Ben White is a chief economic reporter for Politico, so money is his jam – but so is his hometown football team, so when he joined BMitch & Finlay on Wednesday and JP said he thinks the fan base is more optimistic than they have been in years, White agreed for one reason: the pending sale.
"Two words spring immediately to mind: Daniel and Snyder, and that's it; the fact he's gone is the most encouraging and optimistic thing around this franchise in 20 years," White said. "I am encouraged by the team that looks ready to take the field this fall; there are question marks, but they have pieces and a legit shot at having a better season than last year. But, you just can't underestimated the magnitude of an ownership change; Jack Kent Cooke was, above all, a winner, and wasn't looking to squeeze every dollar out of everybody, so after having a guy who did everything he could to slam things into the ground, that is a paradigmatic shift that can't be understated."
Does the thought that Sam Howell could be the answer help that, even as untested as he is?
"It does a bit. We have no clue really, but he's looked good to me in very limited reps, and there is some hope there that, after long last, we have a reliable quarterback," White said. "We'll see how he does, but it's nice to start a season not worrying that Carson Wentz is going to be a disaster, or we're stuck with one of the enormous number of garbage quarterbacks we've seen."
Brian Mitchell thinks it's still more of the off-field stuff with the hope good football comes with it, and hope is indeed the word in White's eyes.
"Hope is the word: hope for the team, hoping to move it back to the city and razing FedEx Field to the ground and never setting foot in it again, hope that the game experience doesn't include people blowing marijuana smoke in my kids' faces or throwing beer cans at each other," White laughed. "I'm not a prude, but come on, the place is a disaster. Bring an edible or something at least!"
White spends a lot of time following trends and topics in commercial real estate, something that may come in handy in the future for the Commanders – although considering he also said he believes a recession is coming, perhaps as soon as the second half of 2023, perhaps it's FedEx for now given that Josh Harris (or whomever the new principal owner is) has to pony up $6 billion for the team?
Listen to White's entire segment on the Commanders and the economy above!
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