Washington, D.C

Could the 2027 NFL draft be coming to the National Mall?

Published

2 days ago

July 1, 2024

Could the 2027 NFL draft be coming to the National Mall?

D.C.’s bid to host the 2027 NFL draft envisions staging a significant portion of the three-day event on the National Mall, according to planning documents and emails obtained by The Washington Post.

The correspondence, acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request to the National Park Service (NPS), provides insight into what local organizers have internally referred to as “Project Breeze.”

Representatives from Events DC — the convention and sports authority for the District — and the NPS, which administers the National Mall and monuments, have been in discussion with NFL executives for months about the possibility of holding the three-day event in the District, the emails show.

In an April message to NPS executives and Beverly Perry, a senior adviser to D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), NFL Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs Brendon Plack confirmed that D.C. “made a bid for a big NFL tentpole event in 2027” and that “ideally” the NFL would like to hold the event on the National Mall.

The NFL, the Washington Commanders and Bowser’s office declined to comment on Washington’s effort. Events DC and the National Park Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The league, according to the emails, has proposed having the main stage for the draft on 4th Street between Madison and Jefferson Drives, near the National Gallery and the National Air and Space Museum. A portion could also be held on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, where attendees could flow to the Mall.

“As you can imagine this [is] very important to [the] District, and they are trying to put forth a winning bid proposal,” Marisa Richardson, an official in the NPS’s division of permits management, wrote to fellow NPS officials in January. “And we want to be good partners, but also realistic regarding our limitations.”

Local officials essentially revived their draft proposals from years earlier to relaunch conversations with the NFL before meeting with a delegation from the league in D.C. in mid-October.

The District had previously explored trying to host the 2024 draft, which ultimately was awarded to Detroit. Some of those connected to Washington’s latest effort have speculated that D.C. probably would have landed an earlier NFL draft if not for the controversies that surrounded former Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.

Detroit hosted a record 775,000 fans over the three-day event in April. D.C. was among 12 cities with representatives at that draft to conduct site surveys, a person with knowledge of the matter has said.

Since the emails and documents recently obtained came through NPS, much of the correspondence centered on the Mall policies and the unique challenges of hosting a major commercial event on national parkland.

The NPS has informed the NFL that it supports Events DC’s bid for the draft, so long as the portions that are proposed to take place on the Mall adhere to federal regulations for park areas administered by the National Capital Region.

“Special events” on the Mall and other park areas must meet numerous restrictions on commercialization and sponsor recognition, as well as strict guidelines to protect the turf. For example, merchandise sales are prohibited, and logos of draft sponsors would have to be no larger than a third the size of the NFL draft logos. Alcohol, while generally prohibited on the Mall, may be allowed but only in an area designated by the NPS. There are rules for concessions; weight and height restrictions for temporary structures; and even time limits on structures that block light for the turf.

Then there’s the issue of commitment.

The NFL typically likes to decide draft host cities at least a couple years in advance. It announced last year that Green Bay, Wisc., will host the 2025 draft and it announced in May that Pittsburgh will host the 2026 event. The league, according to emails between NPS officials, purportedly hoped to get a guarantee for an approved permit on the Mall for 2027, but the agency does not accept permit applications for special events more than a year out.

“In case you don’t know, the Mall came under fire in 2003 because of the [Britney] Spears/NFL concert to kick off the season,” Jeffrey Reinbold, the superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks for NPS, wrote in one email to Kym Hall, the NPS’s National Capital Area director. “The commercialization was over the top and the event resulted in new limitations on commercialization on the Mall.”

It’s not clear when the NFL will award the 2027 draft. Team owners meet on a quarterly basis. But the selection process could last until next May, if the NFL follows the timetable by which it awarded the 2026 draft.

Denver and Charlotte have been cited as particularly strong candidates to host a future draft, but those familiar with the league’s process say there are many cities eager to win the bidding for one. They describe the competition between cities attempting to host a future NFL draft as intense, and there are no assurances that Washington’s effort will be successful.

Should D.C. land the 2027 draft, it would provide the strongest sign yet of the Commanders’ improved reputation under new owner Josh Harris, who purchased the team from Snyder last year for a record $6.05 billion.

Days after Harris closed the deal to buy the team, Bowser announced the creation of a sports team within the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to support pro and recreational sports teams, and to work with D.C. agencies to attract sporting events to the District.

