Future of Capital One Arena Discussion

[TC]

Dec 14, 2023 9:17:56 GMT -5 hoyaboya said:

Dec 14, 2023 8:54:07 GMT -5 TC said:

Because they are arena-issue focused whereas you are posting partisan garbage?

LOL, it's "partisan garbage" to show that there are viewpoints illustrating it makes perfect business sense for Leonsis & Co. to move to VA? And that Bowser/city council hacks were too little/too late on doing what it takes to keep Leonsis in DC? Is the Washington Post "partisan garbage" for writing an editorial conveying similar thoughts?

The point of the tweet you posted was the ending statement "you all should be voted out". It was very vaguely related to the arena, but basically a parade of horribles to support "you all should be voted out". It was absolutely partisan garbage, the guy who was posting it is a comms guy on message. If you wanted to post a Washington Post editorial, you could have done that, but you didn't.

You get so wrapped up in the narrative you want that you don't care about the context of the stuff you post, then you attack people who call you on it with a bunch of straw men.

[guru]

Dec 14, 2023 4:58:55 GMT -5 DanMcQ said:

Well, the chef also, perhaps inadvertently, makes the point that the revitalization of that area was well underway by the time the arena opened there. No doubt it was a huge catalyst for change, but the area was changing already.

[guru]

Dec 14, 2023 9:38:57 GMT -5 TC said:

Dec 14, 2023 9:17:56 GMT -5 hoyaboya said:

LOL, it's "partisan garbage" to show that there are viewpoints illustrating it makes perfect business sense for Leonsis & Co. to move to VA? And that Bowser/city council hacks were too little/too late on doing what it takes to keep Leonsis in DC? Is the Washington Post "partisan garbage" for writing an editorial conveying similar thoughts?

The point of the tweet you posted was the ending statement "you all should be voted out". It was very vaguely related to the arena, but basically a parade of horribles to support "you all should be voted out". It was absolutely partisan garbage, the guy who was posting it is a comms guy on message. If you wanted to post a Washington Post editorial, you could have done that, but you didn't.

You get so wrapped up in the narrative you want that you don't care about the context of the stuff you post, then you attack people who call you on it with a bunch of straw men.

This board has never sufficiently grasped the concept of straw men, and yet it’s a well that posters go to so often. Strange.

[drquigley]

I'm old enough to remember what the neighborhood looked like before the arena. Will it revert after Caps and Wizards leave? I'm not so sure. Still lots going on in the area. Shakespeare Theater Company, National Portrait Gallery, shops, Hotels and destination restaurants. I think if Bowser and the DC government spent the $500 million on crime prevention, homeless eradication and mental health facilities (all of which BTW are connected) the area will be fine. And since thee is no chance in hell of the Hoyas getting an on campus or Rosslyn arena Cap One will work out fine, especially once we get a national championship caliber team. Maybe once the dust settles we can evenget the OOC cupcakes playing at McDonough.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

Dec 14, 2023 10:36:57 GMT -5 drquigley said:

I'm old enough to remember what the neighborhood looked like before the arena. Will it revert after Caps and Wizards leave? I'm not so sure. Still lots going on in the area. Shakespeare Theater Company, National Portrait Gallery, shops, Hotels and destination restaurants. I think if Bowser and the DC government spent the $500 million on crime prevention, homeless eradication and mental health facilities (all of which BTW are connected) the area will be fine. And since thee is no chance in hell of the Hoyas getting an on campus or Rosslyn arena Cap One will work out fine, especially once we get a national championship caliber team. Maybe once the dust settles we can evenget the OOC cupcakes playing at McDonough.

I recall shows at the old 9:30 club in '93. The area was just empty. Cap one is soulless but in a great location. I don't see the market for a 10K venue for concerts but concerts at Cap One stink. It's just too big for those. I saw Prince there and he looked like an ant even with his heels on. If they could chop off the upper deck of cap one permanently, I don't think the venue is all that bad actually. I wasn't going to Wizards games even with free tickets and the Caps games are outrageously expensive for a family of four of passive hockey fans. I could care less about those teams moving.

DC got played though. I don't understand the investment in St. E's for the Mystics which is a great venue, bad location. It's the perfect size for a WNBA team. If they move to Cap One, what comes of that space? At the end of the day, my lone concern is the Hoyas. If we get a refurbished arena with 10K, great! If not, we have a huge problem.

