RFK at 50 Years OLD

[Natsinpwc]

I saw an article heading recently about the possibility of the Redskins moving back to RFK.  Didn't read the article (stupid Post blocks me, for what reason I don't know) but apparently it's being discussed.

I think you mean they would tear it down and then build a new stadium there?

[Natsinpwc]

Love RFK. So many wonderful memories. It was a dump but it was OUR dump and all of our teams had a legit home field advantage.

I'll tell you one thing: if the Nats played their home playoff games in RFK the way the old great Redskins did, no way they'd have a 3-8 record in home playoff games. There was just something special about RFK and it permeated over to the home team.

Sure they would.

[Ray D]

I think you mean they would tear it down and then build a new stadium there?

Could be.  I couldn't read the article.  However if they built a new stadium it's near certain it wouldn't be called RFK, so I assumed "return to RFK" meant just that.

[OldChelsea]

I saw an article heading recently about the possibility of the Redskins moving back to RFK.  Didn't read the article (stupid Post blocks me, for what reason I don't know) but apparently it's being discussed.

washingtonpost.com is a pay site now.

The Redskins would seem to be the obvious choice for a new ground on the site but that won't be getting off square one until the club-name issue gets resolved.

[Ray D]

washingtonpost.com is a pay site now.

So all these posters posting links to Post articles are paying?

The Redskins would seem to be the obvious choice for a new ground on the site but that won't be getting off square one until the club-name issue gets resolved.

Why is that an issue for where they play?  Is the city of DC refusing to let them play in DC with that name? 

[OldChelsea]

So all these posters posting links to Post articles are paying?

Those who are able to read the articles are paying, I do believe. When the Post went over to a digital subscription system, the only reason I wasn't assessed any further was because I already had home delivery of the print edition.

Why is that an issue for where they play?  Is the city of DC refusing to let them play in DC with that name? 

The mayor and at least some of the city council have insisted on a name change.

[bluestreak]

So all these posters posting links to Post articles are paying?


Why is that an issue for where they play?  Is the city of DC refusing to let them play in DC with that name?

You get a certain amount of free articles per month. And if you have a .gov or .edu email address it’s free. And I imagine that many folks do pay.

And it’s unlilely DC would let them play here until they change that name. Muriel Bowser has said in the past it’s a non starter.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Oh, just call them the Washington Reagans and everyone objecting to the name change will love it and everyone supporting the name change will hate it.

[imref]

here's a look at future plans:  https://wtop.com/sports/2017/10/one-era-rfk-ends-plans-future-begin/

From the above article, RFK will continue to be open for years to come, and will be available to host concerts and other special events.  The short-term plan is to develop the land around it as shopping/dining/multi-use fields.

It would make perfect sense for the Redskins to build a new stadium on the RFK site.   

We were at the game yesterday as I posted in the soccer thread.  It was like being in a third-world country.  besides the NY Red Bull Hooligans trying to set the place on fire, debris was falling from the stands as they bounced.  Paint is peeling everywhere. 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

The missus was telling me about some skit (SNL?) where the NFL took a clue from the Washington football team & changed all of the team names to objects of public opprobrium to drive up jersey sales ("Cleveland bin ladens, my ass...I'm buying a jersey and burning it!!")

Oh, just call them the Washington Reagans and everyone objecting to the name change will love it and everyone supporting the name change will hate it.

[Count Walewski]

RFK is on federal land. So the federal government has to approve any use. And each time the federal government changes, the new administration can impose whatever demands it wants on the team before it is allowed to build a new stadium there.

Likewise, you will have local politicians who want to build a beautiful new stadium there, local politicians who would prefer to see housing or a new commercial development there, and local residents and voters who have opinions of their own.

With all the people who would have to agree on a new use for this massive site, I am pessimistic that anything will get done.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Not to mention the current owner of the Skins is as likable and charming as a bull getting dental surgery.

[bluestreak]

The missus was telling me about some skit (SNL?) where the NFL took a clue from the Washington football team & changed all of the team names to objects of public opprobrium to drive up jersey sales ("Cleveland bin ladens, my ass...I'm buying a jersey and burning it!!")

It’s from the show “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”. I think the show is hilarious, but not for everyone. If you liked “30 Rock,” you’ll like it. Otherwise you won’t.
In any case, in the show they renamed the Redskins the “Washington Gun-takers”

https://www.mrctv.org/videos/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-season-3-washington-gun-takers

[imref]

RFK is on federal land. So the federal government has to approve any use. And each time the federal government changes, the new administration can impose whatever demands it wants on the team before it is allowed to build a new stadium there.

Likewise, you will have local politicians who want to build a beautiful new stadium there, local politicians who would prefer to see housing or a new commercial development there, and local residents and voters who have opinions of their own.

