Will Interstate Compacts Change the Stadium Subsidies Game?

With the Super Bowl behind us, football fans are already looking ahead to the 2020 season, and they’re not the only ones thinking about the future of the NFL. More specifically, speculation about where and how new stadiums will be built is in full swing, particularly in the Washington, DC area.

Even back in December, the Washington Post reported that Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was working with Congress to secure a deal for a new football stadium, and local lawmakers have started signaling their reluctance to engage in a bidding war for the team.

Virginia Delegate Michael Webert introduced legislation proposing an “interstate compact” between Virginia, Maryland, and DC, which would essentially bar all three localities from providing incentives to host a new Redskins stadium. Maryland Delegate David Moon and DC Councilmember David Grosso have both indicated support for something similar.

So today, we’re talking about the Redskins stadium, how an interstate compact might affect it, and what all this means for other sports stadium deals.

• First, we're joined by the Washington Post’s Liz Clarke. Liz has two decades as a sportswriter for the Post under her belt, including eight seasons with the Redskins
• Next up, we welcome back Michael D. Farren. Michael’s been on the show before to talk stadium subsidies, and his research covers a range of issues at play here including government favoritism and economic development
• Finally, we have Matthew Mitchell on the phone. Matt is one of our research directors here at Mercatus, where he focuses on public choice economics and the economics of government favoritism

Questions, comments, episode ideas? Email Chad at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @ChadMReese.

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Today's What's on Tap beverage is Long Black Veil brought to you by Port City Brewing in Alexandria, VA.

Photo credit: Michael Vallejo/Flickr