What do investment plans at FedEx Field mean for new stadium? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
FedEx Field lacks much character and needs modernizing, and even the most Burgundy and Gold clad fan would admit that.
That's why for years there has been so much talk around a new stadium for the Washington Football Team. The most desired spot is a return to RFK Stadium in D.C., though where that once seemed to have a lot of momentum, the vibe seems to have stalled.
Well in an interesting nugget from Washington team president Jason Wright's weekly brief, it looks like more money will soon go into fixing up FedEx Field.
Wright, a Northwestern University alum with an impressive background in football and business, has been very transparent about his desire to fix the Washington organization and better take care of the team's fans.
Improvements at FedEx Field will do that. It's a good idea even if not a novel concept.
One things stands out a bit though. "Near-term investments" make sense, but if a new stadium is the goal, why is the organization working on making the "fan experience at FedEx Field more enjoyable in the medium term."
Washington can get out of their lease at FedEx Field after 2027. That's not that far away.
Major stadium projects take years to build.
SoFi Stadium opened this fall after breaking ground on the project in 2016. That was a privately financed stadium where ownership controlled the land.
As of now, the Washington project has no land. There have been some level of discussions with Virginia and D.C. authorities, but certainly nothing concrete. Realistically, there's not anything close to concrete.
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On an ambitious schedule Washington seems at least three years away from putting a shovel in the ground for a new stadium. The one major bargaining chip the team had with the city of Washington was offering to change the name. Well, this summer they changed the name due to corporate pressure and got nothing in return. That bargaining chip is out the window.
There's also a major fight among Washington's ownership. 40 percent of the team is up for sale but majority owner Dan Snyder doesn't want one of his minority shareholders to be able to sell.
Everything is held up in the courts, and that doesn't even mention the NFL's ongoing sexual harassment investigation into the Washington Football Team.
Add all that up, and then ask, who is working toward a new stadium deal right now?
"Near-term" investments for "medium term" improvement at FedEx Field make a lot more sense.
Nobody is suggesting there will never be a new stadium, but the timelines sure looks interesting. FedEx Field needs work, and this might just be that simple.
