FedEx terminates its naming rights agreement for FedEx Field, the home of the Washington Commanders.
The move, which was revealed on Wednesday, occurs two years before the present contract expires in 2026 and as the NFL team, now owned by a different entity, searches for a location to construct a new stadium that would open later this decade.
FedEx responded in an email to The Associated Press that “we continuously review our marketing programs to ensure our investments are aligned with our evolving business objectives.” “We have chosen, as part of this review, to discontinue our role as FedEx Field’s naming rights sponsor in order to concentrate on our wider NFL sponsorship and opportunities that represent our global footprint.”
When Dan Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999, he sold FedEx the name rights. Up until 2021, Fred Smith, the founder and chairman of FedEx, owned a minority stake in the team. After that, Smith, Dwight Schar, and Bob Rothman had their interests acquired by Snyder and his family.
For $6.05 billion last year, Snyder sold the franchise to a group led by Josh Harris and including Magic Johnson and others.
In contrast to Nationals Park, the home of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team, the Commanders’ Stadium, which also holds concerts and soccer matches, is unlikely to go long without a sponsor.
“The Commanders football team and a full schedule of premier live events and concerts are excited to announce that we have begun the process of finding our next stadium naming rights partner. This partnership will be essential to ushering in the next chapter of Commanders football history,” the team stated in a statement.
The revelation was initially reported by the Washington Post.
The ancient stadium will receive $75 million in repairs, including changes to the water and mechanical systems, escalators and elevators, sound system, and other infrastructure. The commanders made this announcement on Tuesday. In past years, the stadium experienced pipe leaks and other issues that made it the subject of jokes throughout the league. There was also no hot water in the home and no locker room showers following a game late in the previous season.
In the NFLPA’s most recent annual report card, which was made public on Wednesday, the Commanders came in last place out of the 32 clubs in the league. The report card included criticism of the team’s antiquated training facilities in Ashburn, Virginia, as well as the locker room.
The union said that players were dissatisfied with the lack of a family area and child care on game days, alleging “issues with cleanliness, citing multiple sewage leaks this season.” Players for Commanders gave Harris an 8.6 out of 10 for willingness to invest in infrastructure.
When Harris took over the team, he discussed restoring the game day experience, which had deteriorated in the last years of Snyder’s ownership, including enhancing spectator access and exit.
For the team’s future home, which would replace the current one, his group is currently looking at possibilities in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The current stadium was hurriedly completed in 1997 on the orders of then-owner Jack Kent Cooke, who passed away months before it opened.
A bill that would give the District ownership of the land currently occupied by the remnants of RFK Stadium would be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives later on Wednesday. According to the measure, “the city could use the land for open space, residential and commercial development, stadium development, and recreational facilities.”
The location is desired by many fans for a new stadium, and the team announced last year that it supports D.C.’s efforts to obtain control of it. From 1961 to 1996, Washington was home to RFK Stadium, which Harris, along with co-owners Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, attended regularly.