Opinion | How to fix D.C.’s crumbling sports infrastructure
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
D.C. sports infrastructure is crumbling. Here’s how to fix it. – The Washington Post
Tennis fans in the nation’s capital deserve an upgraded experience. The Washington Open used to be an “easy A” for an upper-level player willing to put up with the D.C. weather and modest facilities. A multipurpose stadium is already being considered for the RFK site. It seems to me that it will end up costing the taxpayer more taxpayer dollars to redevelop the Rock Creek Tennis Center for the Mubadala Citi DC Open as well as build a sportsplex at the site. Both the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians should stand up for their right to change their names to reflect their former owners’ racist names. It is just the latest in his campaign to undo decades of civil rights progress and demean people of color. The U.S. Open is the only dual-gender, dual-500-level event on the tennis tour. The tournament needs a new home and should be moved to the RFk Stadium site to accommodate Mark Ein’s vision.
I have had better seats for less money and with easier public transportation at much bigger tournaments, such as the French Open in Paris and tour stops in Miami, Cincinnati, Palm Desert and New York. In the 1980s, I could drive to the Fitzgerald Tennis Center from Fairfax at dinnertime, park on-site, watch a couple of matches and be home before midnight. Now, it’s a day-long time and financial commitment in cramped facilities (backless seats!) with nearly impossible car and rail options.
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I know times change, and I’m thankful that the Tennis Channel has broadened the sport’s fan base, which consequently increased the Washington Open’s attendance, but facts need to be faced, and the tournament needs a new home. How about the spaces that other local sports teams scouted out and decided not to move to, such as Potomac Yard? Or how about using the RFK site as a multipurpose stadium?
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Mark Ein, who oversees the tournament, has done a remarkable job of upgrading it. It’s now the only dual-gender, dual-500-level event on the tennis tour.
The proposed $9 million for repairs just doesn’t seem like enough to fix the tournament’s space problems. That countless yards of black filter cloth are needed to protect fans from falling debris and hide the stadium’s decay is alarming. Crowding has diminished the intimate feel that characterized the tourney in its earlier years. Rail access is far away. And the very limited on-site parking is totally weather-dependent.
The Washington Open used to be an “easy A” for an upper-level player willing to put up with the D.C. weather and modest facilities. We’re better than that now. Local tennis fans in the nation’s capital deserve an upgraded experience.
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Charles Hookey, Annandale
Residents informed D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) that they value the federal environmental standards governing the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center and Mubadala Citi DC Open. So why would George hail this transfer of control if it could be used to deny the federal government’s robust protections to the park and surrounding neighborhoods?
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Also, the July 19 Metro article on the Rock Creek Tennis Center repairs stated that a D.C. Council budget proposal, which received initial approval this month, intends to “fund repairs to bring the existing tennis center to a state of repair necessitated by Association of Tennis Professionals Tour and Women’s Tennis Association Tour.” But the funding is through taxpayer money. Can the public be provided with cash-flow analysis of this tournament’s operations over the past several years? Going forward, will there be revenue-sharing from the proceeds of the tournament to cover the stadium’s maintenance costs?
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It is unclear whether the $9 million allocated in the budget is only for repair of the Rock Creek Tennis Center or also for expansion of the stadium to include a sportsplex. If it is for the latter, then the community has been excluded from giving input into whether the Rock Creek Tennis Center should be redeveloped. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to move the tournament to the RFK Stadium site to accommodate Mark Ein’s vision for a sportsplex? A multipurpose stadium is already being considered for the RFK site. Why couldn’t it be built to accommodate an ATP-level tennis tournament, as was done with the construction of Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, which accommodates an NFL team, the University of Miami’s football team and the Miami Open? It seems to me that it will end up costing more taxpayer dollars to redevelop the Rock Creek Tennis Center for the Mubadala Citi DC Open as well as build a sportsplex and a stadium at the RFK site.
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Binta Robinson, Washington
On the Commanders
Regarding the July 21 Sports article “Trump presses for return of name”:
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President Donald Trump’s demand that the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians revert to their former racist names is just the latest front in his campaign to undo decades of civil rights progress and demean people of color.
Both teams made the right decision to change their names, and their owners should unequivocally stand up to Trump and make clear that they are not going back and reopening old wounds. If they stand their ground, they will find plenty of support among fans and advocates of racial and social justice.
The naming of sports teams is not within the president’s authority, and the teams’ owners should remind him of that.
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Likewise, political leaders in D.C., with the possibility of the Commanders returning to the District, should resist the impulse to appease Trump. They and Commanders owner Josh Harris should stand together and oppose a reversion to the past.
Bill Mosley, Washington
The writer is a co-founder of Rebrand Racist Mascots.
The July 20 Metro article on the RFK Stadium deal spotlighted a troubling trend: outside influence undermining the will of District residents.
Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), who championed returning the RFK site to D.C. but does not represent our city, should not be leading the charge to fast-track a multibillion-dollar land deal. D.C. taxpayers deserve a full, transparent review before committing more than $1 billion in public funds.
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D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson’s recent revision fails to address the serious concerns raised in the Robert Bobb Group’s council-commissioned report and leaves in place the same staggering subsidy. It also lacks a clear framework for affordable housing, green space, tax impacts and long-term economic returns.
Instead of relying on vague community benefit agreements, I am advocating a 26 percent team ownership stake in any redevelopment of the RFK site. This approach ensures direct returns to D.C. residents and lasting accountability, unlike the performative politics we’ve seen thus far.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s (D) continued frustration with D.C. Council oversight isn’t a strong negotiating tactic, especially not when billions of public dollars are at stake. What the District needs now is leadership that prioritizes fiscal responsibility and long-term equity, not political theater.
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Residents deserve a seat at the table, not just a photo op at the ribbon-cutting.
Ernest Johnson, Washington
The writer is a Democratic candidate for D.C. mayor.
Save the Arc of Loudoun
Regarding the July 21 Metro article “‘We don’t have anywhere to go’”:
The Arc of Loudoun’s forced departure from the Paxton property is more than a change of address — it’s also a painful loss for families who relied on this sanctuary. As a mother to a son with autism and a cousin to someone with cerebral palsy, I know how rare it is to find a place that truly understands complex needs.
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For 16 years, the Arc of Loudoun’s campus has been exactly that: a safe space where children have found specialized schooling, adults have rebuilt their lives after brain injuries and other challenges, and parents have felt seen and supported. Now, with programs closing or moving and the Aurora School’s future uncertain, the ripple effects are devastating. Dozens of special-needs students might be left without a school this fall. Families that finally found stability face another upheaval, and children who’ve made progress risk losing the consistency they depend on to thrive.
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Iron industrialists dedicated the property to serve “children in need.” Seeing it transition to a commercial vision of coffeehouses and amphitheaters, while displacing the people it was meant to help, feels like a betrayal of that legacy — and a reminder of how easily the vulnerable can be forgotten.
Veronica Breslin, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Fix Meridian Hill Park’s fountain, too
Regarding Katie Brown’s July 19 letter “Fix the Dupont Circle fountain”:
Washington suffers from disrepair and lack of maintenance of some of its most exquisite and unique public spaces. In particular, Meridian Hill Park has a magnificent cascading waterfall fountain that remains nonoperational, even after several years of repair work at its base. Like the regularly inactive Dupont Circle fountain, these special features throughout the city, when they are working, make living here a joy and impress visitors. Want to build a new stadium for the Commanders? Sure. But let’s not ignore the other iconic landmarks that instill pride in our beautiful city.
Terrance Applebee, Washington
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/07/25/dc-sports-facilities-commanders-letters/