FedEx Field, Home Of The Priciest Beer, Ranked Worst Stadium In NFL

LANDOVER, MD — FedEx Field, home of the Washington Commanders, was ranked the worst NFL stadium in the league. The bottom of the heap position was attributed primarily to deteriorating stadium conditions and a dismal product on the field, according to USA Today.

Bet For the Win, part of USA Today’s Sport Media Group, ranked all 30 stadiums and found that the 25-year-old home of the D.C. area’s NFL team placed last.

“Look, there’s no way around this. FedEx Field is awful. It’s literally falling apart. Remember when a railing gave way back in January and sent a handful of Philly fans tumbling at the feet of Jalen Hurts?” Caroline Darney, managing editor of Bet for the Win, wrote about FedEx Field.

Getting to the suburban Maryland stadium can be a hassle, especially when traffic is backed up heading into FedEx Field’s parking lot, or fans must walk a long distance in bad weather from the nearest Metro station.

There’s also the pipe that burst in the fall of 2021 and sent questionable, nasty water all over fans, Darney noted.

The Chicago Bears' stadium, Soldier Field, was ranked the second worst in the NFL due to cramped conditions. Jacksonville's TIAA Bank Field was ranked 28th, behind the Superdome in New Orleans and Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. Lambeau Field in Green Bay was ranked the best stadium in the NFL.

Despite its last-place ranking, FedEx Field has the most expensive beer of any NFL stadium, according to a recent survey of beer prices by ESPN. The Commanders charge $14 per beer, while the Detroit Lions have the cheapest in the NFL, at $5 per beer.

“The Washington Commanders have no business charging for beer at all. They should make beer free to anyone willing to buy a ticket. And the beer should be brought to me,” ESPN wrote.

When FedEx Field first opened in 1997, fans were more peeved by the odd name of the town where the stadium stood — Raljon, Maryland — than its location or beer prices. Former Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke derived the name for the site of his stadium from the names of his sons, Ralph and John.

But Cooke, who named the stadium after himself, was also hailed by some for using private sources to finance the stadium instead of fleecing taxpayers for the cost. That's not to say the public didn't play a role in financing part of the stadium project.

Taxpayers put up $70.5 million for land, sewer lines, highway interchanges and other infrastructure necessary to move the Redskins to Raljon, five miles from their old location at RFK Stadium in D.C. But the $180 million construction budget was financed entirely by private sources.

Cooke died in 1997 before seeing the first game at his new stadium later that year. After Daniel Snyder bought the NFL franchise from Cooke's estate in 1999, he sold the naming rights of the stadium to FedEx.

Under his ownership, Snyder initially expanded the seating capacity of the stadium, making it the largest in the NFL. But over the past decade, the team has been removing seats from the stadium due to a lack of fan interest in going to games.

Snyder is now looking for a new home for the Commanders to play their games when the lease at the current site in Landover expires in 2026.

The Commanders have spent $100 million to purchase 200 acres in Prince William County, according to a report from ESPN's John Keim. The land is the franchise's preferred site for a new stadium and team facility, a source told Keim.

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