RFK Stadium is a place where most Washington Commanders fans want to be, but does Josh Harris have his eyes set on other locations?
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00:00Josh Harris spoke yesterday, covered everything that matters, right?
00:04The name, the stadium, the uniforms, and free agency in the draft ahead and the aggressiveness
00:12of the team this offseason.
00:14I don't think it should be a surprise, Danny, that he left open the possibility that the
00:20stadium could end up in Virginia or Maryland, but I was a little bit interested in his logic
00:25or at least his rationale that the reason everything's been so hyper-fixated on D.C.
00:32is just because they weren't at the table yet, and they had to get them to the table,
00:36so that was the priority, which I don't necessarily believe.
00:39I think they really want the stadium in D.C., and that's why it's been the priority, but
00:44they're trying, I guess, to, for lack of a better term, this sounds nefarious, but I
00:47don't mean it that way, they're trying to drag Maryland or Virginia along just in case
00:51still, right?
00:52Because if something falls through, you can't tell those two to kick rocks and then go back
00:56to them.
00:57If you've ever had a yard sale, and someone's sitting there and only one person shows interest
01:03in your 30-cent item, you're getting 30 cents for it.
01:07If three people do, you might get a buck for it.
01:10It's the same principle.
01:12If there's no other demand for you, then you're going to end up, you know, you're desperate
01:18for the thing, you don't get the tax break, you've got to pay more up front, it's going
01:22to be harder for you.
01:23This is just good business to me.
01:24So to your point, I actually think he's just being smart here and not kind of giving away
01:30the ghost, not giving away the business.
01:31Basically, they want D.C., they've wanted D.C. the whole time.
01:35They could have already gone to Maryland for the sweetheart deals of all time with the
01:38current land they already own, mind you, right?
01:42I mean, what's easier than land you already are in possession of?
01:45That's so true, by the way.
01:46They could have already broken ground.
01:47Yeah.
01:48They could be building in Maryland right now.
01:50Yeah.
01:51And they could have been building in Maryland at that spot in Landover, Rauljon, whatever
01:55the hell it's called.
01:56Not other spots in Maryland.
01:57They could be building on land they own with an injection of capital from the state months
02:02ago.
02:03They could have already started, shoveled the ground.
02:04There's a reason they didn't.
02:05We all know it.
02:06They want that RFK site for a million reasons.
02:09But that's the most important thing, is that location, that Superbowl, that's NCA Final
02:15Fours, that's the mega concerts, that's the nostalgia, that's the right play, that's the
02:20most central location for all three municipalities.
02:22It just makes the most sense and everybody knows it.
02:24So having more people at the negotiating table for you can only be a benefit.
02:28So in that sense, I believe them.
02:30But you know, a little truth serum.
02:32They want RFK.
02:33In fact, they need RFK.
02:35Let's play this clip from yesterday.
02:37This was Josh Harris meeting with the media on if DC remains the option, the main option,
02:43the primary focus for a new stadium.
02:45Yeah, look, I think that obviously the DMV, right, is three jurisdictions.
02:52And it turns out DC's in the middle, plus, you know, it's the location maybe, plus because
03:02of the history.
03:04It's location that when we do surveys is the most acceptable.
03:08But there's a lot of things that go into this.
03:12And we play in Maryland right now.
03:13We have an amazing relationship with Maryland.
03:16And like I said, it's not just our decision.
03:18Like the decision is about the specific regions and areas and states themselves and DC itself.
03:27So like we have a lot of dialogue going with everyone and we're going to keep pushing forward.
03:33But yeah, I continue to kind of just be transparent about what the surveys say and how the area
03:42feels at large.
03:43But that doesn't mean that there's not a lot of support in Maryland, a lot of support
03:47in Virginia.
03:48There is.
03:50But obviously DC is kind of aligned with the history and happens to be the easiest place
03:56to get to for the most number of fans.
04:00And I don't think you have to read too much between the lines there, even though he's
04:03keeping Maryland and Virginia in the dialogue that he's also acknowledging DC makes the
04:11most sense.
04:12And he gave some reasons why cut six is Josh Harris on if the stadium timeline has changed
04:18at all with the team success.
04:19I think this is related and interesting because it's not like they're expediting anything
04:24or trying to move any of their decisions up.
04:27They still know this is going to take a lot of time.
