In a deal that represents a turnaround for the city of Washington, D.C., and a stinging defeat for Virginia's slick MAGA Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the owner of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards has dropped Virginia as their new home and will remain in the Nation's capital. From the Washington Post:
"D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and Ted Leonsis, owner of the Wizards and Capitals, signed a deal Wednesday that — if approved by the D.C. Council — would keep the teams in downtown D.C. until 2050, abruptly ending the owner’s planned move to Virginia.
Under the terms of the deal, D.C. will spend $515 million over three years to help Leonsis modernize the arena, and Leonsis will sign a new lease keeping the teams in D.C. for 25 more years.
The agreement includes other provisions that address some of Leonsis’s concerns about the state of downtown, which has struggled to recover from the pandemic, and allow his company, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, to expand in the city."
Leonsis was strongly courted by Youngkin, who wrapped his reputation around securing the move to Northern Virginia, touting the move's job and economy-boosting potential. When the Virginia legislature took a look at the backroom deal, they balked at the public price tag and the disruption to the local community, which overwhelmingly lined up against the proposal.
Youngkin, who played college basketball, is one of the many hungry MAGAt office holders who would like to inherit the Malignant Loser's mantle. No doubt he has Presidential aspirations for a 2028 run, but it looks like with this reputation-tarnishing development, D.C. Mayor Bowser has dunked on him.
(photo: Youngkin's premature celebration, Bowser's calm victory. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