With all the people who would have to agree on a new use for this massive site, I am pessimistic that anything will get done.

the WTOP article notes that the lease mandates that at least part of the land be used for a sporting complex.

[HalfSmokes]

Would Snyder even want that spot? Presumably he’ll have Maryland, DC, and VA all vying to buy him a stadium- my bet is that it comes down to who offers him a combination of the most money, most tax breaks and best land.

[GburgNatsFan]

I don't think that the State of Maryland is doing much to try to keep the Redskins. I've read that the Maryland Stadium Authority thinks that a suburban stadium is a waste of space and doesn't do much for locality. They compare FedEx to the downtown Baltimore football and baseball facilities, which are a boon to Baltimore.

Would Snyder even want that spot? Presumably he’ll have Maryland, DC, and VA all vying to buy him a stadium- my bet is that it comes down to who offers him a combination of the most money, most tax breaks and best land.

[imref]

Would Snyder even want that spot? Presumably he’ll have Maryland, DC, and VA all vying to buy him a stadium- my bet is that it comes down to who offers him a combination of the most money, most tax breaks and best land.

McAuliffe is promoting moving the Redskins to Loudoun.  From what i've read, the team is seeking a location that would provide activities before and after the game (e.g. dining/bars/shopping/etc.), and mass transit options.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

McAuliffe is promoting moving the Redskins to Loudoun.  From what i've read, the team is seeking a location that would provide activities before and after the game (e.g. dining/bars/shopping/etc.), and mass transit options.

you have to wonder if that is the best use of land near mass transit.  you want that to be dense and to have apartments and the like within walking distance.    A stadium takes up a lot of footprint. Parking would have to be garages and not flat lots.

[HalfSmokes]

you have to wonder if that is the best use of land near mass transit.  you want that to be dense and to have apartments and the like within walking distance.    A stadium takes up a lot of footprint. Parking would have to be garages and not flat lots.

it's not (nor is it the best use of tax payer funds), but that has never stopped cities from doing it before

[OldChelsea]

McAuliffe is promoting moving the Redskins to Loudoun.  From what i've read, the team is seeking a location that would provide activities before and after the game (e.g. dining/bars/shopping/etc.), and mass transit options.

...imagine the traffic on Monday/Thursday nights (and possibly more, as the NFL moves more of its product into prime time). Meanwhile the Redskins' lease at FedEx runs to 2027, and the remainder of Metro's Silver line is currently projected to open in 2020* (if you go out to Dulles airport you can see the Dulles station exterior which is already pretty far along). But Loudoun just seems too far away from the area's main population centres.


*Forgotten fact nowadays: did you know that the original Metrorail system (not including the Silver line or the Blue line beyond Addison Road or the NoMa-Gallaudet station, which were subsequent additions) was supposed to have been completed in 1986?

[Elvir Ovcina]

McAuliffe is promoting moving the Redskins to Loudoun.  From what i've read, the team is seeking a location that would provide activities before and after the game (e.g. dining/bars/shopping/etc.), and mass transit options.

That's just too far out, in my view.  From the White House (picked to be somewhat representative of central DC) to the location of what will be the nearest Metro stop in Loudoun is over 30 miles.  A stadium there makes Landover look like RFK in terms of location. 

[GburgNatsFan]

RFK is the  best remaining location. Unless there's an old, unused rail yard in Springfield or somewhere? Near a Metro stop?

That's just too far out, in my view.  From the White House (picked to be somewhat representative of central DC) to the location of what will be the nearest Metro stop in Loudoun is over 30 miles.  A stadium there makes Landover look like RFK in terms of location.

[Ray D]

That's just too far out, in my view.  From the White House (picked to be somewhat representative of central DC) to the location of what will be the nearest Metro stop in Loudoun is over 30 miles.  A stadium there makes Landover look like RFK in terms of location. 

What probably would happen is a demographic shift.  Redskins fans would be mostly from Virginia and DC, with few Maryland fans, who will eventually become Ravens fans.

[Ray D]

What again is the issue with DC and the name?  It's the city that objects to the name, not the Federal Government, who owns the land and has control over who plays there. The Federal Government doesn't care about the name (at least as currently constituted).  So DC really has no say in the matter.  Is funding the issue? That the Redskins would expect DC to pay for the stadium?

[HalfSmokes]

RFK is the  best remaining location. Unless there's an old, unused rail yard in Springfield or somewhere? Near a Metro stop?

I would expect Snyder to demand something better than RFK as far as locations go- DC united got waterfront and so did the Nats. Navy Yard is much more accessible to NOVA fans both by car and by metro than RFK which seems like a big deal