Originally home to both the Washington Redskins and the Washington Nationals (as well as their predecessors the Senators), RFK Stadium remains a monument to sports history in the Capitol and continues to host Washington's Major League Soccer team, D.C. United. While NFL and Major League Baseball games have left the venue, it still hosts a number of events every year, and is a popular location for rock concerts. It also remains a place of nostalgia for district sports fans who grew up watching their teams play there.
Originally known simply as District of Columbia Stadium, the stadium was built in 1961 at the behest of the Redskins team. The design was the first of the so-called "cookie-cutter" stadiums, multipurpose structures built to accommodate both baseball and football, and the Washington Senators moved in the following year. The versatility was primarily handled through movable grandstands that could be swiveled in and out of place to allow more of the field to be used for football. Fans quickly discovered these movable stands were less rigid than other seating, and made for excellent soundboards to intimidate visiting teams.
The stadium was renamed in 1969 after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and in 1971 the Senators moved to Texas to become the Rangers. A number of other league teams called the stadium home over the years, but by 1996 it was the sole province of D.C. United. The Washington Nationals played in RFK temporarily while their own stadium was built. Currently, plans are being discussed to raze the old stadium and build a new domed structure on the site to bring the Redskins back into the metro area.
