Professional sports teams being located outside of the city they are named after have become increasingly common over the years. For example, the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium is located in Arlington, Texas and the Washington Commanders are located at FedEx field in Landover, Maryland.
Not too far from Landover and the Commanders, the Washington Wizards of the NBA and the Capitals of the NHL, who both reside in Capital One Arena in downtown Washington D.C. Capital One Arena is one of the better arenas to watch games from. There are no uncomfortable seating options and the view is good from any seat.
According to Monumental Sports, the owner of both the Wizards and Capitals, Ted Leonsis, expressed displeasure in the mortgage deal for the arena and the lack of investments D.C. has put into the arena. Another cause of concern is the increased rate of crime in the area around the arena.
The mortgage for Capital One Arena was set to be paid by 2027 and, if that had happened, Leonsis hoped to move both teams to Alexandria, VA. The planned out area would be right next to the Potomac Yard Metro center for easy travel access to the arena, said Monumental Sports.
The plan hit a roadblock as Virginia lawmakers stopped them from going through, but Leonsis had hoped that Governor Glenn Youngkin would create an opportunity to create an arena budget amendment which would allow the plan to continue, according to the Virginia General Assembly.
If the Wizards and Capitals had moved to Virginia, it would lead to increased traffic and a need for more parking in Alexandria and the areas surrounding. It would also put Washington D.C. itself in jeopardy as it takes out a massive part of the downtown experience. The move would leave the Washington Nationals in Nationals Park as the only remaining major league sport left within the city; the opinion of the locals in both cities also mostly show opposition to the move as it would create inconveniences in both D.C. and Alexandria.
The move is also unnecessary because, although the arena is 27 years old, it is still in good shape. In December, the city of D.C. also proposed a $500 million renovation of the arena, which would be cheaper and more convenient than the proposed $2.2 billion price tag to move to Alexandria. The renovations could make Capital One Arena a top notch arena in sports and help create a more exciting fan experience.
On March 27, the potential deal closed when a new deal was made to keep the teams in D.C. until 2050. This is great news for the city because it will keep two teams that pull in thousands of fans coming into the city almost year round. If the Wizards and Caps find success in the future, the games will once again become electric and bring sports culture back to D.C.
