The president reportedly wants the new home of the Washington Commanders to bear his name. There are reasons to think he will succeed
That’s if a well-sourced report from ESPN is to be believed. The US president has apparently let it be known to the ownership group of the Washington Commanders that he wants the team’s new stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2030, to take his name. “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen,” a senior White House official told ESPN.
Not quite. While the franchise was a dominant force in the 1980s, its last Super Bowl appearance came in the 1991 season. Although the Commanders’ fortunes were revived last season thanks to new owners and a brilliant young quarterback in Jayden Daniels, their form has slumped again this season.
Good point – what would Trump have in common with a team with a dubious history with women and minorities? Having said that, the move would give Trump two things he enjoys: power and revenge. The NFL is by far the most popular league in America, as well as the richest in the world – having his name on one of its stadiums will make sure he is even more prominent than he already is. It would also be a counterpunch against a league with which Trump has had a fractious relationship. In 1983 he bought a franchise in the rival United States Football League in an attempt to force a merger with the NFL, only to wind up sinking the younger league. In 2014, Trump was frustrated in his attempt to enter the NFL’s inner circle when his bid to buy the Buffalo Bills fell short. The clashes have continued into his presidency: during his first term, he described NFL players protesting against social injustice as “sons of bitches”. In his second term he has urged the Commanders to revert to their previous racist nickname and attacked the league’s decision to choose Trump critic Bad Bunny to play the Super Bowl’s halftime show this season.
