Capital Sporting Grounds: A History of Stadium and Ballpark Construction in Washington, D.c.

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.

Brett L. Abrams is an archivist with the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., and author of Hollywood Bohemians: Transgressive Sexuality and the Selling of the Movieland Dream (McFarland, 2008).