Redskins Mayor Trying To Get Team Back To D.C.

[BrudLee]

Originally Posted by BrunellMVP?

i'd give it a 12% chance of happening...

See, I had it at 13%. Maybe we can arrange some kind of debate.

[Jesse E. Timmons]

Why do all redskins fans have to live in the past? We had some good years but come on, rebuid a rfk, hire joe gibbs again? Lets move forward. The new stadium can be used and improved upon for quite some time. Besides, Lil Dan would just screw up building a new one.

[sportscurmudgeon]

IF they build a stadium at the RFK site, it's not likely to hold MORE people than Fed Ex does. So do the math folks.

To keep the same level of revenues, ticket prices will have to go UP. Add to that the fact that the Redskins own Fed Ex Field so they don't pay rent except to themselves.

At any new stadium, there would have to be some kind of lease costs to the Skins as tenants even if it is a sweetheart deal. That increase in costs would mean ticket prices will have to go UP.

So how is this ticket price INCREASE going to assure more hard-core fans and fewer of the corporate folks who are there to be seen there and not to see the game there?

[Campbell17]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

IF they build a stadium at the RFK site, it's not likely to hold MORE people than Fed Ex does. So do the math folks.

To keep the same level of revenues, ticket prices will have to go UP. Add to that the fact that the Redskins own Fed Ex Field so they don't pay rent except to themselves.

At any new stadium, there would have to be some kind of lease costs to the Skins as tenants even if it is a sweetheart deal. That increase in costs would mean ticket prices will have to go UP.

So how is this ticket price INCREASE going to assure more hard-core fans and fewer of the corporate folks who are there to be seen there and not to see the game there?

This does suck! But it is true, the coorporate people will decrease. Is it gonna be a dome or an open roof???

[Bill B]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

IF they build a stadium at the RFK site, it's not likely to hold MORE people than Fed Ex does. So do the math folks.

To keep the same level of revenues, ticket prices will have to go UP. Add to that the fact that the Redskins own Fed Ex Field so they don't pay rent except to themselves.

At any new stadium, there would have to be some kind of lease costs to the Skins as tenants even if it is a sweetheart deal. That increase in costs would mean ticket prices will have to go UP.

So how is this ticket price INCREASE going to assure more hard-core fans and fewer of the corporate folks who are there to be seen there and not to see the game there?

Actually just saw on News 4 that the new stadium would hold 100,000 people and be bigger than Fed Ex.

[12thMan]

So here's what they just said.

The city want's to lease RFK to the team for a low cost while they build a 100,000 seat dome stadium that can host the Super Bowl.

In the past, team ownership's response to whether or not they're interested in moving the team back to D.C., has been they've never been approached by D.C. leadership.

Looks like D.C. has some finance guru doing the cost-benefit analysis of moving the team back into the city to deteremine if it's economically viable.

So I guess we'll see what happens.

[SC Skins Fan]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

Looks like D.C. has some finance guru doing the cost-benefit analysis of moving the team back into the city to deteremine if it's economically viable.

Hmmm ... I wonder what they'll say? A city-sponsored study to see if building a stadium for a multi-million dollar business at the cities expense is economically viable ... I bet it will be like that Baltimore study cited in that interview I posted earlier.

12th, don't take my concerns personally, definitely not attacking you, I just don't like the concept of stadium subsidies. I do, however, like having something else to talk about besides the coaching search disaster.

P.S.

I did go to two games at RFK. Against the 49ers in 1994 and Oakland in 1995. It wasn't that magical in those days, let me tell you. Probably better than FedEx (though that Cowboys game in 2005 that I attended WAS, in your parlance, magical) but just putting a 100,000 seat stadium in the district won't work "magic", it will just cost taxpayers a lot of money.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by SC Skins Fan

Hmmm ... I wonder what they'll say? A city-sponsored study to see if building a stadium for a multi-million dollar business at the cities expense is economically viable ... I bet it will be like that Baltimore study cited in that interview I posted earlier.

12th, don't take my concerns personally, definitely not attacking you, I just don't like the concept of stadium subsidies. I do, however, like having something else to talk about besides the coaching search disaster.

P.S.

I did go to two games at RFK. Against the 49ers in 1994 and Oakland in 1995. It wasn't that magical in those days, let me tell you. Probably better than FedEx (though that Cowboys game in 2005 that I attended WAS, in your parlance, magical) but just putting a 100,000 seat stadium in the district won't work "magic", it will just cost taxpayers a lot of money.

