www.thecentersquare.com – By Jon Styf | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-06 11:21:00
A marketing report by Conventions, Sports and Leisure (CSL) claims the proposed Washington Commanders stadium and development will generate $24.2 billion in economic output over 33 years, with an $8 billion total cost—$3.2 billion for a new stadium at the former RFK site and $4.8 billion for a mixed-use district featuring housing, offices, retail, hotels, and infrastructure. Despite claims the team would primarily finance it, over $2.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies are planned. Economists widely discredit CSL’s reports as misleading, citing flawed assumptions and omitted economic factors. CSL, linked to major sports franchises, is criticized for inflating benefits to justify public funding.
(The Center Square) – A new marketing report on the Washington Commanders proposed stadium and development says the project will lead to $24.2 billion in total economic output over 33 years.
The group that produced the report, however, is regularly discredited by economists who study the impact of sports stadiums
The report from marketing firm Conventions, Sports and Leisure estimates the project will cost $8 billion, with $3.2 billion a new stadium on the site of the former RFK Stadium over a three-year construction period and $4.8 billion for the surrounding mixed-use district over a seven-year span.
The mixed-use portion of the project is planned to include 8.1 million square feet of development. Also, it will have approximately 6,477 multi-family housing units, 519,200 square feet of office space, 376,300 square feet of restaurant and retail space, 800 hotel rooms, 8,200 parking spaces, a sportsplex, supporting infrastructure and green space.
The economic impact report says the project will lead to $5.1 billion in taxes, including $1.6 billion in property taxes from the mixed-use district, $2.3 billion in sales and ticket taxes, $735.1 million in income taxes and $452.8 million in hotel taxes.
Economists who have extensively studied the impact of sports stadiums have long said that CSL’s reports are inaccurate and misinformation.
The firm has been referred to as the “Wile E. Coyote of the sports stadium racket” by publicly financed stadium blog “Field of Schemes,” written by Neil DeMause. CSL is owned by Legends Marketing, a joint venture involving the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys.
“Viewing what ‘economic impact’ consultants do to be economics is like considering horoscopes to be astronomy,” economist J.C. Bradbury of Georgia’s Kennesaw State University wrote. “Newspapers are smart enough to put horoscopes next to the comics and Dear Abby, while economic impact ‘studies’ get banner headlines on the front page.”
The reports are often criticized because they do not include crowding out of other visitors on event days, diverted spending from other events and fail to use basic economic principles such as the broken window fallacy, which states that money spent to repair broken items is not a net benefit.
Bradbury previously told The Center Square that CSL is hired by a group looking to push public funding for a project and those numbers are used to tell constituents about how good a project is for a community, even though the actual economic numbers do not show that.
“It’s resulted in a larger cottage industry for giving out tax incentives in general,” Bradbury said. “These are totally fake and they mean nothing but they are required to provide some sort of guidance, even though they don’t.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The article primarily reports on the economic impact analysis of the Washington Commanders stadium project and includes critical perspectives of the marketing firm producing the report. While it presents factual details about the proposed project and taxpayer subsidies, the framing leans toward skepticism of public funding for sports stadiums, highlighting economists’ criticisms of the economic impact claims and labeling the firm’s work as misleading. The tone is somewhat critical of public subsidies and economic “impact” studies, aligning with a center-right, fiscally cautious viewpoint skeptical of government spending on large sports developments. However, it remains largely factual and does not overtly promote a partisan agenda.
www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-06-21 10:36:51
SUMMARY: The Orlando Magic clearly won the trade by acquiring a strong backcourt duo of Jaylen Suggs and Desmond Bane. Suggs provides defense, facilitation, and scoring with reliable shooting, while Bane is a potent scorer and shooter who can deliver 25 to 30 points. Though Bane might have fewer touches in Orlando due to the presence of Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, the overall starting lineup ranks among the best in the Eastern Conference. With rivals like the Celtics, Sixers, Pacers, and Cavs facing uncertainty or lacking depth, the Magic’s talent positions them as a competitive force in the East.
Do you think the Orlando Magic won this trade?
You can catch more of the Sports Overtime podcast on 13News Now+!
