Opponents of D.C. stadium hope to put the issue to a public vote

The District of Columbia has secured the ability to build a football facility at the site of RFK Stadium. Now, they have to come up with a way to build it.

That will likely be the much harder aspect of the broader project, given the current appetite among taxpayers for the use of taxpayer money to finance football stadiums.

According to the Washington Post, a group of D.C. activists has launched a formal effort to keep it from happening. The article characterizes it as "the most organized pushback yet against the prospect of a taxpayer-financed stadium and the Washington Commanders’ potential return to the District."

The argument goes beyond the issue of using public funds to build the stadium. The other argument is that the RFK Stadium site should be used for affordable housing.

The opposition centers on a potential ballot initiative. And one thing has become clear in the stadium-financing game — if the question of using taxpayer money to build a stadium lands on a ballot, it will fail. Miserably.

Even if a formal public vote can be avoided, it won't be easy. The D.C. Council would control the situation, and the Post notes that some members "have expressed skepticism about helping the team pay for a stadium."

It's an increasingly common problem. Last April, a ballot measure in Jackson County, Missouri to extend an existing sales tax to pay for renovations to Arrowhead Stadium fell far short of the necessary "yes" votes. The Browns are facing opposition from Ohio governor Mike DeWine to $600 million in state-issued bonds for a $2.4 billion stadium in suburban Brook Park. The Bengals have launched a belated effort to get $350 million for renovations to their stadium in Cincinnati. And the Bears have gotten nowhere in connection with their attempt to secure public financing for a new stadium, either in Chicago or on property they own in Arlington Heights.

Through it all, NFL franchise values keep going up and up. More and more people are saying that the owners should pay for their own stadiums.

It feels as if the tipping point is close. Maybe it has already arrived. The possibility of a D.C. stadium for the Commanders could be the next project that will remain stalled until the team comes up with a way to pay for the building without invading the public piggy bank.