The Washington Wizards owner, Ted Leonsis, has helped build a real sports world in D.C. Leonsis, also the CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE), doesn’t just own the Wizards. He also owns the Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics, and the G-League affiliate of the Wizards, the Capital City Go-Go. However, Leonsis wants to continue building his sports world in D.C, and is interested in buying two more district franchises.
Ted Leonsis Seeks Ownership Of Two More Washington Franchises
Leonsis is building a real sports syndicate in Washington. All of his teams are plugged into MSE and play at Capital One Arena. He’s been in D.C’s sporting world since 1999, when he acquired the Capitals. Fast-forward to now, with three under his belt, he seeks to make it five. While it’s not the Washington Commanders, the MLB and MLS offer two Washington franchises not yet under Leonsis’ ownership.
Washington Nationals
Leonsis appears to have his eyes set on America’s game. However, the Lerner family removed the Washington Nationals from the market in 2024 after a two-year search for a buyer. The Nationals haven’t had the best of track records the past few years. Much like the Wizards, they are towards the bottom of the MLB. Currently, the Nationals are sitting at 62-91 on the season, and haven’t made the postseason since 2019, when they won the World Series.
“It takes two to tango, and they aren’t ready to sell,” is what Leonsis said about the current selling state of the team, per NBC. According to The Washington Post, Leonsis offered at least $2 billion, but it didn’t sway the Lerners much.
If Leonsis acquired the team, he would finally get his wish of owning an MLB franchise. He attempted to bid for the Baltimore Orioles before they were bought in 2024. That deal ended up falling through with David Rubenstein of Caryle Group fell through.
D.C United
Another team that has come up in relation to possible buys for Leonsis is Washington’s MLS team, D.C United. The ownership group of the team has been under fire by fans to sell the team after multiple losing seasons with no clear end in sight. United is in the same boat as the Nationals, not having made the MLS playoffs since 2019, and only one postseason win since 2015.
There isn’t any real indication if the team is for sale; however, the franchise has brought in multiple minority owners since it was bought in 2005. With the team being one of the worst in the league, it’s not improbable that the team gets put up for sale, but it’s not likely either.
If Leonsis could get into United, he wouldn’t need to lose sleep over not owning a major soccer franchise. In 2019, the Wizards played the New York Knicks in London, where Leonsis would be shown the Premier League’s Chelsea by several investors. However, Leonsis couldn’t convince himself to pull the trigger, keeping the MSE network from going international.
The Last Word
Leonsis already has a sports empire. He could easily take control of the D.C sports world if these two teams went up for sale. He’s said before that he’s not looking to expand outside of the D.C area. That being said, remember the news of the Wizards and Capitals moving to Alexandria at the end of 2023? With Capital One Arena getting a huge overall, and a deal with Washington’s mayor to stay in D.C. until 2050, it seems like MSE and Leonsis are there to stay.
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