logo
Trump threatens Washington Commanders' stadium plans if franchise doesn't change name

Trump threatens Washington Commanders' stadium plans if franchise doesn't change name

Yahoo3 days ago
The Washington Commanders have had a busy offseason. They've traded for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel to bolster one of the top offenses in the NFL from a year ago. On defense, they added decorated pass rusher Von Miller in free agency.
There's been news off the field as well with the franchise announcing plans to build a new stadium in Washington D.C. The franchise hopes to build on the site of RFK Memorial Stadium where the team played from 1961 to 1996 and is two miles east of the U.S. Capitol building.
Washington may be facing a challenge as well from the highest-ranking elected official in the country.
President Trump posted on Truth Social that he may restrict the team from building on the old RFK Stadium site if it doesn't change its name.
"I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington (name),' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington," Trump posted.
He continued: "The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone." He went on to state that the Cleveland Guardians should do the same and change the franchise name back to its former name.
Washington also faces some question marks with getting that deal with Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser needing to get approval from the D.C. Council.
"I would put my level of concern – because when you're a big city mayor you're concerned about everything – I'll put it at a four [out of five]," Bowser said earlier this month.
Washington started out as the Boston Braves back in 1932 before changing its name in 1933. The franchise kept its now-former name when it relocated from Boston to Washington D.C. in 1937 and it remained for decades.
WASHINGTON UNIFORMS: Commanders reveal alternate uniforms that nod to their Super Bowl glory
In July 2020, the franchise dropped the name and logo.
"We are announcing we will be retiring the (former) name and logo upon completion of this review," the team said in a statement at the time and that team officials were "working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud, tradition rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years."
The franchise went by the name Washington Football Team for the 2020 and 2021 NFL seasons before rebranding as the Washington Commanders ahead of the 2022 season.
This isn't the first time Trump's voiced his dislike for the Commanders name. When asked about the stadium plans earlier in July, Trump said he wouldn't have changed the name in the first place.
"It just doesn't have the same, it doesn't have the same ring to me," he said. 'But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn't have changed the name.'
A new stadium is one of the top priorities of the Commanders' new ownership group led by Josh Harris. That group finished a deal to buy the team in May 2023 and are hoping to finish construction by the 2030 NFL season.
In the meantime, the team would continue to play its home games at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
The team has not released a statement in response to Trump's comments at time of publishing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump threatens Washington Commanders' stadium deal
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

No ‘woke AI' in Washington, Trump says as he launches American AI action plan
No ‘woke AI' in Washington, Trump says as he launches American AI action plan

CNBC

timea few seconds ago

  • CNBC

No ‘woke AI' in Washington, Trump says as he launches American AI action plan

U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to keep "woke AI" models out of Washington and to turn the country into an "AI export powerhouse" through the signing of three artificial intelligence-focused executive orders on Wednesday. The phasing out of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives — an umbrella term encompassing various practices, policies, and strategies aimed at fostering a more inclusive and equitable culture — has been a major focus of the second Trump administration. Now, the White House is bringing the battle to AI. The "PREVENTING WOKE AI IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT" order states that the federal government "has the obligation not to procure models that sacrifice truthfulness and accuracy to ideological agendas." The executive order identifies DEI as one of the "most pervasive and destructive" of these ideologies to be kept out of AI models used by the government. "LLMs shall be neutral, nonpartisan tools that do not manipulate responses in favor of ideological dogmas such as DEI," the order said, adding that developers should not intentionally encode partisan or ideological judgments into an LLM's outputs unless those judgments are prompted by users. As acknowledged by the order, the use of AI is increasingly prevalent across Americans' daily lives and is expected to play a critical role in the way they learn and consume information — making "reliable outputs" necessary. In the eyes of the Trump administration, DEI in AI can lead to discriminatory outcomes; distort and manipulate AI model outputs in regard to race and sex; and incorporate concepts like critical race theory, transgenderism, unconscious bias, intersectionality and systemic racism. "DEI displaces the commitment to truth in favor of preferred outcomes and, as recent history illustrates, poses an existential threat to reliable AI," the anti-woke order reads. Without giving specifics, the order refers to past examples of this, including a major AI model that changed the race or sex of historical figures such as the pope and Founding Fathers when prompted for images. In response to backlash last year, Google had pulled its Gemini AI image generation feature, saying it offered "inaccuracies" in historical pictures. Months later, the company rolled out an improved version. Instead of "woke AI", the government should procure "truth-seeking" AI models that "prioritize historical accuracy, scientific inquiry, and objectivity, and shall acknowledge uncertainty where reliable information is incomplete or contradictory," the order stated. However, it adds that the federal government "should be hesitant" to regulate the functionality of AI models in the private marketplace. In other AI developments on Wednesday, the Trump administration signed an order to spur innovation in the technology by removing what it called "onerous Federal regulations that hinder AI development and deployment." Another order aims to establish and implement an "American AI Exports Program" to support the development and deployment of the U.S. AI technology stack abroad. The moves are part of the administration's "Winning the AI Race: America's AI Action Plan," which it says identifies 90 federal policy actions across three pillars: the acceleration of innovation, building of AI infrastructure, and leadership in international diplomacy and security.

Venus Williams confirms she is engaged to actor Andrea Preti
Venus Williams confirms she is engaged to actor Andrea Preti

CNN

time30 minutes ago

  • CNN

Venus Williams confirms she is engaged to actor Andrea Preti

People in sports Venus Williams TennisFacebookTweetLink Follow Venus Williams' winning return to the professional tennis tour also came with a surprise announcement: She is engaged. After becoming the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, Williams gave thanks to her fiance, who was in the stands at the DC Open. He is Andrea Preti, who is a Danish-born Italian model and actor, according to the website IMDB. The 45-year-old Williams hadn't played in a tournament in 16 months until entering the event in Washington. She won a doubles match on Monday and a singles match on Tuesday, before losing in doubles on Wednesday. Williams, who has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, is scheduled to face Magdalena Frech in the second round on Thursday night.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store