Opinion

The Caps and Wizards are staying in D.C. Here’s what should happen next.

As Mr. Leonsis tries to make amends, he needs to deliver big on the vision he has outlined and to put D.C. first rather than viewing the city as a runner-up or consolation prize. Remarks such as “It’s not 12 acres, but it’s enough,” referring to the difference in size between the Virginia and D.C. proposals, won’t convince District residents that he’s excited to embrace the city rather than bitter about the end result.

And if Mr. Leonsis truly wants to mend some fences, he needs to provide fans with much more than just an improved arena, with all of its high-tech bells and whistles. He must invest now and do whatever it takes to create winning products on the floor and ice that will make D.C. and the region proud. That should be his main focus.

Liz Feldman, North Potomac

I was delighted to read that Ted Leonsis and D.C.’s leadership have reached a deal to keep our sports teams downtown at least until 2050. I began working in the Penn Quarter neighborhood in the 1990s. The arrival of the arena and the explosion of dining and entertainment options and transformation of the neighborhood didn’t benefit only those who lived or worked there; it benefited the entire region. My friends who worked on Capitol Hill, K Street, in Bethesda and Alexandria all wanted to come spend their time and money in Penn Quarter and Chinatown.

The pandemic-fueled decline of the neighborhood has been sad, but just as the rise of the downtown area was regionally felt, allowing the area to decline would have a regional impact as well. There are plenty of examples in this country of moribund cities dragging down their entire regions. We are one DMV area. Moving the arena to Alexandria would have effectively put downtown on a death watch. That should have concerned everyone.

We owe the right outcome to the leadership, tenacity and business acumen of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) — and to the fact that no one could explain to the people of Alexandria how moving tens of thousands of fans through two slender traffic-choked arteries during rush hour was ever going to work.

Steve Cohen, Arlington

Now that Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and sports team owner Ted Leonsis have inked a deal to keep the Capitals and the Wizards playing downtown, Ms. Bowser owes the sports fans and residents some municipal government action to reduce the decibel level of the music that is constantly played by the street musicians at Seventh and F Streets NW.

I take the Metro downtown to see the games at Capital One Arena. After reaching the top of the station’s escalators, many sports fans find it particularly annoying to be forced to listen to the loud music. We live in a free country, and playing music is protected by the First Amendment. However, the musicians do not have any right to turn on their amplifiers and blast their music so that everyone within a block or two has to listen to it. I am sure that there is a municipal government regulation that playing this loud music violates. Now that the Capitals and Wizards will continue to play at Seventh and F, Ms. Bowser owes sports fans, residents and restaurant patrons a much quieter environment.

Lee Hurwitz, Rockville

Is Ms. Lucas really a hero?

Regarding Petula Dvorak’s April 2 Metro column, “Bowser, Lucas showed the old boys’ network out”:

It appears the knockout blow has been delivered to the Potomac Yard proposal for the Washington Wizards and Capitals. Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), who represents an area that is about as far from Potomac Yard as Philadelphia, claimed victory by reposting on X an animation of her swatting a basketball.

As a 10-year Wizards season ticket holder who lives in Dupont Circle, I’d like to thank the senator for her great work and steadfast opposition to the move. But while I am grateful the Wizards (and Caps) are staying in the District, there is one thing I don’t quite understand: Why are Virginia residents hailing Ms. Lucas as some sort of hero?

Maybe the jobs Mr. Leonsis promised wouldn’t have come, and maybe the economic activity Mr. Leonsis promised wouldn’t have paid out, and maybe Mr. Leonsis would have gotten even richer! But to block this deal from happening seems like a tremendous loss for Virginia. Economics aside, there is something special about having a professional sports team in your state. I grew up in Charlotte, home of the Carolina Panthers. Driving from the Panthers stadium to South Carolina takes about as much time as driving from Chinatown to Potomac Yard, and there are plenty of Panthers fans in South Carolina. But it isn’t their team. South Carolina doesn’t buzz like North Carolina does when the Panthers are making a playoff run.

Virginia is the most populous state without a professional sports team, and all indications are that state of affairs will continue for a very long time. Ms. Lucas had the power to negotiate a deal that worked for Virginia — a power she earned and deserved due to her historic career in public service. But rather than take the difficult path and attempt to work out a beneficial deal, she took the easy one. It raised her stature, and I’m sure defeating Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and Mr. Leonsis felt great. But in a nation where we constantly complain about our politicians getting nothing done, why would you celebrate a politician who didn’t even try to make the best deal possible for her state?

Christian Rautenstrauch, Washington

Or do citizen activists deserve the credit?

Regarding the March 30 Metro article “A blame game in arena’s fallout”:

Since the Wizards and Capitals are now staying in D.C., there have been numerous articles about why the Potomac Yard deal failed. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is blaming Democrats, specifically Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth). Democratic legislators are blaming the governor for not including them in the conversation. And Monumental Sports & Entertainment as well as Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson (D) are blaming numerous parties in Richmond.

Not one of these parties seems to consider the citizens of Alexandria.

As an Alexandria resident who signed the “Stop the Arena” petition, I have not found any neighbor who supported this deal. I haven’t spoken to any local residents who wanted to finance a stadium for billionaire owner Ted Leonsis or to deal with the traffic and parking mess it would create.

It is frustrating that these political leaders all assume this was the right deal for Alexandria, as opposed to other development options for Potomac Yard. No politician, including Mr. Wilson, seems to have really considered the views of the citizens of the city and whether they thought it was in their best interests. Even Ms. Lucas has implied that she put the brakes on the deal because of the way the governor managed it, as opposed to noting local resistance. As a resident, I felt like this project was being forced upon us by the politicians and that once they got their legacy deal signed, they would “mansplain” why it was right and how misguided we are. Maybe next time ask the citizens first.

Polly Saul, Alexandria

I read with interest in The Post that Alexandria’s decision not to move forward with a new sports arena “would cast a long shadow on Virginia’s ability to attract other businesses.” I remember similar remarks being made in 2003 after the Arlington County Board asked Virginia officials to remove Arlington from consideration for a new baseball stadium. Yet, in the two decades since Arlington passed on a similar sports arena, Boeing, Raytheon and Nestlé have moved to Arlington. A local government’s choice of what type of development to encourage didn’t cast a “long shadow” on attracting other businesses in 2003 and will not do so in 2024.

Michael Nardolilli, Arlington

Thank you for your coverage of recent lost opportunities by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). Much has been said about his failure to secure an arena deal in Virginia. Of far greater consequence, however, was his failure to sign into law gun violence prevention legislation that would have saved lives. Thanks to sensible measures sent to him by the General Assembly, he could have made the public safer by banning assault weapons. He could have honored the three University of Virginia scholar-athletes murdered in a shooting in 2022 and enabled students and parents to breathe a little easier by prohibiting firearms on public college campuses. Instead, he wielded his veto pen. What a legacy he has secured for himself.

Martina Leinz, Burke

The author is a board member of Brady United Against Gun Violence.