For more than four decades, the NFL held the draft in various locations in New York before moving it to Chicago in 2015 and 2016. Since then, the event has moved to different NFL cities annually. It was held in Philadelphia in 2017; Arlington, Tex., in 2018; Nashville in 2019; Cleveland in 2021; Las Vegas in 2022; and Kansas City, Mo., in 2023. The 2020 NFL draft was conducted remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision to move the draft from New York initially was made due to a scheduling conflict at Radio City Music Hall. But it has worked in the NFL’s favor, given the support and enthusiasm the event has generated in different cities.

The broadcasts of the opening round of the draft in Detroit this year averaged 12.1 million viewers — more than any World Series or Stanley Cup Finals game last year and more than all but one NBA Finals game and all but one college football regular season game last year.

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Washington, D.C

Washington visits Las Vegas following Plum’s 34-point game – WTOP News

Published

7 hours ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

Washington Mystics (5-15, 2-10 Eastern Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (11-6, 6-4 Western Conference) Las Vegas; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT…

Washington Mystics (5-15, 2-10 Eastern Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (11-6, 6-4 Western Conference)

Las Vegas; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Las Vegas Aces takes on the Washington Mystics after Kelsey Plum scored 34 points in the Las Vegas Aces’ 88-69 win over the Indiana Fever.

The Aces are 6-4 in home games. Las Vegas ranks eighth in the WNBA with 34.8 points in the paint led by A’ja Wilson averaging 14.5.

The Mystics have gone 2-8 away from home. Washington has a 2-4 record in games decided by 10 points or more.

Las Vegas averages 9.5 made 3-pointers per game, 1.3 more made shots than the 8.2 per game Washington allows. Washington has shot at a 43.1% rate from the field this season, 0.6 percentage points fewer than the 43.7% shooting opponents of Las Vegas have averaged.

The teams play for the second time this season. The Aces won the last meeting 88-77 on June 29, with Jackie Young scoring 26 points in the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Young is averaging 18.7 points and 5.7 assists for the Aces.

Ariel Atkins is scoring 14.3 points per game and averaging 3.8 rebounds for the Mystics.

LAST 10 GAMES: Aces: 6-4, averaging 87.8 points, 34.0 rebounds, 19.4 assists, 5.9 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.9 points per game.

Mystics: 5-5, averaging 86.1 points, 32.4 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 6.2 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.0 points.

INJURIES: Aces: None listed.

Mystics: Shakira Austin: out (hip), Karlie Samuelson: out (hand), Brittney Sykes: out (foot).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Copyright
© 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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Washington, D.C

July got warmer in D.C. on Tuesday but stayed below 90

Published

14 hours ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

July got warmer in D.C. on Tuesday but stayed below 90

On Tuesday, the weather in D.C. nudged closer to 90 degrees, but it stopped short. With humidity still in exile, the day formed part of a surprisingly enjoyable introduction to the frequently fiery month of July.

After June concluded with 13 of its last 14 days above 90 degrees, any July day with a reading no higher than the 80s seemed likely to receive a grateful welcome.

Tuesday, the month’s second day, had a high of 88, which seemed warm enough to fulfill reasonable expectations of a summer day in the capital. The reading was one degree below the 89-degree average high for July 2 in Washington.

The warmth left little doubt about the identity of the current season. It was clearly summer, with summertime heat and long hours of summertime sunshine.

But Tuesday departed a bit from the standard image of a July day in the District, in that the second major component of summer seemed absent. Tuesday, though warm, could scarcely be regarded as steamy or sticky or sultry or tropical in its humidity.

In a welcome deviation from typical trends, the heat index, often regarded as a feels-like temperature, indicated that Washington actually felt a little cooler than the thermometer reading.

That can be interpreted as a welcome numerical confirmation that humidity is down, and that, correspondingly the sensation of comfort is up. Supporting such observations were the day’s dew points.

These fell well below the thermometer reading, 30 degrees below at many afternoon hours, so far below as to be almost alien to the concept of July in D.C.

If any to-do was created by Tuesday’s dew points, it might have focused on how much could be done when humidity did not produce instant and enduring perspiration.

