Well, I guess we’re going to have to start calling these teams the Virginia Capitals and Wizards now. The Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals are tearing up roots and moving…a few miles south to Virginia as their owner and the mayor of DC couldn’t come to a new stadium agreement.
What a shame it is the two DC teams are leaving.
Despite being longtime residents of the District of Columbia, the Washington Capitals and the Washington Commanders are nearing the final stages of a $2B stadium move to Alexandria, Virginia. And, to be honest, I really can’t believe this situation has come to this movie.
For those of you who are not familiar with this situation, the Capitals and the Wizards, who have played in Washington DC for well over 60 years, respectively, will be officially moving out of the District and down south for Alexandria, Virginia as Ted Leonsis, the owner of the two teams, was unable to reach and agreement with the city council and the mayor of DC for a proposed $600M renovation of the Capital One arena.
If I understand this situation correctly, the district was only willing to pay $500M of the needed $600M asked by Leonsis from the District, while the representatives of Virginia offered nearly $1B for a brand-new sporting and entertainment complex. Now, I get that the appropriate authorities in DC not wanting to spend taxpayer money, from which these hundred-million and more grants come from, too recklessly, yet they really couldn’t dish out another hundred million to keep the two multi-billion sports franchises in the area? Really?
It just seems strange how easy the DC authorities let the Capitals and the Wizards walk as if I was in the same situation as Leonsis, I would easily take the second option too. And, to be honest, most of you guys would too. I mean, you’re telling me I could get a brand-new stadium complex, have at least $300M more in financing, more to a state with far less restrictive tax laws, and also keep the vast majority of the DC fanbase and add more fans from the new Virginia connections?
And contrast that option to only getting 83% of your desired renovation grant and staying in an area with record-breaking crime rates? Yeah, I’m going with the Virginia option…and so is everyone else. Still, I do feel bad for the DC fans. They’ve now lost three sports teams in the form of the Washington Commanders, Washington Capitals, and the Washington Wizards from playing within the District to their neighboring states.
Sure, these teams still bear the Washinton DC name and are only within an hour at most of the Capitol, but their teams are no longer their own. They’re now shared amongst the mid-Atlantic states where the DC fans like it or not.
Nevertheless, we’ll have to wait and see if this move becomes fully official as the DC mayor has come out and said that they will not give up on the teams just yet, but I think this is probably over for the Capitals and Wizards in DC.
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