[SSHoya]

To veer slightly off topic, Chinatown DC was once a vibrant community where I spent much time in my youth visiting my cousins who grew up there (literally where Wah Luck house is now as it was once rowhouses). We played basketball at Calvary Baptist Church gym on 8th Street. It was not always the desolate wasteland it unfortunately became through the 1980s awaiting gentrification. Posted for educational purposes and as a somewhat native Washingtonian who has seen boom and bust of DC neighborhoods since the 1960s. [MODS delete if you wish].

1882foundation.org/archive/videos/flashback-chinatown/

[drquigley]

Dec 14, 2023 11:39:27 GMT -5 SSHoya said:

To veer slightly off topic, Chinatown DC was once a vibrant community where I spent much time in my youth visiting my cousins who grew up there (literally where Wah Luck house is now as it was once rowhouses). We played basketball at Calvary Baptist Church gym on 8th Street. It was not always the desolate wasteland it unfortunately became through the 1980s awaiting gentrification. Posted for educational purposes and as a somewhat native Washingtonian who has seen boom and bust of DC neighborhoods since the 1960s. [MODS delete if you wish].

1882foundation.org/archive/videos/flashback-chinatown/

Wow a post from someone who seems to really know what he's talking about. I like the boom and bust analogy. I think gentrification has gone too far in NW DC to be reversed by the loss of Cap One.

[prhoya]

Dec 14, 2023 11:39:27 GMT -5 SSHoya said:

To veer slightly off topic, Chinatown DC was once a vibrant community where I spent much time in my youth visiting my cousins who grew up there (literally where Wah Luck house is now as it was once rowhouses). We played basketball at Calvary Baptist Church gym on 8th Street. It was not always the desolate wasteland it unfortunately became through the 1980s awaiting gentrification. Posted for educational purposes and as a somewhat native Washingtonian who has seen boom and bust of DC neighborhoods since the 1960s. [MODS delete if you wish].

1882foundation.org/archive/videos/flashback-chinatown/

F St’s former bank-turned-nightclub The Fifth Column was one of the best in D.C. . Back then, the neighborhood left a lot to be desired.

[calhoya]

I visited Washington DC this past summer for the first time since attending the Creighton game in January 2020. We walked to Chinatown from our hotel near the Law Center (a walk I have taken dozens of times) and unlike just a few years ago it definitely felt less safe. In talking to a bartender and some locals at Clydes it appears that our perception is at least somewhat justified. Safety may have little to do with the true motives for moving the NBA and NHL teams to Alexandria, but allowing an area that had been revitalized since the 1980's to seemingly slip is very sad.

[SSHoya]

Dec 14, 2023 12:21:55 GMT -5 calhoya said:

I visited Washington DC this past summer for the first time since attending the Creighton game in January 2020. We walked to Chinatown from our hotel near the Law Center (a walk I have taken dozens of times) and unlike just a few years ago it definitely felt less safe. In talking to a bartender and some locals at Clydes it appears that our perception is at least somewhat justified. Safety may have little to do with the true motives for moving the NBA and NHL teams to Alexandria, but allowing an area that had been revitalized since the 1980's to seemingly slip is very sad.

A good friend of mine was a Special Assistant U.S Attorney in the USAO prosecuting local crimes in D.C. Superior Court. He told me TEN years ago that Gallery Place was a hotspot for crime. So it's been a long decline accelerated by the pandemic and less citizens on the streets.

[DanMcQ]

Other than local resistance, this problem seems like it may be the trickiest problem to solve for moving Potomac Yard ahead.

[SSHoya]

Dec 14, 2023 12:20:17 GMT -5 prhoya said:

Dec 14, 2023 11:39:27 GMT -5 SSHoya said:

To veer slightly off topic, Chinatown DC was once a vibrant community where I spent much time in my youth visiting my cousins who grew up there (literally where Wah Luck house is now as it was once rowhouses). We played basketball at Calvary Baptist Church gym on 8th Street. It was not always the desolate wasteland it unfortunately became through the 1980s awaiting gentrification. Posted for educational purposes and as a somewhat native Washingtonian who has seen boom and bust of DC neighborhoods since the 1960s. [MODS delete if you wish].

1882foundation.org/archive/videos/flashback-chinatown/

F St’s former bank-turned-nightclub The Fifth Column was one of the best in D.C. . Back then, the neighborhood left a lot to be desired.

Now a restaurant.

www.succotashrestaurant.com/

[DFW HOYA]

"As of now, there are no actual plans to shut down the arena... Still, the news of the Capitals’ and Wizards’ departure has unleashed some fear that the venue is ultimately doomed."

[DanMcQ]

DA not a fan.

