The Josh Harris Group and Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Bowser have agreed to the framework for bringing the Washington Commanders franchise back to the Nation’s Capital.
Harris has indicated that he would like to have a new stadium in place by 2030. The facility would host more than just the Commanders. The stadium would also be used to attract events such as the Final Four, the NFL Draft, concerts, and other sizable events.
As expected, there is opposition.
“The cost to the District will be at least $856 million, and I continue to be concerned with investing any public money into a stadium while we have constrained budgets and revenues and unmet needs,” Mendelson said earlier this month. “This would be the third biggest public subsidy for a football stadium anywhere in the nation.” – Council Chair Phil Mendelson
Playing politics in this manner carries a certain level of danger. The Senate has not approved the spending bill to restore the city’s budget to expected levels.
The politicians approved the deal to give Washington D.C. back the land with the notion of building a stadium. If the council doesn’t do that, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Senate would decide to keep the city’s budget at the levels that included the budget cuts.
Washington D.C. lost the Washington Commanders when then-Mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon couldn’t reach a deal with Jack Kent Cooke.
Cooke would move the franchise to Landover, Maryland, adjacent to the land where the Washington Bullets/Washington Caps had previously played.
