If you build it, they will come. But, before you build it, you must first knock it down.
On Thursday, it was announced that the National Park Service had approved the demolition of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium – better known as RFK Stadium – in Washington, D.C.
Now, for those of us who grew up watching the Redskins in their glory years at what was at one point the loudest stadium in the league and the toughest ticket to get in town, this is a sad day. However, that sadness is balanced out by the fact that the team has been looking to relocate back to D.C. for several years. Specifically, the team would like to return to their original location – RFK Stadium.
District officials say they will tear down the dilapidated RFK stadium by 2021, a move they say is driven by a need to save money and not to advance plans for the Redskins to build a new football stadium there. (Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Of course, that couldn’t happen with the old, run-down stadium still there. So, the NPS approval paves the way for what could be a triumphant (?) return in the next two years. Tearing down RFK is arguably the lesser of two things that had to be done to bring the Commanders back to D.C. The main sticking point was the much despised former owner, Daniel Snyder.
With RFK slated to be destroyed and new, far better ownership in place, there really isn’t a formidable barrier to making the return happen.
The Commanders’ current stadium, the much-maligned FedEx Field in Maryland, is regarded as one of the worst stadiums in the NFL. Despite that, all three local governments – D.C., Maryland, and Virginia- are expected to bid for the right to host the team’s new stadium.
However, with new Owner Josh Harris a passionate fan of the team from his boyhood days growing up in the D.C. area, there’s a strong chance he’ll want to bring the team home.
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