Column: For the NFL, a new Commanders stadium is good for all

The D C Council demands at least seven of its members to approve the modern RFK stadium plan that s been agreed upon by Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and D C Mayor Muriel Bowser We know several council members haven t been shy to voice their strong disapproval of the plan citing the timing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a new stadium during tough financial times even a foreseen recession In addition not everyone certain residents and retail owners who own property around RFK Stadium is thoroughly sold that the new stadium deal will revitalize or even save their side of the city All are real legit arguments and will eventually be decided by the council in the months ahead But for a moment let s discuss a what if and what a new Commanders stadium could mean to a not long ago struggling franchise and the District toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Steve Dresner explains what NFL executives think about the DC stadium deal function ' wtop-audio-container fa-play' on 'click' function var audio filename 'div wtop-audio-file' records mp -url if typeof gtag function gtag 'event' 'post audio' 'play' audio filename 'permalink' window location href Good for the NFL DC fans I ve spent various years covering NFL teams that have either moved to another city or have built a new stadium in their current location and I must say having Commissioner Roger Goodell at Monday s press conference certainly reinforced the league s ongoing commitment to bring the Commanders back to D C Believe it or not the league has been looking for approaches to bring the company back to D C for several years It s no secret that the former owner of the Commanders constantly opposed a name change until the corporate and financial pressures became too much Following the season the franchise has gone through two name changes However during the last limited years of Dan Snyder s tenure rumors swirled that the league offered to help with a new stadium deal and do whatever it took to bring the Commanders back to the District Neither rumors nor creative business ideas seemed to influence Snyder and no progress was ever made during his years of controlling the company Goodell perfectly summarized the thoughts of several on Monday saying a new stadium deal would benefits everyone as a whole The stadium project disclosed in the present day promises to be great for the fans the association and the District and the NFL Goodell reported It also makes us better as a club as a league and all of our clubs playing in a world class stadium in front of passionate fans is one of our big objectives An NFL executive who didn t want to be identified recounted WTOP Goodell s comments really expressed the feelings of multiple teams This executive also noted that largest part teams would look forward to staying at a hotel that s closer to a downtown stadium rather than traveling the usual - minutes it right now take to Northwest Stadium The Commanders current home Northwest Stadium in Landover Maryland has been long considered one of the worst stadiums in the NFL and not user-friendly for fans or players In the last years whether it was a new stadium in Nashville Las Vegas or even Los Angeles the NFL didn t perpetually have a physical presence at a press conference or agreement ceremony It is somewhat rare to have Goodell present at a stadium agreement announcement but on Monday the league truly indicated how much it is behind this project DC s respect returns The trend has been when a brand new state-of-the art stadium opens for business there eventually comes a Super Bowl Final Four or a multiday tour stop by a pop artist like Taylor Swift In addition a new stadium makes the D C area stand out even more as a FIFA World Cup host site or even a destination for the NHL s Winter Classic series Maybe for the first time in countless years D C would be part of the conversation when deciding a future venue for a high-profile event The last hypothetical has already being going on since the day Josh Harris acquired ownership of the Commanders in July However it s still a work in progress Before Harris took over ownership of the group Snyder spent the better part of years making all of the wrong moves and that included alienating a great number of of the former players who once would do anything for the Burgundy and Gold on and off the field In those early years of the new owner back in the early s myself and the bulk of my teammates would never hear from the gang and the phone was silent former Washington center Jeff Bostic informed WTOP As original member of The Hogs Bostic was often dumbfounded that his phone didn t ring that much from the company s administrative staff Bostic noted as an alum he was rarely requested to attend any company functions or in-game events through the years Yes I came up for a inadequate halftime ceremonies but it just didn t feel right Bostic mentioned Since Harris became Washington s new owner have changes taken place for the better and have the historical meaning and spirit started to return to the area Oh yes Suppose a new Commanders stadium becomes our reality and opens in the fall of as advertised In that scenario it will be the cherry on top of a bittersweet item that the NFL Harris and every D C -area football fan has ever dreamed about in their lifetime Source