A pair of high-profile stadium and arena efforts are moving a step closer to reality, bringing much-discussed plans into sharper focus.

The Commanders have hired Kirtan Mehta, previously the chief of staff for Sen. John Hickenlooper (D., Colo.), as the club’s vice president of public affairs. The appointment of the political veteran arrives as the Josh Harris-owned team is still trying to close a stadium deal to develop a successor facility to Commanders Field, formerly known as FedEx Field. 

Those stadium discussions, which are complex in any one jurisdiction, in this case involve three spanning possibilities in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Perhaps the leading and likely the most popular site option among fans—the area where the team’s former home in D.C., RFK Stadium, sits—remains under consideration by Capitol Hill. A bill to turn federal control of that RFK Stadium land over to D.C., in turn allowing for the possibility of a new Commanders stadium being built there, could be taken up by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in the next month, sources with knowledge of the legislation tell Front Office Sports.

As that proposed legislation progresses, the hire of Mehta marks a rising intent by the Commanders to deepen ties to political leaders in the area.

“The Commanders’ relationships with federal and local leaders are vital to our organization,” said Jason Wright, Commanders president. “We’re confident that Kirtan will partner powerfully with them to advance community and policy efforts that benefit our fans and the area at large.”

Desert Discussions

The impending move of the NHL’s Coyotes to Salt Lake City, meanwhile, is expected to become official following the conclusion of the team’s regular season Wednesday, bringing a sense of closure after weeks of turbulence surrounding the team.

Speaking Tuesday at the CAA World Congress of Sports in Los Angeles, organized by Sports Business Journal, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did not confirm the anticipated timing or even the move to Utah at all. But he did acknowledge the rising challenges of the team’s current situation in Arizona, particularly playing in a 5,000-seat venue at Arizona State.

“Even under a best-case scenario, we’re looking at another three to five years [at Mullett Arena],” Bettman said. “We’re exploring options as to how to deal with that because, particularly for the players, it isn’t an ideal circumstance.”

A seismic and long-planned shift in the Chicago sports media market is now reportedly near.

White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf (above) is closing in on a formal announcement of those teams’ local media rights, as well as for the NHL’s Blackhawks, moving to the multi-platform network Stadium as soon as this fall, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times. The shift from current rightsholder NBC Sports Chicago would elevate Stadium from its current form into a full-fledged regional sports network, where it would seek distribution from various cable carriers.

The Chicago-based Stadium, which operates out of the Bulls’ United Center, currently offers a series of live games, particularly within college sports, as well as highlights and studio programming. Key on-air personalities include basketball insiders Shams Charania and Jeff Goodman. It is available through a series of digital, cable, and over-the-air platforms.

Why It’s Significant 

Getting the local rights to three major pro teams would elevate Stadium to a much greater level of prominence. Such a move has been actively contemplated for nearly a year, since Reinsdorf acquired a controlling stake in Stadium that was previously held by Sinclair Inc., as first reported by Front Office Sports. Reinsdorf has previously explored starting his own network, and doing so here would allow him greater control over his local-media future in a time of accelerating disruption across the industry. In particular, Reinsdorf will look to avoid the debt-laden situation that has dogged Diamond Sports Group, the embattled Bally Sports parent that remains in bankruptcy protection and is continuing reorganization efforts.

Stadium and the three Chicago teams have not yet commented substantively. But White Sox senior vice president of communications Scott Reifert told the Sun-Times, “The teams continue to have discussions and conversations about future broadcast plans and will have an announcement about those plans when appropriate.” FOS sources close to Stadium confirmed the ongoing discussions with the teams, but suggested a final deal was not necessarily imminent.

The White Sox, meanwhile, continue to pursue a new ballpark near downtown Chicago, perhaps in some type of public financing partnership with the Bears.