Washington, D.C.’s top elected local official and a major sports mogul have become teammates as Capital One Arena, a major sports complex in the city, gets refurbished.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser jested that she and Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, would be together for “a long time” after a deal was reached to keep the sports teams his group owns in D.C. She made the quip at this week's ceremonial groundbreaking for the $515 million project to update the arena.
Monumental had at one point considered moving the city’s professional basketball and hockey teams to Virginia, but the deal fell through and the city of Washington struck a deal with Leonsis to keep them in the District.
“The new Capital One Arena will be an epic focal point for the community and a symbol for the resurgence of downtown,” Leonsis said in a statement.
Renovation work at the arena is expected to be completed by the 2027-2028 NBA and NHL seasons.