By Mekhi Abbott
AFRO Intern
mabott@afro.com
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) researched the fiscal and community impact of sports and entertainment venues in the District with a new report, released on June 13. The report included an analysis of major sports teams potentially relocating to the District, while also including the economic impact that sports and entertainment facilities have had in the city as of date.
The report showed that major sports have generated significant revenue for the city, including a total of $5 billion in 2022. In 2023, nearly 7.5 million people traveled to the District to watch a major sporting event and 88 percent were non-District residents. 34 percent of visitors travel from Virginia, 30 percent travel from Maryland and an impressive 24 percent of fans travel from outside of the DMV.
“D.C. is the sports capital. We know how important sports are to our city’s economy and culture,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser in a press release. “They create jobs, generate tax revenue, and spur economic development. But sports also create a lot of pride in our city, they bring people together, and we look forward to continuing to support our teams in ways that benefit our city and residents and help knock D.C.’s comeback out of the park.”
The venues included in the report are Capital One Arena, Audi Field, Nationals Park and the Entertainment and Sports Arena. Capital One Arena is home to the National Basketball League Washington Wizards and the National Hockey League Washington Capitals. Major League Soccer’s DC United play at Audi Field. The Women’s National Basketball League Washington Mystics play games both at the Entertainment and Sports Arena as well as Capital One Arena. Audi Field is also home to the annual Truth and Service Classic, a rivalry game between the city’s own Howard Bison and the Hampton Pirates.
The report also showed that sport outings increase metrorail ridership. Gallery Place station, close to Capital One, has the second highest daily ridership in the city, second only to Union Station.
A poll showed that 76 percent of D.C. residents would support a Washington Commanders relocation to the city. The Commanders used to call Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Memorial Stadium home but they now play at Commanders Field in Prince George’s County, Md. Hosting a National Football League franchise is projected to produce over $1.25 billion in economic revenue, $25 million in tax revenue, $289.8 million in labor income and create 2,095 jobs. The last professional team to play in RFK Stadium was DC United in 2019.
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