Many clouds did populate the Tuesday skies, their numbers swelling or contracting as the warm hours passed. Often appearing snowy white amid the blue of the sky, they formed a constantly changing atmospheric geography, creating imaginary islands, countries and continents.

On a pleasant afternoon, in a holiday week and a vacation season, they seemed well shaped and suited to the cultural role often assigned them whether in the District or elsewhere, as subjects for summer dreams and lazy contemplation.

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Washington, D.C

Southwest Tennessee EMC takes local students to Washington, D.C. – WBBJ TV

Published

21 hours ago

July 2, 2024

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Southwest Tennessee EMC takes local students to Washington, D.C. – WBBJ TV

BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — Eight students from across Southwest Tennessee EMC’s service territory got the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a week in our nation’s capital as delegates of the 2024 Washington Youth Tour. Yume Wilkes, Angelina Critelli, Alexis Hale, Zoren Simmons, Olivia Griffin, Torie Miller, Kristen Wade, and McKinnley Barnes were among 139 students from across Tennessee on the weeklong trip that began on Friday, June 14.

Front Row L-R: Olivia Griffin, Alexis Hale, Yume Wilkes, Angelina Critelli, Kristen Wade — Back Row L-R: Chaperone/STEMC Employee Jamie Bethune, McKinnley Barnes, Torie Miller, Zoren Simmons, Chaperone/STEMC Employee Kenley Mitchell

This annual event is sponsored by Southwest Tennessee EMC and the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. The students were selected for the trip by writing a short story titled “Co-ops Connect” that explains how co-ops connect Tennessee communities with energy, education, broadband, economic development and more.

“Chaperoning the best and brightest of our service area on a trip of a lifetime to Washington, D.C., each year is a highlight of my job here at Southwest Tennessee EMC,” said Kenley Mitchell, Community Relations Specialist and chaperone on the 2024 Washington Youth Tour. “This year’s delegates represented Southwest Tennessee EMC well at our nation’s capital and are coming back home with the knowledge and leadership skills to become future leaders in their communities.”

The Washington Youth Tour’s nonstop, seven-day itinerary is jam-packed with places to visit and experiences to give the Youth Tour delegates a trip that they will never forget. Highlights include a guided memorials tour around the city, visiting museums at the Smithsonian Institute, touring Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello and taking a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Delegates also got to see Washington, D.C., staples like the White House, U.S. Capitol and the Washington National Cathedral.

“The Washington Youth Tour is more than a trip,” said Todd Blocker, vice president of member services for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and tour director. “Transformative. Unforgettable. Life-changing. Whether the trip cultivates a love for history, leadership or active citizenship, we are empowering young minds to shape the future. Seeing the impact the trip has had on many over the years is awe-inspiring.”

While in D.C., winners were announced in the statewide competition for the Robert McCarty Memorial Scholarships. Charlsie Strech from Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative, Elijah Jones from Appalachian Electric Cooperative and Ayden Anderson from Gibson Electric Membership Corporation were awarded $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 Robert McCarty Memorial Scholarships for having the first, second and third place papers of the thousands of papers submitted across the state for this year’s contest. The scholarships are named in memory of Robert McCarty, an employee of Volunteer Energy Cooperative and longtime chaperone on the annual Youth Tour.

Yuridia Garcia, a senior from Appalachian Electric Cooperative, was awarded a $10,000 Cooperative Youth Ambassador Scholarship. Garcia was a 2023 delegate on the Washington Youth Tour. Delegates who remain engaged with their sponsoring cooperative during their senior year and complete certain community service requirements are eligible for the scholarship. Garcia’s name was randomly selected among the delegates from across the state who completed the requirements.

“An investment in the Washington Youth Tour delegates today is also an investment in the future of co-op communities across Tennessee,” said Mike Knotts, CEO of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “The future is bright for this group of Youth Tour delegates. We are honored to be a part of supporting their academic journeys and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for them and the impact they will have on their communities.”

The Washington Youth Tour was inspired by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1957 when he encouraged electric cooperatives to send young people to the nation’s capital. Since then, more than 6,000 young Tennesseans have participated in the Washington Youth Tour as delegates.

The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association provides leadership, advocacy and support for Tennessee’s 23 electric cooperatives and publishes The Tennessee Magazine, the state’s most widely circulated periodical. Visit tnelectric.org or tnmagazine.org to learn more.

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