Political football.

• Author: Zielinski, Mike
• Position: Neighborhood fights new Washington Redskins stadium

Washington

Jack Kent Cooke, millionaire owner of the National Football League's Washington Redskins, spent much of the last year blitzing our nation's capital with demands to build a new stadium bearing his name. With a personal fortune estimated at $900 million, Cooke is accustomed to getting his way. This scheme, however, drew enough fire from citizens to cause major headaches for Cooke. The Redskins owner faces growing opposition from Native Americans who deplore what is widely regarded as the most offensive team name in sports, and community activists objected to efforts to build the stadium on publicly owned land.

The Washington Redskins currently play in Robert F. Kennedy Stadium (RFK), a facility owned by the District of Columbia. A year ago, Cooke reached an understanding with D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly to build a new stadium on public land adjacent to RFK, with the team owner anteing up $1 a year in rent.

Civic associations, the D.C. Greens, Earth First!, and neighborhood groups joined forces to oppose the stadium. Organizers of the Campaign Against Cooke Stadium (or Crooke Stadium, as it is referred to in posters around town) viewed Cooke's plan as a disaster for the neighborhood.

While Washington grapples with reduced funding for various important programs, the city government would have ceded income to Jack Kent Cooke. The Redskins owner would retain 90 per cent of the parking fees on the new stadium; currently D.C. receives 100 per cent. The city would lose an estimated $1.5 million a year in stadium-generated revenue now used to fund...