The Washington Commanders are native to D.C. Their return to the RFK Stadium site feels right — like pride, like memory, like home. For longtime fans, it’s emotional. It matters. But let’s be clear: While this is a cultural win, this stadium alone is not an economic strategy.
Let’s be honest. Stadiums don’t deliver economic salvation. They generate short-term construction jobs, seasonal vendor work, and a boost in traffic on Sundays. But they don’t guarantee generational wealth or provide the kind of stable, high-paying employment that D.C. residents, especially the over 40,000 displaced federal workers, need.
The city has seen a shift in its employment base. Federal agency cuts, restructuring, and outsourcing have left the talented professionals, from project managers to procurement specialists, underemployed or sidelined. An NFL stadium cannot absorb or empower this workforce. But what can? Industries like clean energy, public health, logistics, cybersecurity, international development and advanced manufacturing sectors where former federal employees can thrive, not just survive.
For the past few months, I’ve been quietly recruiting a major industry player to consider relocating their headquarters and high level careers to D.C. My goal is for those companies to bring hundreds, if not thousands, of high-paying jobs here so we can help fill the void left behind by President Trump and Elon Musk’s devastating DOGE cuts. We need to show people that we can stand up to President Trump while taking care of the hardest-hit Washingtonians. I’m confident that we in D.C. can outsmart the White House’s cruelty, negligence and utter disregard.
D.C.’s mayor and Council must prioritize investing in not just any job creator, but investing in those who bring the right jobs. D.C. needs high paying, unionized opportunities that provide people the ability to live in D.C. with dignity, respect and comfort.
This isn’t about choosing between football and the future. We can have both, a team that represents us and an economy that sustains us. But that requires a bigger vision. The RFK site must be more than a stadium. It needs to be a launchpad.
All in all, I’m excited about the chance to bring professional football back home to the District. The cultural impact and symbolism of the NFL being back in our sports capital cannot be overlooked. However, in order to jump-start our economic comeback, let’s look into investments in addition to a NFL stadium in order to bring more high-paying careers to Washington, D.C.
While we root for the Commanders to come home, let’s also fight for a D.C. where opportunity goes beyond the field.