Dive Brief:
- Washington, DC, officials have big ideas for RFK Stadium, including a possible new 65,000-seat Redskins facility or a basketball and hockey arena — for the Wizards and Capitals, respectively — on the venue’s 190-acre parcel of riverfront property, according to The Washington Post.
- Also on the table — as a way to reinvigorate the former home of the Redskins — are four other sports and entertainment options, including playing fields, a field house, a water park or even a Chelsea-Piers-inspired sports and entertainment facility.
- Events DC, the District’s convention and sports authority, said two designs allow for the return of the Redskins, but the expense of a new NFL venue, as well as the controversy over the team’s name, casts doubt on that scenario, The Post reported.
Dive Insight:
DC officials said they are aware that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has hired Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to design a stadium for a yet-to-be-determined site, but that they are also aware that stadiums these days can cost upwards of $1 billion. BIG’s design, which was previewed during a "60 Minutes" segment, features an extravagant, semi-transparent main arena and includes a moat for kayakers.
Snyder has explored a possible return to DC in the past, but the Redskins name, considered by many to be an insult to Native Americans, is hampering any real negotiations. Additionally, the RFK stadium land is leased to DC from the National Park Service — the head of which has expressed distaste for the team name — and any long-term deal for the team’s return would require an act of Congress. The Redskins currently play at FedexField in Landover, MD, and the team’s lease expires in 2027.
Regardless of whether the new facility becomes home to a professional sports team, according to Events DC president and chief executive Gregory O’Dell, the agency’s goal is to build public playing fields, a market and a family sports-entertainment facility within the next three to five years, The Post reported.
