In the next few weeks, the
NFL is expected to approve Josh Harris’s purchase of the Washington Commanders, which will rev up a
competition for a new stadium between D.C., Maryland and Virginia. And while D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has
championed the Commanders’ return to their former home at the site of RFK Stadium, friction has been building between the District and several of the professional sports teams that already play there.
In recent months, representatives from Monumental Sports & Entertainment — which owns the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics — and the Washington Nationals have spoken separately with city government officials about the funding of improvements they deem necessary to their facilities. MSE executives have also talked to Virginia government officials about relocating the Capitals and Wizards from downtown D.C. to Northern Virginia, near
Amazon’s new HQ2, according to three people with knowledge of the situation, who were not authorized to speak publicly about negotiations.
Two people familiar with the talks, including a Monumental official, described them as preliminary and exploratory.
Ted Leonsis, Monumental’s founder and CEO, and Monica Dixon, its president of external affairs and chief administrative officer, met with D.C. Council chair Phil Mendelson (D) on June 15 to discuss concerns about Capital One Arena — particularly, costly improvements they hope the city will help pay for as an investment in a major economic driver in the struggling downtown. The arena, which Leonsis owns, opened in 1997 and is one of the older venues in the NHL and NBA.
The city is not obligated to pay for upgrades, though in 2007,
it invested $50 million of public funding into capital improvements to the arena.
Mendelson characterized the June meeting as “positive” and said the conversation focused largely on upgrades, not potential relocation. He said they did not discuss how much money the District would or could provide.
Ted Leonsis, Monumental’s founder and CEO, and Monica Dixon, its president of external affairs and chief administrative officer, met with D.C. Council chair Phil Mendelson (D) on June 15 to discuss concerns about Capital One Arena — particularly, costly improvements they hope the city will help pay for as an investment in a major economic driver in the struggling downtown. The arena, which Leonsis owns, opened in 1997 and is one of the older venues in the NHL and NBA.
The city is not obligated to pay for upgrades, though in 2007,
it invested $50 million of public funding into capital improvements to the arena. Mendelson characterized the June meeting as “positive” and said the conversation focused largely on upgrades, not potential relocation. He said they did not discuss how much money the District would or could provide.
The Nationals, meanwhile, have gone back and forth with Events DC, the city’s operator of
Nationals Park, about who should fund a number of capital improvements, among them a new scoreboard/big screen and energy-efficient stadium lights, according to two people familiar with those discussions.
So as Bowser
lobbies for D.C. to gain control of RFK, which would make the site a realistic possibility for the Commanders, she and other city leaders must consider requests from top officials at MSE and the Nationals when evaluating a finite budget.
The Nationals, meanwhile, have gone back and forth with Events DC, the city’s operator of
Nationals Park, about who should fund a number of capital improvements, among them a new scoreboard/big screen and energy-efficient stadium lights, according to two people familiar with those discussions.
So as Bowser
lobbies for D.C. to gain control of RFK, which would make the site a realistic possibility for the Commanders, she and other city leaders must consider requests from top officials at MSE and the Nationals when evaluating a finite budget.
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