Monumental Sports & Entertainment, led by Ted Leonsis, has decided to keep the Washington Wizards and Capitals in Washington, D.C., following a $515 million agreement over 3 years to refurbish Capital One Arena. The decision to stay in the city was met with mixed reactions, with some praising the move for the benefit of the neighborhood and businesses, while others criticized Leonsis for his handling of the situation. The District government expressed excitement over the extended partnership, aiming to revitalize Gallery Place/Chinatown.
🎙Busy week for the Commanders, part 2: * Guest: @JoriEpstein * Drake Maye’s pro day; making sense of these QB rumors * Dan Quinn's personal touch, personnel usage prowess and "superpowers" obsession * NFL's practical and radical rule changes * New WR https://t.co/iUzZAoj3cD
🎙️Busy week for the Commanders = a two-parter: 🏈 Jayden Daniels' pro day, re-interpreting Dan Quinn's DB usage 📓 Hear Jim Harbaugh on J.J. McCarthy, Antonio Pierce on Daniels 🏟️Wiz/Caps staying in D.C. Impact for new Commanders stadium @EricFlackTV https://t.co/gWGL2ERBdw
As we look ahead to an exciting future with a state-of-the-art urban arena in Downtown DC, I want to thank all the people and teams who were part of this effort. Read my letter to the community:
LOVERRO: Keeping Leonsis and his teams may cost District any chance of landing Commanders https://t.co/cCZCz9ZsQR
LOVERRO: Keeping Leonsis and his teams may cost District any chance of landing Commanders - https://t.co/TeMp7ZnegN
Keeping the @WashWizards and @Capitals in DC will preserve the strong economy that will allow us to continue investing in the services that matter to DC‘s residents, including good public schools and a strong social safety net. https://t.co/u27dIre07u
What a way to end a very busy day! Thrilled that Monumental Sports & Entertainment and our teams will be staying here in the District. https://t.co/FfBbA8KiP4
I'll never forget in 1998 at MCI Center, @TedLeonsis standing in the lobby of the arena as fans arrived for a game, shaking as many hands as he could. The Mayor of Penn Quarter. The past three months felt like an aberration, but the Caps and Wizards are staying where they belong https://t.co/naXSovaTLG
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Announces Strategic Partnership with the District of Columbia to Modernize Capital One Arena and Expand Its Growing Business and Hospitality Operations across Gallery Place @MSE | @CapitalOneArena https://t.co/Nea5WG62hu
We’re ecstatic to keep @MSE as a cornerstone of our Downtown. As we’ve said all along: the District government is able to move quickly and follow through on our commitment. With the extended relationship, we’re looking forward to the reinvigoration of Gallery Place/Chinatown. https://t.co/JY3i919TzR
The moment you’ve been waiting for: we’re staying at @CapitalOneArena and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever before. Grateful, humbled, and excited. DC made it happen - the right outcome for all. https://t.co/DqviTHenHO
On the Commanders stadium situation: 🎙 Spoke with @barrysvrluga recently on the arena drama and the stadium impact https://t.co/PDpt2yujM8 From May, on the push from MD, VA, DC. To me, MD has been the logical fave throughout. More so after today. https://t.co/wJDDdJsfwb
Some thoughts on the Caps and Wiz staying in DC: 1) Good for the neighborhood and businesses around the arena. Losing the teams would've been a devastating blow. 2) I'm a sports fan who goes to lots of games. A brand new arena would be superior to 27-yr-old COA. I wanted…
Glad the DC teams are staying in DC but the soulless villainy of Leonsis in this whole saga was odious. Burned tons of good will among the city and fans for nothing. https://t.co/u9jhfqsq7X
My sense is that Maryland is focused on the Commanders stadium first, second and third. More importantly, D.C. and Monumental have reached an agreement of $515M over 3 years to refurbish COA, per @EricFlackTV and others. https://t.co/m7ZqpPDKtQ
So in just about three months, Ted Leonsis realized he’d made a huge mistake, came back to DC with his tail between his legs and made a deal to stay in the city. He deserves a little credit for being willing to fix his screwup so quickly.
I'm happy for D.C. and the DMV that the Wiz/Caps are staying put. Hopefully, the mayor and others recognize where they fell short, allowing Leonsis to explore a move. To me, Cap One >> football stadium for the District's benefit. What would be great if Leonsis recognized his…