04:29They got a long fight ahead, particularly in D.C.
04:32But here was Harris on the timeline.
04:34Yeah, like any time that you win on the field, I mean, we've all we all now experience what
04:38it was like here. Right.
04:39And it was the reawakening of Washington football here in the DMV and everywhere.
04:46Right. Because there's lots of people who grew up with the team that I grew up with.
04:51And and so any time that you get that reawakening, right, the population at large is
04:58supportive. Right. And so there's no question that there's some momentum and, you know,
05:04we would hope to capitalize on it.
05:06But I mean, obviously, we're in, you know, dialogue with jurisdictions, with Washington,
05:12with Maryland. And, you know, really, they're a big what they want to do is a big part of
05:18it also. And so and every indication is that everyone is supportive.
05:23And so we're just going to try to move forward as fast as possible.
05:27You know what I find funny, Danny, we've joked about this as a show a bunch, even when he
05:33in that answer talks about the options he mentions, D.C.
05:36and Maryland, Virginia just isn't really interested in stadiums.
05:41Right. I mean, they just don't seem to really care that much or want to have them.
05:46There are so that for every one person that does that's influential, there are three that
05:52don't. I mean, you know what I mean?
05:54Like, I don't know if that's the I'd like the politician.
05:57Like, yeah, I'd like the highest levels.
05:58Like, there are there are absolute I promise you, there are absolutely people who go, yeah,
06:02this would be a great thing.
06:04Now, whether you agree with them or not, I don't care.
06:06Put your big boy pants on.
06:07We're just having a conversation here.
06:09But whether you agree or not, there are there are advocates everywhere sprinkled throughout
06:13the state of Virginia. There are I promise you.
06:15And then there are plenty who are going to say you might get far enough down the line,
06:19but you're getting torpedoed because of whether it's my proclivities, I got a different
06:23interest or some other kind of conflicting thing.
06:26Who knows? But they can't get their act together.
06:28So that whole Capital One Leonce's Monumental Sports fiasco just put Virginia in such a
06:34harsh time out that I don't care.
06:36Like anybody willing to do business with them in that regard has to say, how can I take
06:41you seriously? How can I how can I believe you at face value?
06:45Even if you mean it, even if you are telling me the truth, I've seen that legislative
06:48process play out. I've seen the memes, bro.
06:51I know that after a press conference, after everybody's announced something, the thing
06:55is dead and sort of that's the end.
06:58So trying to bring them to the table just as a threat, I think would be valuable for
07:02any businessman in Harris and company's case.
07:05But you can't take Virginia seriously in that regard.
07:07But how do we keep falling for it?
07:09I remember for a few years we talked about Loudoun County and, you know, the metro
07:14expansion out that way.
07:15What is that? The white line or the silver line or whatever that basically the stadium
07:19was going to be built out that way.
07:20Out West. I remember for multiple years on the show that the people that cover this and
07:25the experts in this were telling us that was the most likely thing.
07:29And now it's a distant part of any conversation.
07:32It's like if D.C.
07:33falls through and then if something crazy happens for Maryland's out, then maybe
07:37Virginia would almost have to step up to the plate.
07:40The same thing with we had the exact same press conference decades ago at that national
07:45landing site. And they did it again this past year for the basketball and the hockey
07:51team. And we all kind of took a hook, line and sinker.
07:54We keep falling for the same thing.
07:57And all these years later, Virginia's never had a team for any of these professional
08:02clubs at the highest level of the four major sports and probably hasn't been overly
08:06interested. I want to play one more clip, though, really quickly, Danny, which is Josh
08:10Harris on his vision for the new stadium, which is cut five.
08:14We have not seen him.
08:17Talk much publicly about what he wants in the new stadium, so even though there's not a
08:22lot of meat on the bone here, I think just the fact that he offered any intel on his
08:26vision is probably the story.
08:29So this was Harris with the media yesterday on what he wants out of a new stadium.
08:33Yeah, so I have three or four things in mind.
08:35I mean, obviously for me personally, you know, I grew up with a great stadium and I
08:41understand, you know, what it's like to play in a stadium that, you know, where it's
08:48hard for the visiting team to play.
08:50Right. I mean, we've experienced different stadiums.
08:53You know, like I said, I've been to every game for the last two years and I see
08:57differences. And so, you know, first, the primary objective is to create a stadium that
09:02we're going to win in because I think we do that.
