Capital Sporting Grounds
A History of Stadium and Ballpark Construction in Washington, D.C.
$29.95
In stock
About the Book
Politics is nothing new to Washington, D.C., even in the arena marked with base paths and outfield grass. The stadium for the expansion Washington Nationals baseball team cost over $600 million and while opponents decried the waste of taxpayer money, supporters promised the stadium would stimulate economic development. Land swaps, closed-door deals, and valuable parking-lot strategies were as complex as any game plan employed on the diamond. The district’s past stadiums, tracks and Olympics facilities are archived and described in this history, along with their political backdrops. The book features numerous drawings and photographs.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Brett L. Abrams
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 296
Bibliographic Info: 24 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3956-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5250-7
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Introduction: A Contentious Capital City 5
1. D.C.’s First Families: Capitalism on Sports’ Frontier 19
2. Northeastern Horizons: Inclusion in the Professional Leagues 60
3. Oh to Be in Philadelphia: The Army-Navy Game 89
4. Utility in Concrete: Monuments and Memorials 116
5. Five-Ring Circus: Olympic Dreams and Delusions 151
6. If We Build It: Keeping the Team in the District 187
7. Building a White Elephant: Corruption, Mismanagement, and D.C. Stadium 226
Conclusion: A Big League City 247
Chapter Notes 259
Bibliography 273
Index 277
Book Reviews & Awards
“For the first time, a stadium book that provides the details of backroom politics that surrounds the building of, or the elements that defeat and spur stadium proposals. Capital Sporting Grounds is an excellent chronology of the efforts, defeats and successes of building a stadium in the nation’s capital over the past 100+ years.”—Bruce A. Genther, stadium historian and modeler.
