The Washington Commanders will play in ‘Northwest Stadium,’ despite being neither north, nor west

In one of the more intriguing examples of stadium rights, the Washington Commanders are set to begin the 2024 season at “Northwest Stadium.”

Northwest Federal Credit Union was founded in their hometown of Herndon, Virginia. Why would they choose to call a Virginia company “Northwest”? It's unclear, as Herndon is not in northwest Virginia, but is located east of Dulles International Airport in Fairfax County, and there are 55 counties further west in Virginia.

The most likely explanation is that the pub where they came up with the bank was in Northwest Washington DC, but that gives them a lame excuse.

If you want a handy tip to see how Northwest Stadium relates to the rest of the United States: if you're in the white area of ​​the map below, you're north or west of Northwest Stadium. If you live in the red area, you're in the northwest.

And yet, ever since UC, Stanford and SMU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference, we have become desensitized to the absurdities of geography in sports.