• Loading stock data...
Friday, May 23, 2025

Washington Validates $6B Josh Harris Bet With Rapid Turnaround

A dream-like season for the Commanders continues, showing the power of what a new owner can quickly do in the right circumstances. 

Imagn Images

The dream that fans of struggling sports teams often have but typically don’t experience—a new owner buys the franchise and quickly turns it around—is improbably coming true for the Commanders, putting the long-forgotten organization back in the national limelight. 

Washington shocked top-seed Detroit 45-31 in the NFC divisional playoffs Saturday night, marking by far the biggest NFL win for second-year Commanders owner Josh Harris. With that upset victory at the Lions’ Ford Field, the Commanders have achieved key milestones:

  • The team’s first appearance in the NFC title game since the 1991 season, when just five current Commanders had even been born. Washington will face Philadelphia on Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl.
  • The second playoff victory of the Harris era, equaling the number of postseason wins in the embattled, 24-year tenure of former team owner Dan Snyder. Both of those Snyder-era wins were in the wild-card round.
  • An “it” factor drawing a celebrity fanbase that includes NBA superstar and Washington-area native Kevin Durant, actor Matthew McConaughey, and racing legend Dale Earnhardt Jr., among others. 

There are many key figures involved in the resurgence of the Commanders, including the stellar play of star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the first-year football leadership of head coach Dan Quinn and GM Adam Peters. Harris, however, has helped instill an entirely different tenor to the organization since his record-breaking $6.05 billion purchase of the team in July 2023—departing significantly from the near-constant turbulence and friction that marked the Snyder era. 

“For everybody to put this together, this team, in really a year, it’s phenomenal,” said former Washington coach Joe Gibbs, who led the franchise to all three of its Super Bowl wins in the 1980s and early 1990s, and then had a less successful comeback effort more than a decade later under Snyder. “To get a win like that on the road, it’s really hard, [but] gives you great confidence. [It’s] just fantastic for everybody.”

The Commanders are a 5.5-point underdog to the Eagles in the upcoming conference title game at Lincoln Financial Field, part of a South Philadelphia sports complex being remade, in part through the NBA’s 76ers and Harris, also the lead owner of that team. Ticket demand on the resale markets for the NFC clash, however, is robust, with low-end, get-in pricing beginning at around $600 per seat—roughly twice the comparable figure for the AFC championship game between the Bills and Chiefs.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Pacers-Knicks Game 1 Drew 6.6M Viewers, a 7-Year High

The game had 8.5 million people watching at its peak.
Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden (2) pulls into pit lane Monday, May 19, 2025, during a practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Indy 500, Monaco GP on Same Weekend for the Final Time

The three Triple Crown races will be on consecutive weekends.

MLB Weighs Olympic Participation After NFL Flag Football Approval

MLB, LA28 continue discussions about 2028 participation by big leaguers.

Can Golf Emulate the College World Series Model?

Carlsbad, Calif., is hosting the event through 2028.

Featured Today

AA Mint Cards

Young Collectors Are on a High-Stakes Chase for Ultra-Rare Trading Cards

“They just want that excitement of the chase,” says a 23-year-old collector.
Donnie Gobourne JDL
May 17, 2025

U.S. Professional Softball Players Are Flocking to Japan to Get Paid

The Diamond League offers paychecks and amenities that the U.S. can’t beat.
Jun 1996; Seattle, WA USA; FILE PHOTO; Seattle Supersonics guard Gary Payton (20) lays the ball up against the Chicago Bulls during the 1996 NBA Finals at Key Arena.
May 15, 2025

5,000 Pieces of Thunder History Are Hidden in Seattle

Sonics championship banners, trophies, and retired jerseys are all in one place.
Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) returns an interception during the second half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State won 28-14.
May 15, 2025

House v. NCAA Settlement to Pay College Athletes: All Your Questions Answered

The yearslong lawsuit over player compensation is in the home stretch.

The Pacers Refused to Tank—and It’s Paying Off

Herb Simon has owned the Pacers since 1983.
Jalen Brunson
May 21, 2025

Jalen Brunson’s $100 Million Discount Has Knicks Set Up for Years

The extension, which kicks in next year, gives New York precious flexibility.
Dec 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the third quarter at Target Center.
May 21, 2025

Knicks and Pacers Meet in Conference Finals After Successful Star Trades

The Knicks and Timberwolves made the biggest trade prior to Luka’s.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 6 of Portfolio Players, dive into the world of sports investment with George Pyne, founder and CEO of Bruin Capital. Discover why owning a sports team is considered recession-proof, how leagues like MLB and UFC have adapted to the new media landscape, & the complexities of NIL.
Indianapolis Colts defense leap in an attempt to block an extra point kick by Jacksonville Jaguars place kicker Cam Little (39) on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
May 20, 2025

NFL Teams to Fans: Don’t Sell Your Season Tickets

Excessive reselling is increasingly a problem for NFL teams.
Sophie Cunningham
May 20, 2025

Suns Call Claim of CEO Affair With Sophie Cunningham ‘Entirely False and..

The Suns called the claim “morally reprehensible.”
Jason Dantona
May 20, 2025

The Face of the Knicks-Celtics Rivalry Is a Long Island Battery Salesman

Jason Dantona achieved internet fame for his viral interview disparaging Boston.
Tottenham Hotspur
May 20, 2025

One of English Soccer’s Biggest Disasters Is Guaranteed a Massive Payday

Either Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United will be in the Champions League.