ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Well, the St. Louis Rams beat the Washington Redskins to Los Angeles.
When Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke was going through his frustrating search for a place to build his new stadium in the 1990s, he once considered the possibility of moving to Los Angeles — open territory after the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995.
After all, Cooke had strong roots in Los Angeles. He had owned the Lakers and the Kings and had built The Forum, the arena they called home. And, he was getting tired of the politics he ran into in the Washington area trying to find a place to build his new stadium.
Eventually, he found a home in suburban Maryland — Landover, briefly known as “Raljon,” after his two sons, Ralph and John — and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium was built.
Now, Dan Snyder is about to fight the same fight Cooke did — finding a place to build a new stadium for the Washington Redskins.
Reports surfaced recently that the Redskins would be unveiling their design plans for a new stadium sometime this month. According to Sports Business Journal, they are using a Scandinavian firm that designed Google’s impressive new California headquarters to design the stadium.
I believe Cooke also used a Scandinavian company to design what is known as FedEx Field. I think it was Ikea.
The Rams will be returning to Los Angeles to a stadium that owners were “blown away” by, according to reports out of the relocation meetings.
“Stan’s proposal was like ’Star Wars,’” a source told Pro Football Talk, referring to Rams owner Stan Kroenke. The competing proposal — the Carson project — “was like watching a home movie from the ’70s.”
The pressure is on now. Will the Redskins’ stadium be more like “Star Wars” or home movies?
Unveiling plans for a new stadium on the heels of being “blown away” by Kroenke’s new stadium will surely invite comparisons. From what we know about Snyder, he won’t want his new stadium to be considered second-rate to the one near Los Angeles. I wouldn’t be surprised if plans to unveil the Redskins design are delayed — or maybe the design firm is up to the task of competing with a “Star Wars” stadium.
Once those Redskins plans are revealed, they will be faced with the battle that Cooke went through in the 1990s — finding a home. It’s likely that Snyder, who has the luxury of time, with 11 years left on the Prince George’s County deal Cooke signed for the stadium Snyder now owns, will be able to select the location where he is most comfortable. Cooke, literally running out of time at the age of 84, didn’t have that luxury when he selected the current location He died six months before the stadium opened.
Where that might be? As I walk up to the betting window, I’m picking National Harbor — next to the new MGM Grand Casino.
Washington is not going to happen for many reasons — one of which is that the team is not welcome there by either local or federal officials. The team is called the Washington Redskins — a name that Mayor Muriel Bowser won’t even say, and others have made it clear that no stadium will be built in Washington as long as the team keeps the Redskins name.
Circumstances may result in a name change, but even so, I doubt that the bad feelings within the franchise over Washington’s current position will be simply forgotten. I think it would take a remarkable offer for the Redskins to return to the city.
Virginia is welcome ground. It’s where the Redskins already do much of their business, with their headquarters in Loudoun County and training camp in Richmond. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has no such qualms doing business with the Redskins, but to put the team on the other side of the river — particularly if it turns out to be in Loudoun County — will likely result in damage to the team’s fans in Maryland, where they are already in a battle for hearts and minds with the Baltimore Ravens in a number of counties.
Virginia fans have proven for years they will cross the Potomac to support their team under the most difficult of circumstances — the nightmare trip that thousands take to FedEx Field. National Harbor, right on the river, just across from Alexandria, is an easier commute. Maryland, under Gov. Larry Hogan, has also made it clear that his state is also welcome ground for the Redskins.
Wherever the Redskins might land with the new stadium — “Star Wars” or home movies — it won’t be in Los Angeles.
⦁ Thom Loverro is co-host of “The Sports Fix,” noon to 2 p.m. daily on ESPN 980 and espn980.com.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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