On June 17, 2025, protesters gathered outside Richmond’s Hippodrome to oppose potential Medicaid cuts under congressional budget proposals. Virginia’s hospitals, closely watching these changes, fear that a new Senate draft could alter key funding mechanisms—provider assessment rates and state-directed payment programs—vital to their operations and Medicaid expansion support. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association estimates losses up to $2 billion per program, risking hospital stability and patient access, especially in rural areas. Senate Democrats warn cuts could force rural hospital closures, worsening health outcomes. Hospitals are actively engaging lawmakers to mitigate impacts as federal funding shifts amid efforts to reduce deficits and boost defense spending.
Virginia’s hospitals are monitoring congressional budget proposals with concern.
While the recently-passed U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the President Donald Trump-backed “big beautiful bill” retained federal mapping that preserves Medicaid access in Virginia, a new draft in the U.S. Senate could alter two critical funding mechanisms that support Virginia’s hospitals and their ability to bolster the state’s expanded Medicaid program.
The Senate proposal could change provider assessment rates and state-directed payment programs. The two funding mechanisms are critical to hospital operation in Virginia and how they chip into the expansion of Virginia’s Medicaid program.
Ultimately, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association estimates each program could take a $2 billion hit, if the proposal is fully implemented.
“If you are taking policy actions that impact Medicaid, that is going to impact providers’ stability, access to care for patients and could destabilize hospitals or even lead to closures,” said Julian Walker, vice president of communications with the association.
Federal fallout
As federal funding and systems dwindle, states are left to decide how and whether to make up the difference.
Provider assessment rates are essentially a type of tax that hospitals use to help cover the state’s share of Medicaid costs, allowing them to draw down additional federal matching funds. Changing that rate would also change how much money hospitals can tap into for themselves, and to feed into the state’s Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid is a large federal program that helps states provide health insurance to their low-income or disabled residents. In 2018, when Virginia expanded its Medicaid program to make more people eligible, Virginia’s hospitals footed some of the bill for it. Walker emphasized that the two funding tracks the Senate bill is exploring are interconnected when it comes to supporting hospitals and Medicaid in Virginia.
More than the potential for people to lose their health insurance, Democratic U.S. Senate leadership has stressed how rural hospitals could suffer.
“Enacting these drastic health care cuts that will kick millions of people off their health insurance coverage, rural hospitals will not get paid for the services they are required by law to provide to patients,” wrote Sens. Edward Markey, Ron Wyden, Jeffrey Merkley, and Chuck Schumer in a letter to Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“In turn, rural hospitals will face deeper financial strain that could lead to negative health outcomes for the communities they serve,” they added.
The cuts federal lawmakers are exploring are part of a Trump-led effort to extend certain tax cuts and trim the federal deficit, while boosting federal spending on defense and border security. Legislators have explored cutting several federal social aid programs or incentive packages to achieve these goals. Medicaid in particular has appeared to be a potential target, as it’s one of the largest sources of federal spending to states.
While Republicans, which currently control both chambers of congress, have largely been on board with Trump’s plans, some like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, have expressed caution as lawmakers continue to workshop the proposals.
Walker, with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, also said hospitals in rural areas could see a domino effect of problems if the Senate version progresses as-is. Rural hospitals are often a key local employer, Walker explained, and they also often serve sizable portions of Medicaid patients.
In the meantime, he said that Virginia’s hospitals are engaging with lawmakers in D.C. about the issue.
The Mercury reached out to U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine’s office for comment but didn’t hear back by press time.
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article presents information with a focus on the potential negative impacts of proposed Medicaid funding cuts, emphasizing concerns from hospitals and Democratic lawmakers. It highlights the risks to healthcare access, especially in rural areas, and frames the Senate Republican-led budget changes as harmful to vulnerable populations. While it acknowledges Republican efforts and internal GOP debate, the tone and sources—such as Democratic senators and healthcare advocates—reflect a perspective sympathetic to protecting Medicaid and social services, which aligns with a center-left stance without overt partisan rhetoric.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-06-19 19:50:09
SUMMARY: Dr. Adrienne Collier, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente, advises that young kids and teens should have two to three hours of non-school screen time, especially in summer. Excessive screen time can disrupt sleep, cause visual problems, and increase risks of depression and anxiety. She recommends turning off screens 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime and keeping phones out of children’s bedrooms to avoid distractions. Parents should model healthy screen habits by limiting phone use during meals and encouraging outdoor activities like walking or playing with pets. Emphasizing family conversations and attention to surroundings helps children develop better habits and well-being.
Too much screen time can affect kids’ eyes, sleep, attention and mental health. News4’s Erika Gonzalez looked at what parents need to know about digital devices as summertime routines take hold.
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