Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis begins to play offense amid rising opposition to his $2 billion arena and mixed-use development plan in Virginia. … New questions about proposed sports facility projects in Philadelphia and Las Vegas. … Vince McMahon, a looming figure in pro wrestling for more than four decades, has been hit with a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking. … Plus: More on the latest news surrounding Bill Belichick, the Kansas City Current, Formula 1, and Inter Miami sponsor Royal Caribbean.
— Eric Fisher
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Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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A long-lionized team owner is facing some real public pushback, for perhaps the first time in his extended run in sports, and is now trying to change minds.
Ted Leonsis, the chair of Monumental Sports and Entertainment and for more than two decades a highly popular figure in Washington, penned a nearly 2,600-word open letter about his much-debated, $2 billion effort to build a new arena and mixed-use development for the NBA Wizards and NHL Capitals in Alexandria, Va. The missive—highly unusual in both length and specificity compared to other team owners pursuing stadium or arena projects—amounts to his most substantive response to date as the proposal faces growing opposition in both D.C. and Virginia.
“I find the notion that sports arenas and stadiums do not provide economic benefit to be simply illogical,” Leonsis wrote. “Professional sports teams are important to the fabric of a community. The buildings they play in bring people together, they drive economic growth, and they are worthy of investment.”
Among other key arguments Leonsis makes:
- He champions his long-held belief that the Washington area is actually becoming a “supercity,” with the team’s media market stretching from Richmond to southern Delaware, and continued growth within that area reducing geographic distinctions. “Monumental Sports and Entertainment has always been about the entire DMV,” Leonsis writes, referring to the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.
- He seeks to counter the argument that the Alexandria project would reduce accessibility for Wizards and Capitals fans, particularly ones from Maryland, and cites the 2.6 miles from the Potomac Yard location to the D.C. border. But that short distance can require anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes in typical Washington rush-hour traffic, and the proposed new arena is not nearly as centrally-located within the area’s Metro system.
- The size of the land, he argues, is critical in the strategy behind the project, with the 12 acres in the Virginia parcel more than tripling the 3.8-acre size of Capital One Arena, the teams’ current home. “Professional sports teams are realizing that to build championship-level contenders, an outsized investment in space is required,” Leonsis said.
- Monumental, he says, is planning to contribute $400 million toward the project, with the rest coming from public bonds primarily funded by lease payments from the teams and development-related tax revenues. The effort also calls for more than $100 million in upfront subsidies from the city of Alexandria.
Despite the big move toward transparency, Leonsis is likely to face more obstacles in his path. Legislation has been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly, but state-level political opposition has already surfaced to join pockets of objection among local residents.
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Two of the most controversial facility developments in pro sports are facing new rounds of opposition and uncertainty, once again placing their ultimate success in some doubt.
As Philadelphia’s city council held its first legislative session of the year on Thursday, protesters of the 76ers’ plan to build a new $1.55 billion arena in Center City gathered outside, extending what has been months of objection against the plan, particularly from neighboring Chinatown. The council is beginning to consider enabling legislation for the proposed venue.
Among the key issues at play is financing, as the 76ers intend to fund the project privately, only leaving the possibility for federal and state funds should they qualify for certain existing programs. Opponents see that as a likely back door to ultimately taking taxpayer money.
“Public money should be spent on the public good, not on the wants of billionaire arena developers,” said Mohan Seshadri, executive director of the Asian Pacific Islanders Political Alliance, who was on hand for the protest.
The team, however, says it has gathered more than 30,000 signatures for a petition supporting the arena, and it has pledged to maintain an open dialogue with the communities most impacted by the arena project.
“There continues to exist misinformation and canvassing allows our team to meet people where they are to provide facts and answer questions,” said David Adelman, 76ers co-owner and chair of 76 DevCo, the company leading the arena effort.
The prospect of the downtown arena has roiled the city for months, particularly as Wells Fargo Center owner Comcast Spectator have made a fervent push of its own to keep the 76ers at the south Philadelphia arena.
