Political Venue: The History of RFK Stadium, Part Two

Shovel readyBy the 1960 season, the Washington Redskins had long faded from their heights of the 1930s and 40s, attendance was winding down and the city was rapidly falling out of love with NFL football. Who better to rescue the team than the government? Curly R's special series on the history of RFK Stadium continues.Part One: Faded GloryPart Two: Government InterventionPart Three: SundayPart Four: MondayPart Five: TuesdayPart Six: WednesdayPart Seven: ThursdayReferences=====With Griffith Field already forty-six years old and no new local stadium projects on the horizon, in June of 1957, US Representative Oren Harris, Democrat of Arkansas, proposed legislation to authorize construction of a fifty thousand seat, municipal stadium in the District of Columbia. Representative Harris was a well known supporter of sports business, also proposing in 1957 that the NFL be granted an antitrust exemption in the style of baseball's, in place since 1922.By June of 1958 the US T...