OPINION:
No tailgating?
That’s the word on the proposed plans for a new Washington Commanders stadium at the old RFK site.
Oh, they might end up saving a symbolic sliver of asphalt somewhere just to keep a cherished football tradition on life support. But in the ambitious stadium-parks-retail project that Mayor Muriel Bowser keeps promising, there is precious little consideration for beer and cookouts in the parking lot.
For one thing, most of the parking is likely to be deep inside massive concrete garages — there just isn’t enough acreage at the site for surface parking.
This should be a wake-up call for Washington football fans looking forward to the team coming back to its old address. If you grew up going to games at RFK, this won’t be that place.
And if you grew up only with the stories about the tremendous atmosphere at RFK, that’s all you’ll still have – stories.
A new stadium may create its own special memories, but those who think this is going to be “RFK, the Sequel,” are doomed to be disappointed.
The new building could end up being a pearl among new sports stadiums, a state-of-the-art complex where you can get pedicures and celebrate touchdowns with a cold-water plunge.
But news about the possibility of no tailgating should throw cold water on the idea that you can go home again.
If nostalgia is no longer an attraction at the District site — and I have a feeling that’s the big attraction for many fans — then what is the allure?
I know what the attraction is for Commanders owners who have made it clear they prefer the RFK site.
The development opportunities around the stadium and along the Anacostia River will put money in their pockets — and, as the world turns, take money out of yours.
After all, they are losing money when fans are out there with their friends in the parking lot cooking up dogs and pounding cans of Budweiser.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sees a new football stadium at RFK as essentially a new national monument.
He told reporters during the Super Bowl that it would be a “huge economic driver,” and that a new NFL stadium within sight of the Capitol “would be great for our nation.”
I don’t know. Tailgating seems as American as you can get.
The lack of tailgating may not be a dealbreaker for anyone, fan or owner alike. But the loss of such a powerful tradition should not be dismissed.
The parking lot for the first home game under Josh Harris’ ownership was a celebration of the banishment of Dan Snyder from their lives, with fans welcoming each other in joyful revelry. It was a memorable moment, and I’m not sure bar-hopping would have created the same atmosphere.
Ironically, the other site in play — the existing Northwest Stadium location in suburban Maryland, the team’s home since 1997 — has created little more than bad memories. It’s a sterile facility that played host to losing teams and a toxic owner.
But a Maryland location doesn’t have the space problems the District site does. And tailgating, even with a new stadium at the site, is still likely part of the experience.
Both sites, though, may have much bigger problems.
The Trump Tsunami threatens to upend the economies of both the District and Maryland with government cuts and lost jobs.
The District is looking at a $342 million budget shortfall, and has already pledged $500 million to Monumental Sports owner Transparent Ted Leonsis for renovations to Capital One Arena.
Maryland has a projected $300 million deficit this year that could rise to a $3 billion deficit next year. This comes after the state gave the Orioles and the Ravens $1.2 billion to refurbish their respective stadiums.
Plus President Trump and other Republicans on Capitol Hill are talking about the federal government retaking control of the District.
That would throw the city’s stadium plans into confusion at best, chaos more likely.
All this is happening while Harris has targeted a 2030 date for the opening of a new stadium.
Tailgating could wind up happening at soup kitchens by then.
• You can hear Thom Loverro on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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