around the stadium and a potential to host 30 + major events per year is very attractive. 

When the Redskins first unveiled their original plans for a new stadium, the blueprint allowed for a moat but not a roof. 

That was the most absurd concept because a non-enclosed facility would prevent you from having some mega events over the off-season that would be affected by cold/snow/ice. 

Events such as the NBA & NHL All Star Games, the NCAA Final Four, Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble and Survivor Series from WWE, boxing, concerts and more. 

Maryland is far from dead also, as Erin Cox of the Washington Post detailed in this news story. 

The most intriguing part of this particular story: "Snyder personally pitched state power brokers on his vision to replace FedEx Field in Landover with a smaller stadium that has a retractable dome, and use more than 215 acres he owns around the stadium to build a new corporate headquarters, practice facilities, restaurants, housing and more.

So hold on just right now for a location for a future home for the Redskins. 

One thing is for sure - Dan Snyder seems to be making a lot more progress than Bruce Allen did. 

Chris Russell is the Publisher of RedskinsReport.com & Sports Illustrated's Washington Redskins channel. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621.

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Chris Russell
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