Why it’s harder to say whether Monumental Sports team fans were winners and losers in the D.C. arena deal

The belief on whether one is a winner or loser is largely dependent on where a fan lives moreso than the team(s) they support.

Last week, I wrote about the winners and losers of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s agreement to keep the Washington Wizards and Capitals in D.C.

But JayNC2DC had a comment for me in that post, saying “Odd that you didn’t mention Wizards FANS as the absolute biggest winners here. Most of us live in MD and DC. We won’t have to make an untenable trek across the river.”

So why didn’t I add a section about Wizards, or Capitals, or Mystics fans as winners or losers?

For me, the answer is because of these two reasons:

1. Given that all of Monumental Sports’ teams play in the Washington area, none of the fanbases are mutually exclusive from another. The Wizards, Capitals and Mystics fanbases all intersect. They don’t intersect equally, but they still do. People in the DMV regularly go to games for two or even all three. And I haven’t gotten to the Capital City Go-Go yet.
2. The fans of these teams are more likely to view themselves as winners or losers based on where they live than how much of a fan they are of a team.

I’m not going to say how Wizards, Capitals and Mystics fans as a whole view whether they win or lose in this. But I will say how Monumental Sports team fans are more likely to feel depending on where they live.

Winners: D.C. and Maryland residents — Given that the teams will remain in D.C. no matter what, their commutes to Capital One Arena or the Entertainment and Sports Arena won’t change.

Maryland residents who live west of D.C. like Montgomery and Frederick Counties certainly do not like a commute to ESA, which is further away than Capital One Arena. but they have been used to this change since 2019 when the Mystics moved there.

Neutral: Northern Virginia residents — The commute to Potomac Yard is about the same, if not longer than the commute to Capital One Arena if these fans are going to Wizards and Capitals games. Like Maryland residents west of D.C., the commute to ESA hasn’t changed either.

Losers: Some Arlington County and northern Alexandria residents — If a fan lives in Del Ray or Potomac Yard, they may be a … YIMBY (Yes in my backyard) on this arena issue. If the Virginia arena passed, they could just walk to games and concerts.