Since 1997 the Wizards and Capitals have been a mainstay in Washington D.C., calling Capital One Arena, formerly the Verizon Center, home. The arena has witnessed some legendary moments and players; Michael Jordan played two seasons as a Wizard, Jaromir Jagr, NHL Hall of Famer spent part of three seasons as a Capital, and Alex Ovechkin has spent his entire career there. The arena, located in Chinatown just blocks away from the White House, has hosted everything from Stanley Cup finals in 1998 and 2018, to the NBA all-star game in 2001, as well as concerts and Georgetown men’s basketball.
Capital One Arena has definitely seen its best years already; the now 27-year-old arena has suffered some losses in recent years; the arena is now among the oldest in the NBA and NHL. It has faced faltering attendance with the Wizards ranked 28th out of 30 NBA teams in attendance and the Capitals sinking to the middle of the pack for the 2023-24 season.
The Chinatown area has been impacted by crime, with violent crime being up 36% in the area as of August 2023, according to The Washington Post. The area is becoming a less and less attractive place to visit, especially during the evening and night, when the Wizards and Capitals most often play. Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser tried to address these issues with a $500 million renovations bill as well as a lease extension through 2052, a plan owner Ted Leonisis passed on. It seemed clear that the Monumental Sports ownership group was looking for some changes, still, it came as a complete shock that this change involved a move to Alexandria.
This all changed, as on December 13, pending approval by the Alexandria City Council and the Virginia General Assembly, it was announced that the Wizards and Capitals would be moving to Virginia. The reactions were immediate; the Seventh Street corridor in D.C. filled with restaurants, apartments, entertainment options, and businesses has become a popular and attractive area for visitors, largely built around Capital One Arena and the thousands of fans that flock to the area for games. While Washington D.C. has countless attractions for visitors to see during the day such as museums, historic buildings, landmarks, and monuments, the opportunities are relatively limited during night. The departure of the Wizards and Capitals will severely hurt the downtown area and the night life of the region.
Reactions from those on the Virginia side were more positive, but still mixed. Governor Glenn Youngkin praised the decision as he joined Monumental Sports (the group that owns the Wizards, Capitals, and Mystics) owner Ted Leonisis to announce the plans. He compared this announcement to the building of Amazon’s HQ2, another major project coming to Arlington. The new plan will bring much more than just an arena; the plan contains, “a $2 billion, 12-acre mixed-use complex will rise,” according to The Washington Post.
Potomac Yards will house Monumental Sports headquarters as well as practice facilities and a performing arts center, seating up to 6,000 people. Shops, restaurants, and other buildings will grow to accommodate the proposed 20,000 people that will be traveling to Potomac Yards on any given day, not to mention the massive upgrades to public transportation to make this area accessible for outsiders.
Many from inside the school community that call the Potomac Yards area home were not so happy with this decision; some fear the traffic that will inevitably be caused by this influx of people. While the arena itself might seem far in the horizon for many and construction might seem far off, the plan is to break ground in 2025 and have the arena complex completed in 2028.
According to a poll sent out to Upper School students, the primary concern of the student population is that with the new arena in Alexandria, the city will be unable to adapt to the increase in traffic. The poll collected responses from 39 students: 22 said they disagreed with the decision to move to Alexandria, 11 agreed with the decision, and six remained neutral. Interestingly, all students who responded that they lived in Washington D.C. said they either disagreed or remained neutral to the Wizards and Capitals move.
Anyone that has ever been to a Wizards or Capitals game in D.C. knows that the traffic following the game can be a real problem and that the city was built to hold a large number of people. It is also worth mentioning that the new Virginia Tech campus located in Potomac Yards is planned to open in 2024 as well. With all this development coming to an area that is relatively limited in terms of parking, traffic is the major concern with the new project.
Davis Bauer ‘24, an Alexandria resident, fears that the traffic will extend far beyond the Potomac Yards mall area, “The traffic going to the arena will flow into my neighborhood and it will make it tough to get around,” he said. The most vocal community against the construction has been the residents of Del Ray for this exact reason and they have held multiple town halls and assemblies on this very issue.
Washington D.C. residents had even stronger opinions about the new plan. Mark Liberman ‘27, said, “I think that it’s an area with a lot of crime and now that there aren’t going to be as many fans and tourists there, things will only get worse.” What makes Capital One Arena so appealing for fans is because of its location; the arena is accessible to fans coming from Virginia and Maryland. Mark says, “I think it’s good for the franchise that is named for Washington to play in Washington, since it allows people from all over the DMV to come to a central location.” This is often one of the critiques Commanders fans have for the team, especially those from Virginia; after all, the team is called the Washington Commanders, not the Landover Commanders.
While traffic is the issue that will most closely impact most high schoolers, the price tag on the new arena will also have a dramatic effect. The arena project is said to cost an estimated $2 billion and the needed improvements to the Potomac Yards area in terms of transportation are said to run upwards of $1.35 billion, according to a JP Morgan Chase study. Many would have rather seen this money go to improving public schools in the city or improving much needed infrastructure, rather than a new arena as the cost of living in Alexandria has already become too high for many.
The question on a lot of D.C. resident’s minds is; what is Capital One Arena going to be used for without the Capitals and Wizards? It is worth noting that Capital One Arena is also the host to Georgetown basketball games and is the main location for most concerts in D.C., however these events happen with less attendance or regularity than the Capitals and Wizards games. Mark confirmed this saying without the Wizards and Capitals, there isn’t much of a reason to travel into Chinatown or the downtown area in general.
The deal to build a new arena in Alexandria has not been finalized and the decision as to whether the construction will happen or not won’t be known until the months to come. The bill still needs to be passed by the Virginia House and Senate, a process that takes place in the Virginia General Assembly from now until March. The other decision would come from inside Alexandria and if the city is willing to fund and build parts of the entertainment district, crucial to supporting the arena.
A new arena in Alexandria would be very exciting; it guarantees a large amount of visitors coming to Alexandria on a daily basis bringing money to the city. Going to Capitals and Wizards games could go from a real ordeal of battling traffic, finding a parking spot, and walking great distances to get to the arena, to a short drive or maybe even walking to the arena. Of course for all the money and all the convenience coming to Alexandria, there is money and increased traffic coming to outside visitors and Alexandria residents alike. One thing is certain, as Mark declared, “I’m probably not going to go to many Wizards or Capitals games knowing the drive will be long and the traffic will be horrendous.”