Virginia wants to lure the Washington Capitals and Wizards across the river. The District is trying to regain the Washington Commanders from Maryland. Somehow, this version of musical chairs will see plenty of movement and one with no team.
A Virginia legislative committee approved plans on Monday to work a deal at Potomac Yards for a venue housing the Caps and Wiz. Now, that’s a long way from getting a Richmond legislature to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for an arena on the state’s very edge. Virginia has long thirsted for a major professional team, but the state capital is too small to do so.
Oddly, state leaders killed a deal for a Redskins stadium at the same spot in the 1990s. Seems residents didn’t want the increased traffic once weekly while lawmakers disliked spending big money on the border. The site is now filled with condos, but also a new long overdue Metro station to defray traffic. Still, the nearby Amazon complex and overall growth have gridlocked the area anyway. And, Northern Virginia now has enough state house muscle to get a deal.
Virginia’s bid would surely end its hopes of a Commanders stadium. There just isn’t enough money for both. The District feels the same way. Either the city gives $600 million to revitalize Capital One Arena that rejuvenated the Penn Quarter just one mile from the White House or the Wiz and Caps are gone. But, if the city spends the money on Capital One Arena, it likely can’t make a deal for the Commanders at the RFK site. Surely, the Commanders would want $600 million or more in infrastructure assistance to build there.
It comes down to where city leaders want to spend money – trying to keep Penn Quarter/China Town afloat amid rising crime problems or jumpstarting the city’s eastern gateway that has been neglected for generations with a new development at RFK. There’s not enough money for both and maybe not even one.
Regaining an NFL team would enhance the city’s image, but Capital One Arena with NBA and NHL teams plus many non-sports events is a bigger money maker.
For fans, reshuffling isn’t a major big deal. Potomac Yards is just a few Metro stops from Capital One Arena. It would be a shiny new venue versus the Penn Quarter’s rising problems. Certainly, Wiz/Caps owner Ted Leonsis would prefer a fresh start from the current malaise of crime, buskers and street musicians that encircle the arena. Leonsis has even paid for additional security and bribed musicians to move away from his office.
Many Commanders fans would like to leave the isolation of Landover, but moving to RFK would provide dramatically less parking for tailgating. It will force a generational switch to the Metro. But, in time, that won’t be a big deal to a younger generation of fans.
Maryland doesn’t want to lose its second NFL team. Gov. Wes Moore has been a mainstay at Commanders games this season. But, Maryland has its own financial problems. Losing the team across the border doesn’t really inconvenience fans greatly while not breaking the state’s budget already strained by an educational initiative that caused major transportation projects to be scrapped.
Get ready for three-way contest of liar’s poker over coming months. And, don’t believe anything until dirt is moved. A game of smoke and broken mirrors has commenced.