09:04And so there's all kinds of decisions that go into that.
09:08But I also think that that we have a responsibility, you know, when a city, you know,
09:16takes land and you utilize it, you know, for a stadium right there, taking it away from
09:24other things they could do.
09:26And so it's our responsibility to make it, you know, an amazing economic development
09:32opportunity for where it is and create a lot of jobs.
09:36And, you know, help that area.
09:40Right. And so all the air, as I think everyone knows, we're considering multiple
09:46jurisdictions, but in each case, right, those areas need need help, need improvement.
09:51And so that's got to be part of it.
09:53And and, you know, the cities themselves have to have, you know, their own input as to
09:58what they want. These are political processes.
10:00Right. And they matter to the neighborhoods and to the greater areas.
10:04So we're, you know, right now in the middle of all that.
10:07And so, yeah, I think it's both.
10:10But for me personally, I start with like we need to have a great place where our fans
10:17can show up and feel like and as much as possible, we want that to be an advantage to
10:23our team in terms of winning on the field.
10:26It's Josh Harris, owner of the Commanders, meeting with the media yesterday, I think
10:31when you ask the question, what's your vision?
10:33You want him to tell you if there's going to be a dome and, you know, what the if
10:38there's a moat on the outside of the stadium and how much gate a you'll see this
10:41sculpture. You can't go that far.
10:42Of course, he's not going to give you the details.
10:44I'm sure they're delivering renderings, you know, every single day and making tweaks
10:49and changes. But I've said all along, I've had too many people that are too high up
10:54over the years with the team in multiple factions tell me that there's going to be a
10:58roof on this thing. And most of the time they always say that it's probably not
11:03going to be retractable, both because of cost and it's viewed almost as unnecessary
11:08because it's just not used very often to open and close.
11:12But I do think it'll be an enclosed stadium when they build this stadium.
11:16And I do think it's going to be in D.C.
11:17at the RFK site. I would go as far as to say, Danny, I will be shocked if that's not
11:21the case. Shocked is probably too far to me.
11:25How? I mean, the land, man, they got the land.
11:29What else is there? The gross ineptitude, preening, selfishness,
11:34lack of local support, D.C.
11:36council, you know, who knows who'll be mayor at that point?
11:40I mean, I don't know, man. Sorry.
11:41Let me do it this way. I mean, you're correct on paper.
11:44Of course, it's a no brainer.
11:45The one is one plus one is two.
11:48And of course, you're right.
11:49But I just this is one of those like I feel like one of those characters I've seen
11:54too much, man. I've just my these eyes have seen too many things to not expect
11:59shenanigans. These are no, I get you.
12:01And you've been around the block in this regard longer than I have.
12:04And you lived in D.C.
12:06So, you know, better than anybody talking right now about whether or not
12:10this is going to be a seamless process.
12:12You know what I mean?
12:13But if I'm saying and I'm making these numbers up completely out of left field,
12:18I'm acknowledging this.
12:20But like for me, I feel like there's an 85 percent chance it ends up
12:24at the RFK site.
12:26You think that's too high?
12:27No, I think it's probably about right.
12:29Eighty eighty five, somewhere in there.
12:30Like it's all signs look look right.
12:32It looks like all systems go.
12:34But again, that you like don't.
12:37All I'm saying is don't be surprised at that article.
12:40And you know exactly what I mean when that article, that news story comes out.
12:43We're live outside the office of self-important attention guy
12:47who's decided that now's his moment to stand up and say the locals don't want this.
12:52Blah, blah, blah. And again, whatever your politics are, you may not want it.
12:55I'm not persmirching.
12:56I'm just telling you, let's not count the chickens.
12:59I got some eggs right now and they look good, but we don't have chickens.
13:03When I can go to that stadium, it's a chicken.
13:08I think that the team
13:12and the city both want it to happen.
13:16It's going to happen.
13:17There's going to be some obstacles. True.
13:20There might be a story or two or a press conference or two from self-important guy.
13:24True. But this is now a truck
13:28flying down a hill, wiping out like small houses
13:33and Vin Diesel's in a movie or something. I don't know.
13:35But it's like going 90 miles an hour and it's gaining momentum.
13:37And there will be a stadium in D.C. field in my bones.