I didn't take it personally at all. I do get passionate, however, when the city of Washington D.C. is discussed because it is my proud home. I've seen some good changes over the years and some not so good changes.

But I'm with you on stadium subsidies. D.C. has the worst public school system in the nation (ranked #51), it suffers from many social ills, and the city can't secure federal funding to save it's life. I really see a huge stadium being erected as yet another step to further gentrify that pocket of the city.

The D.C. native in me doesn't want it to happen, but the Redskin in me welcomes it with open arms.

[BringBackJoeT]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I didn't take it personally at all. I do get passionate, however, when the city of Washington D.C. is discussed because it is my proud home. I've seen some good changes over the years and some not so good changes.

But I'm with you on stadium subsidies. D.C. has the worst public school system in the nation (ranked #51), it suffers from many social ills, and the city can't secure federal funding to save it's life. I really see a huge stadium being erected as yet another step to further gentrify that pocket of the city.

The D.C. native in me doesn't want it to happen, but the Redskin in me welcomes it with open arms.

12th Man, I hear you. It's a good point. I don't know, though, whether putting the team back in the RFK area would gentrify the neighborhood as much as the new Nats stadium will the South Capitol St. area. Maybe I'm not seeing what a developer would, but I don't see much more than a stadium being (re)built there--you've got 295 one side, and then the houses along east capitol st. on the other. To north and south you just have the parking lots, which you'll still need, especially if there will be more seats in a hypothetical new stadium than the current RFK (it is still standing, after all). The north end parking lots stretch almost all the way to NY ave. (don't they?), so it's not like they'd have land to build on. No?

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by SC Skins Fan

Hmmm ... I wonder what they'll say? A city-sponsored study to see if building a stadium for a multi-million dollar business at the cities expense is economically viable ... I bet it will be like that Baltimore study cited in that interview I posted earlier.

12th, don't take my concerns personally, definitely not attacking you, I just don't like the concept of stadium subsidies. I do, however, like having something else to talk about besides the coaching search disaster.

P.S.

I did go to two games at RFK. Against the 49ers in 1994 and Oakland in 1995. It wasn't that magical in those days, let me tell you. Probably better than FedEx (though that Cowboys game in 2005 that I attended WAS, in your parlance, magical) but just putting a 100,000 seat stadium in the district won't work "magic", it will just cost taxpayers a lot of money.

By the way, I was in Columbia last weekend. I'm headed back down there tomorrow.

[fbirks]

I couldnt post a link but
San Diego team owner is trying to build a new stadium at no cost to the city. But opinions differ as to city benefits. A U of MD economics professor Dennis Coates studies this subject. Lets get him to join the Warpath and enlighten us. A new stadium in DC would be great for the city if nightlife develops around it ala the Phone Booth.

PG county gets 10% of ticket prices - $ 200 times 92,000 times 10 times 10% equals 18 million plus. DC could use this.

[Rajmahal33]

oh yea cuz that money has done wonders for PG county...

[redwagonskins]

Originally Posted by fbirks

I couldnt post a link but
San Diego team owner is trying to build a new stadium at no cost to the city. But opinions differ as to city benefits. A U of MD economics professor Dennis Coates studies this subject. Lets get him to join the Warpath and enlighten us. A new stadium in DC would be great for the city if nightlife develops around it ala the Phone Booth.

PG county gets 10% of ticket prices - $ 200 times 92,000 times 10 times 10% equals 18 million plus. DC could use this.

$18 million a year sounds really nice until you look at the bond financing necessary to pay for a $750 mill to $1 billion stadium. I don't even want to get into the difficulties in municipal bond financing these days. The only way this would work is with private financing or the city starts taxing out of state residents working in the city and that is not gonna happen. At this point $18 million wouldn't cover what was pilfered from the DC tax office.

[djnemo65]

I have been saying this for three years but this is going to happen eventually. Fed Ex is such a landhog that it would be possible to sell the site for development and not even really lose much money. Moreover, the fact that the Cowboys are moving into a new stadium just compounds things, for reasons that don't need to be enumerated.

I don't buy the old RFK contingent returning but I still think this will be a good thing for the city and the team.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by djnemo65

I have been saying this for three years but this is going to happen eventually. Fed Ex is such a landhog that it would be possible to sell the site for development and not even really lose much money. Moreover, the fact that the Cowboys are moving into a new stadium just compounds things, for reasons that don't need to be enumerated.

I don't buy the old RFK contingent returning but I still think this will be a good thing for the city and the team.

While I think it's a long shot, it's not impossible. I think that's what they have in mind - tear down Fed Ex, sell it for developement and make everyone happy.