Les législateurs pourraient voter aujourd’hui sur un projet visant à amener Capitals et Wizards en Virginie
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washingtonpost
@Capitals de Washington
Les législateurs pourraient voter aujourd’hui sur un projet visant à amener Capitals et Wizards en Virginie
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washingtonpost
20 Comments
A group of Virginia state lawmakers plans to meet behind closed doors Monday afternoon to consider a potential deal to bring the Washington Capitals and Wizards to a new arena in Northern Virginia, according to four people with knowledge of the situation.
Both teams would move to a new facility anchoring a massive mixed-use development in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood, according to three of the four, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the plan. A Virginia stadium authority would own the larger complex and lease it to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Capitals and the Wizards.
Monumental has not definitively said whether it would move the pro teams into Virginia. If the deal goes forward, the company would put hundreds of millions of its own dollars into the project, according to two people briefed on the matter.
The deal, if approved, would constitute a major economic development win for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who has been hurting for such a victory after his party’s losses in last month’s state elections. It could also be a step in Monumental owner Ted Leonsis taking the company public — a move he [openly considered](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/23/monumental-nationals-dc-bowser/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8) in an interview with Bloomberg over the summer.
And while the plan would supercharge development in a part of Alexandria that is newly accessible by Metro, it could amount to a crushing blow to D.C.’s [struggling downtown](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/27/downtown-dc-office-buildings-remote-workers/?itid=lk_inline_manual_9). District officials have been in talks with Monumental over renovating the Capitals’ and Wizards’ home at Capital One Arena as they struggle to revitalize the surrounding area.
The arena, built in 1997, is one of the older facilities in the NHL and NBA. Monumental [has asked the District for $600 million](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/03/monumental-capital-one-arena-improvements-dc/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10) in public funds for a major renovation, but D.C. is also juggling [onerous budgetary constraints](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/05/16/dc-council-budget-vote/?itid=lk_inline_manual_12&itid=lk_inline_manual_10) with requests from pro sports owners and looming competition over the future site of the next Commanders stadium.
**Read more:** [**https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/11/monumental-sports-capitals-wizards-alexandria-virginia-capital-one-arena/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com**](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/11/monumental-sports-capitals-wizards-alexandria-virginia-capital-one-arena/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
It doesn’t affect me since I live in MD but a billionaire asking for public funds to keep his business is fucking ridiculous. That $6 million could be used to make DC better. Fuck off Ted
That would really suck, coming from a fan that lives near Frederick MD. So coming from Shady Grove I would have to get off at Metro Center then take the blue line to Potomac Yard? How much extra time would that take? I’m not familiar with the blue line in general.
Capital One is a perfect location. All they need to do is renovate.
Welp I wouldn’t be going to games anymore. This would be a big loss for that part of DC downtown but an even bigger loss for the franchise and fan base IMO. The central location is so key.
I live in Virginia and love the caps, but I think their place is in the district, not Virginia.
This is posturing….a VERY expensive game of chicken going on.
Virginia Capitals? ehh don’t even sound right..
Would probably lose most of the Montgomery county season ticket holders and some of the DC business ones. But I guess they figure they’ll make up for that.
1) Caps are a DC franchise and need to stay in DC.
2) public funds for this is laughable given the money they roll in.
Ted is such a piece of shit
This whole game they’re playing to ooze out as many tax dollars as possible from DC is gross.
I hope they don’t move.
I first went to games when they were in MD, around 1994. I didn’t have a car, and went with friends who also had tickets. I think on one occasion I may have rented a car. But I was SO psyched when they moved downtown, and it was awesome to be able to use Metro to get there and back.
And that area was fun. I liked being able to go to different restaurants before the game, and it was a decent area to be in even if there wasn’t a game.
I do remember talking to someone while at a game at Cap Centre, and she lived in MD and said she wouldn’t be going to games once they moved. So I guess there’s always that trade off.
I live in Arlington and will do a rain dance if it means keeping the Caps in DC. Hopping the train to Chinatown is so easy, and just makes sense to have DC teams in DC (hoping the Redski… oh sorry… Commanders migrate back to the RFK site eventually).
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Go Caps.
I’d rather find a new team than travel to fucking Virginia for a game. Part of the great fun of Caps games is going downtown. This is all a bluff unless Ted wants to further destroy what good will remains from 2018.
This is a bad idea as it would be tougher to access games for more of the fanbase, and I would rather them stay in the District, but if this were to go through they are literally just moving across the Potomac to a still metro-accessible arena. Again, it is stupid and Ted should pony up more money to stay downtown, but let’s not pretend this is coming with a name change or they are moving out of the area.
Damn dude I live in college park and I am in college and my favorite activity is checking caps tickets to see if my roomate and I can go to the game. I would hate loosing that
Unless they’re paying for their own stadium, they can stay in dc. I don’t want my taxes going to that
They just finished $90 million worth of renovations in 2019. TF do they need another $600 million for?!?
Kinda defeats the whole purpose of the « Capitals », doesn’t it?