Little Insight From A’s Owner
More than 2,000 miles to the west, the still-tenuous plan in Las Vegas to build a new Oakland A’s ballpark is arguably no closer to reality. Nearly two months after hitting the planned-but-canceled date to release new renderings for a stadium along the Las Vegas Strip (the original set of drawings was acknowledged by the team to be garbage), questions continue to surround the project.
With the team pushing to open the new facility by the start of the 2028 season, there is still no clarity on its temporary home for the 2025-27 seasons, whether the facility will have a retractable roof as originally planned, or how well the planned ballpark will work on the relatively tight, nine-acre site.
A’s owner John Fisher made a rare public appearance on Wednesday at an event held by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, but he offered little to answer those questions. He did say the new renderings are still being finalized.
“Nothing ever goes in a completely straight line,” Fisher said. “But we are working really well together with our partners, we have a tremendous team” of architects, designers, and builders.
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Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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Vince McMahon resigned as executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings along with his spot on TKO’s board of directors on Friday night, a move that came a day after a former WWE employee accused McMahon of sexual assault and sex trafficking in a federal lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed by Janel Grant, claims to have been “the victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking at WWE.” Grant alleged that McMahon and former WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis forced themselves upon her, and that McMahon attempted to get Grant to have sex with a wrestler WWE was trying to sign.
“I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name,” McMahon said in a statement obtained by Front Office Sports from TKO. “However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately.”
A spokesperson for Grant’s legal team declined to comment on McMahon’s resignation.
The change comes days after the WWE struck a landmark $5 billion media rights deal with Netflix. Earlier Friday, Slim Jim, a longtime WWE sponsor, announced it had “decided to pause our promotional activities with WWE,” according to POST Wrestling.
Grant’s allegations cover a time period from 2019 to 2022. McMahon stepped down as CEO of WWE in June 2022 when WWE announced it was investigating a reported $3 million settlement McMahon is alleged to have paid to an outgoing employee with whom he was said to have had an affair.
In response to the filing, a spokesperson for McMahon told several media outlets: “This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.”
TKO, for its part, distanced itself from McMahon, saying: “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO, nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter pre-dates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
Separate from McMahon’s situation, Dana White, CEO of TKO subsidiary UFC, last year avoided punishment after a video showed him slapping his wife.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with McMahon’s resignation announcement.
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BELICHICK⬇ The Atlanta Falcons, the only NFL team to interview Bill Belichick for a head coaching vacancy (twice), have hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. The only two current openings left are in Seattle and Washington, which are reportedly not eyeing Belichick. As noted by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Belichick has operated using a unique front office approach without a general manager—a tact that some suspect could leave teams reluctant to hire the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach.
KC CURRENT⬆ The NWSL’s Kansas City Current will play the first match in their new $117 million stadium—the first ever built specifically for women’s soccer—in front of a national TV audience. ABC will broadcast the match against the Portland Thorns on March 16 at CPKC Stadium.
F1 NAMES⬇ Red Bull Racing’s junior Formula 1 team, known as Scuderia AlphaTauri since 2020, is rebranding with new sponsorship for the 2024 season, and it will officially be called … the Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team. How’s it being received? The Guardian’s Giles Richards writes that it “may be the worst F1 team name of all time.”
ROYAL CARIBBEAN⬆ Inter Miami has signed a new front-of-jersey sponsor: Royal Caribbean International. The cruise line will get plenty of promotion as Lionel Messi plays his first full season with the MLS club.
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- Amazon is going ahead with plans for a new docuseries called The Money Game, which will focus on the impact NIL has made within LSU, including athletes Jayden Daniels, Livvy Dunne, and Angel Reese.
- Dave Canales had a job selling cowboy boots until he decided to pursue coaching, starting at his own high school. Then he met Pete Carroll and everything changed. Canales just took the Panthers’ top job, making him the only active Hispanic head coach in the NFL.
- The NWSL is introducing its first-ever direct-to-consumer streaming platform, NWSL+. Starting this season, NWSL+ will stream 69 matches for free across the U.S.
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| In a labor trial, officials testified that the department only has “expectations.” |
| Huge spikes recorded in Lions-related ticket, merchandise, and restaurant activity.
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| Jim Harbaugh walked away from the biggest contract in college football. |
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