United's stadium situation on front page of WashPo

by Dan Murphy on May 13, 2011 2:48 PM EDT

Steve Goff got United's stadium situation onto the front page (A1!) of the Washington Post. For those who have been following the situation for years, it doesn't say anything groundbreaking, but if you want to hear what the general DC populace thinks, then the comments are a must read.

My impression is that DC residents are (a) skeptical about any plans for a new stadium and (b) misinformed about United's proposals, both of which are highly understandable. The Nationals deal has bred a lot of skepticism for pro sports and sports ownership both. If Will Chang is hoping for a groundswell of support for keeping DC in the District, it looks like it's going to have to start with die-hard United fans.

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Public perception

The misunderstandings about the proposal are rooted in simple lack of information for the most part, but I can’t help thinking that the coverage from the Post’s Metro desk also contributed during the Poplar Point days. United’s proposal was constantly portrayed by David Nakamura and Marc Fisher as one where the city would have to fund the building of a stadium. Intentionally or not, they misrepresented some facts and treated other things that were outright false as true. It didn’t play the same part that the disaster that was the Nats stadium deal did, but it contributed.

The newest article, thankfully, doesn’t involve those two. It also doesn’t present anything new, though Goff did sit down and interview Kevin Payne on the subject. The lack of new info tells me that either a) no progress has been made or b) United is still trying desperately to keep everything as close to the vest. Hopefully it’s the latter.

It is disappointing to read how many non-United fans misunderstand the issue, and the process of getting a stadium built in general. In the public mind, it’s always that the team pays 100% for the stadium privately, or it’s like they’re robbing the public coffers. The comments there also contain numerous people declaring that United can play in a 5-6k minor league baseball park because that’s the perception of our crowds. On the other hand, I’d say the majority of internet comments – not you guys, y’all are cool – are dumb on every subject, so maybe it’s not as bad as it seems.

One thing I was disappointed by was that the article didn’t touch on Will Chang’s attempts to create an ownership group. I know either he or Payne said a while ago that they weren’t related, but I simply cannot bring myself to believe that. An influx of new capital, new (and better) local connections, and new ideas would seem to me to be crucial to the stadium process.

Bottom line: We’re exactly where we were months ago. Goff’s old “zzzzzzzzz” joke is still valid, unfortunately.

Writer - Black and Red United

by ChestRockwell on May 13, 2011 4:09 PM EDT reply actions