Josh Harris is in a win-win situation right now.
According to A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin scheduled a special session of the General Assembly for next Wednesday where an amendment to study a new Commanders stadium could be on the budget.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin scheduled a special session of the General Assembly for next Wednesday where an amendment to study a new Commanders stadium could be on the budget. My @FOS story on how the stadium options are opening up minus Dan Snyder. https://t.co/rtbWBMdn30
— A.J. Perez (@byajperez) August 30, 2023
Plainly speaking, public perception was so bad under the ownership of Daniel Snyder that new owner Josh Harris is reaping the benefits of a honeymoon period and then some.
Harris is loved by fans; players and coaches have spoken their praise. Ticket sales for the 2023 season have increased. Excitement is in the air.
Daniel Snyder was blocked in his efforts for a new stadium by the city of Washington, Virginia and Maryland. He was not going to be able to do business to get a new stadium.
With Snyder out of the way, those seeking to do business with the Commanders are going out of their way to consider the possibilities of doing business with Harris and his ownership group.
Recently Youngkin attended the Commander’s training camp. In addition, Younkin recently said, “I do believe that Virginia would be a great place for the Commanders to not just have training camp, not just have their headquarters, but in fact to play all their games.”
These reports on Wednesday might actually be premature. It is not known what adjustments are being proposed for the budget by Youngkin, and it is also not known what the details will be for a study provision in the budget regarding a new Commanders stadium in Virginia.
The team’s facilities and practice fields are already in Virginia. The property is currently in Ashburn, and previously the team facilities were in Herndon. Northern Virginia, in the past, was Redskins country just as much as Maryland. The number of fans attending games who reside in Virginia is no doubt more than those actually living in the city.
However, wherever the stadium is being considered, one thing that is altogether certain is that the other two locations in the DMV will complain, declaring it should be in their area.
With ongoing investigations by both the NFL and legal authorities into the conduct of the former owner, Snyder increasingly found it difficult to have ongoing discussions regarding a new stadium.
The future is unknown regarding a new Commanders stadium, but aren’t things trending upward for Josh Harris?