You wouldn’t call me a rabid sports fan, but I do watch a fair amount on TV, more than many people I know. But, often for me, the sports event is a background event. I am reading, or doing something on my computer, or even eating something. It is rare that I am only watching, and giving all my attention to, a sporting event on TV.

As to going to sports events, I do that less than I used to. We used to have, through my office, hockey tickets for all Caps home games, and we had seats for 20 Nats games. Now, no Caps tickets, and last year, we were down to, I think, 8 baseball games.

When I first moved to Washington in 1969, Washington had two major sports teams, both playing at RFK Stadium, the Redskins (now called the Commanders), a professional football team, and the Senators (now the Texas Rangers), a baseball team. I went to one football game, and no baseball games in those days.

In 1973, the area got two more teams, the Wizards (then called the Bullets), in the National Basketball Association, and the Caps in the NHL. The basketball and hockey teams both played at venue in Landover Maryland, off the Beltway. I went to one Caps game and no Bullets games in Landover. The Caps and the Wizards moved to a new venue, now called Capital One Arena, in the heart of downtown Washington, in 1997. The Redskins left Washington proper in the same year, 1997, and moved to what is now called FedEx Field in Landover. I have been to one game since then at FedEx Field.

The Senators had moved to Arlington TX the year before, 1972, leaving Washington without a baseball team until the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005, playing for the first few years at RFK Stadium, until Nationals Park was opened in 2008. Both those venues are in DC. I have been to many, many Nats games.

Here’s another way to look at it:

Basketball in MD from 1973-1997, in DC, 1997-______.

Hockey in MD from 1973-1997, in DC, 1997-____.

Football in DC from (1937)-1997, in Landover MD, 1997-_____

Baseball in DC from (1901)-1971 (two different teams) and from 2005-_____ in DC.

Now comes word that the Wizards and the Capitals may move to a new venue, in Alexandria VA in 2028. A surprise. What does it mean?

To look at it most parochially, it means nothing to me, I would guess. When the basketball and hockey seasons get underway in 2028, the projected opening date of the new facility, I will be 87 years old. So for me……means nothing. But for some fans, particularly those who will use public transportation, it will take much longer. Rather than a venue on the Red and Green lines, and a short block from Blue, Yellow and Silver lines, it will be a venue only on the Yellow line; transfers will be required. 

For those who drive, it’s harder to say – for example, getting into downtown DC from Montgomery County by auto (and finding a place to park) is complicated. Heading across the Beltway or Chain Bridge into Virginia and then driving down the George Washington Parkway to Alexandria is a longer distance, for sure, but may not take any more time. And parking might be much, much easier.

And there is no question but that the proposed venue will be better. It will be on 70 acres, and include more than the arena, or arenas. There will be a concert venue, and restaurants and, I assume, at least one hotel. And, by the way, those raising most questions about this are the folks who live close to the proposed new venue, worried about traffic and so on.

But what will happen to Capital One Arena and the many restaurants that surround it in downtown DC. The loss of tax revenue will obviously be important to a city whose downtown office base, historically very strong, is being hurt already by office downsizing as more and more workers connect from their homes. My guess is that the restaurants will not be hurt that much (OK, I am sure a few will be), and will make up the loss quickly enough.

My understanding is that the mayor, in addition to trying to convince the owner of the team to stay in DC and offering a $500,000,000 city gift if he would agree to do so, is creating a task force to rethink the Gallery Place area, where the Capital One Arena is located. Even with the Capital One Arena in place, the general area, which includes DC’s Chinatown, has not fully recovered from the pandemic, and needs a new push and a new concept anyway. And the people Mayor Bowser is putting on the task force are professionals who have succeeded in creating some of the newly exciting areas in the city, such as the Navy Yard area and Union Market. I have confidence they may come up with something.

I was reminded this morning through a New York Times article, that the New York Giants have played in New Jersey for 50 years, now. Spreading the sports wealth throughout the DMV (District Maryland Virginia) may not be a bad idea. We really are one, very large and very spread out community. And there is talk of building a new stadium on the RFK Stadium site to entice back the Commanders from their home for the past 25 years in Landover.

I remind you of the history outlined above. Sports team move around the DMV, in and out of Washington proper. Whatever happens……I think it will be good.

And, yes, this is the first time, perhaps, that I have concluded a post on the blog with the thought that something will probably be good. (Don’t think this optimism will continue, however.)

[Since this was written, it has been announced the the Mystics, our WNBA team, would move into Capital One Arena, and that Virginia is giving a 1.35 Billion Dollar subsidy for the Alexandria project]