The Washington Commanders underwent a complete name and uniform change this offseason, which garnered a mix of positive and negative reviews across the NFL world.
It appears that they may not be done there, as reports emerged on Monday that the organization has just purchased around 200 acres of land to potentially build a new stadium.
The team currently plays at FedEx Field in Prince George’s County in Maryland, but this move would have them in Virginia, moving even further away from their namesake of Washington D.C.
The blue dot is about 2 blocks from the US Capitol. The red dot is Dumfries VA, where @john_keim reports the Commanders have spent $100M on new land for a possible stadium. pic.twitter.com/RmoLTwgLEg
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 23, 2022
Many Commanders fans took to social media, expressing their displeasure of this potential move considering how many of them live around the Washington area.
Although a new stadium is enticing for the Commanders fan base, a move to Virginia would be hard to swallow. https://t.co/DIL2GqIlRc
— #GoDers (@DersTalk) May 23, 2022
If they're losing they'll also lose a ton of Maryland fans. But if they're actually winning…I bet a lot more are willing to make the trip https://t.co/EdAPe2HB3N
— ᑎIᑕK ᗩᔕᕼOOᕼ 🤧 (@NickAshooh) May 23, 2022
I know there are fans in all sports that think their team hates their own fans. But this, *this*, is a team that hates its fans. https://t.co/qqDGoAkZBb
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) May 23, 2022
Others are noticing that this move could greatly affect an already extremely populated area in terms of traffic on I-95, the highway that connects that area of Virginia to the D.C. area.
i already have a stress headache about how bad the traffic will be https://t.co/4dpIpU8ZKe
— Liz Charboneau (@lizchar) May 23, 2022
I-95 in Dumfries every game day https://t.co/QstrHRvL3o pic.twitter.com/Cmno1HNhGC
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 23, 2022
Only fitting that they decide to choose the land that might actually be worse traffic-wise than FedEx #HTTC https://t.co/81PbFWyruw
— Ryan Trotter (@Trotter_331) May 23, 2022
Remember when Tim Kaine was stuck on a highway for more than 24 hours? Ever watched a trip from DC to Richmond double in travel time because of traffic? I know I'd definitely love to put my professional sports team right smack in the middle of the highway that brings that joy. https://t.co/jGZfjB4xXz
— Kelsey Snell (@kelsey_snell) May 23, 2022
As someone who used to live off that particular exit, I'll say again … good god I can't imagine the traffic apocalypse this would unleash https://t.co/1pZMH5n6VW
— Marc Lancaster (@MarcLancaster) May 23, 2022
While there were at least some people who seemed to be in favor of the new name change and uniform change, it appears that the overwhelming majority of people who live in that area are extremely against this move.
Nothing is official quite yet, there have only been reports that the organization has bought land in that area, but it seems like someone who is going to buy around 200 acres of land would likely want it to be for a new stadium.
The Commanders’ organization just has not been able to do anything right under Dan Snyder, who is reportedly getting closer and closer to potentially being removed as owner in Washington via a vote from his fellow NFL owners.
Regardless, fans would be happy no matter where the stadium is if the team was winning, which it really hasn’t done in any sustained fashion in quite some time.
