Hail No to a New Stadium at RFK - Add Your Name Below

Read my August 1, 2023 op-ed in the Washington Post.

If you believe the 190 acres of RFK's campus could be more than the next NFL stadium, say #HailNo and sign this petition below:

"As a DC resident, I am against a deal that gives away a single square foot of land or a single District tax dollar to build a new stadium.

  • I believe the 190 acres alongside the Anacostia River could be so much more than oceans of asphalt for surface parking and a 60,000 seat stadium.

  • On average, most NFL stadiums only hold 10 to 20 events annually outside of eight NFL home games, meaning the stadium sits empty more than 300 days a year. An enormous space that sits empty doesn’t spur economic growth or create meaingful jobs and doesn’t help the surrounding community.

  • Make no mistake - people drive to NFL games and they're going to park somewhere, regardless of how much is available. At San Francisco's new stadium, they had to rent out all of the parking lots at a nearby amusement park. Where do you think people will park around RFK if there isn't enough parking for fans?

  • Nationwide, since 1997 we've seen the NFL pit communities against each other while collecting more than $6.7 billion dollars from taxpayers to build stadiums for privately-owned teams. Overall, local taxpayers end up footing around half the bill for a new NFL stadium.  

  • The costs of these projects are always higher than estimated. The five most recent newly-constructed NFL stadiums have surpassed more than $1 billion dollars each!

  • As a DC resident, I don't want to see DC hoodwinked into paying for a billionaire's stadium. The District needs our tax dollars to create new housing at all levels, support local DC entrepreneurs who run small and local business, take urgent steps forward to shift to a 100% clean energy environment, build larger and modern schools for our growing city, fund our Metro system, and in general spend money to make life better and easier for DC residents.

  • Sitting on the banks of the historic Anacostia River, a new stadium and all of the traffic and trash that would come along, would set the Anacostia River's improvement back. RFK has never had to meet standards set by the National Environmental Policy Act, and I am concerned any deal worked out under the outgoing Congress would try to extend the exemption to holding the site accountable to environmental standards.

Dedicating millions of dollars to bring an NFL stadium to the District is a bad deal and a poor use of an incredible opportunity. 

Thank you."

Who's signing

Jirair Ratevosian
Donna Breslin
Peggy Rainwater
Lisa Wright
Alex Lopez
Michael Steinman
Caroline Buddenhagen
Dan Baker
Angie Schmidt
Peter Byrne
Katie Reilly
Benjamin Carroll
Tami Wolf
Phillip Hess
Keith Krosinsky
Seth Roskind
Pat Taylor
John Ransom
Arjun Prasad
Steve Lowery
Joanne Garlow
Rob Vaughan
Sky Moore
Ronnie Kweller
Abby McGill
Kerry Lynn Bohen
Cliff Wilks
Scott
Stephen Cobb
Bailey Vogt
4,002 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Jirair Ratevosian
    signed 2019-02-14 16:46:31 -0500
  • Donna Breslin
    signed 2019-02-14 16:44:52 -0500
  • Peggy Rainwater
    signed 2019-02-14 16:39:33 -0500
  • Lisa Wright
    signed 2019-02-14 16:30:03 -0500
  • Alex Lopez
    signed 2019-02-14 16:25:59 -0500
  • Michael Steinman
    signed 2019-02-14 16:23:17 -0500
    Michael T Steinman
  • Caroline Buddenhagen
    signed 2019-02-14 16:19:16 -0500
  • Dan Baker
    signed 2019-02-14 16:18:13 -0500
  • Angie Schmidt
    signed 2019-02-14 16:14:37 -0500
  • Peter Byrne
    signed 2019-02-14 16:14:17 -0500
  • Katie Reilly
    signed 2019-02-14 16:09:57 -0500
  • Benjamin Carroll
    signed 2019-02-14 12:26:18 -0500
  • Tami Wolf
    signed 2019-02-14 11:13:51 -0500
  • Phillip Hess
    signed 2019-02-14 10:56:08 -0500
    I am a massive sports fan and understand the societal and civic benefits of having the local team close by. I also have enough of a basic understanding of economics to know that subsidizing a 10 date per year venue for a billionaire will never deliver the fantasy of economic benefits that will be promised. There are dozens of uses for the RFK lot that will benefit the city beyond corporate welfare for a football team that continues to rake in money despite woeful management on and off the field.
  • Keith Krosinsky
    signed 2019-02-14 10:35:59 -0500
  • Seth Roskind
    signed 2019-02-14 09:55:57 -0500
  • Pat Taylor
    signed 2019-02-14 09:18:51 -0500
  • John Ransom
    signed 2019-02-13 23:57:03 -0500
    John F Ransom
  • Arjun Prasad
    signed 2019-02-13 21:36:16 -0500
  • Steve Lowery
    signed 2019-02-13 20:01:50 -0500
    You tell that cunt Muriel Bowser they are more than welcome if she wants to change the name to the District Porch Monkeys or the DC Kikes or any other recognized pejorative.
  • Joanne Garlow
    signed 2019-02-13 19:55:56 -0500
  • Rob Vaughan
    signed 2019-02-13 18:37:46 -0500
  • Sky Moore
    signed 2019-02-13 17:53:16 -0500
  • Ronnie Kweller
    signed 2019-02-13 17:51:46 -0500
    Ronnie Kweller
  • Abby McGill
    signed 2019-02-13 15:56:19 -0500
  • Kerry Lynn Bohen
    signed 2019-02-13 13:56:23 -0500
  • Cliff Wilks
    signed 2019-02-13 13:18:01 -0500
    Dan Snyder cannot be allowed to con DC residents to pay for any new stadium.
  • Scott
    signed 2019-02-13 12:59:56 -0500
  • Stephen Cobb
    signed 2019-02-13 12:56:33 -0500
  • Bailey Vogt
    signed 2019-02-13 12:40:26 -0500