[SDHoya]

Dec 14, 2023 11:27:25 GMT -5 ColumbiaHeightsHoya said:

Dec 14, 2023 10:36:57 GMT -5 drquigley said:

I'm old enough to remember what the neighborhood looked like before the arena. Will it revert after Caps and Wizards leave? I'm not so sure. Still lots going on in the area. Shakespeare Theater Company, National Portrait Gallery, shops, Hotels and destination restaurants. I think if Bowser and the DC government spent the $500 million on crime prevention, homeless eradication and mental health facilities (all of which BTW are connected) the area will be fine. And since thee is no chance in hell of the Hoyas getting an on campus or Rosslyn arena Cap One will work out fine, especially once we get a national championship caliber team. Maybe once the dust settles we can evenget the OOC cupcakes playing at McDonough.

I recall shows at the old 9:30 club in '93. The area was just empty. Cap one is soulless but in a great location. I don't see the market for a 10K venue for concerts but concerts at Cap One stink. It's just too big for those. I saw Prince there and he looked like an ant even with his heels on. If they could chop off the upper deck of cap one permanently, I don't think the venue is all that bad actually. I wasn't going to Wizards games even with free tickets and the Caps games are outrageously expensive for a family of four of passive hockey fans. I could care less about those teams moving.

DC got played though. I don't understand the investment in St. E's for the Mystics which is a great venue, bad location. It's the perfect size for a WNBA team. If they move to Cap One, what comes of that space? At the end of the day, my lone concern is the Hoyas. If we get a refurbished arena with 10K, great! If not, we have a huge problem.

My lone concern is also the Hoyas. The Caps and Wiz will continue to make lots and lots of money for Uncle Ted regardless of what side of the Potomac they reside. And as noted, IF CapOne really is converted into an upgraded 10k arena (a very big IF), the Caps and Wiz moving out of DC would actually be a hugely beneficial.

But I also agree with those posters who point out the vital question--why exactly is it in Uncle Ted's interest to have a smaller (and almost by definition less profitable) space in DC, when he is going to want to drive as much traffic as possible to his new palace?

This is why GU needs to be aggressive right now. It certainly is in GU's interest to secure a long term suitable home for the basketball team. Is also in DC's interest (assuming they can't keep the Wiz/Caps) to continue to have an entertainment anchor in Chinatown, and a state of the art mid-sized venue right in the heart of the District might actually be a solid draw for events and concerts. If GU and DC can work quickly to take back the Cap One site from Monumental, or partner with Monumental if they are serious about creating a 10k venue for the Mystics, then this may actually come to fruition. If GU is passive then the likelihood that Cap One really becomes this ideal space for Hoya Hoops diminishes considerably, and we'll likely be back to square one unable to fill a giant NBA arena now in NOVA.

[hoyaboya]

"In a statement, Shawn Townsend, the president and CEO of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, noted that while the proposed stadium complex would likely serve as a catalyst for dozens of new restaurants in Virginia, its impact on downtown Washington would be harsh.

“The Wizards and the Capitals are central to downtown DC’s economy and have contributed to the success of many downtown businesses, specifically restaurants,” Townsend said. “Although Monumental Sports has stated that Georgetown basketball games, concerts, and other programming would continue at Capital One Arena, the decision to remove two major sports teams from downtown DC would be devastating for the neighborhood’s scores of small businesses, many in long term leases and who are already struggling during a historic year of challenges for restaurants in DC.”

In an interview with the Washington City Paper’s Alex Koma, Jack Evans—the former DC Councilmember who helped bring the teams to the city decades before he resigned amid an ethics scandal—blamed DC Mayor Muriel Bowser for the current predicament. “The city administration is at fault,” Evans told Koma. “If they’d acted back in August, Ted probably would’ve taken that deal.”

www.washingtonian.com/2023/12/13/dc-political-and-business-figures-are-concerned-over-possible-loss-of-caps-and-wizards/

[Problem of Dog]

Dec 13, 2023 20:38:29 GMT -5 astrohoya said:

- The decline if the neighborhood is very real. I walked to the game from Foggy Bottom last night and it definitely got bad about two blocks from Cap One. The bigger issue here, which goes well beyond this, is that the federal government since COVID has embraced remote work pretty intensely. Simply put, fewer people are going to be in Downtown DC going forward, and it is going to negatively affect the city. I think this is a secondary issue to the entertainment district for the Wiz/Caps, but it is a real issue that will continue to get worse regardless of what they do.

I'm sorry but give me an F-ing break. "it definitely got bad about two blocks from Cap One" What does that even mean? Were you mugged the moment you got two blocks away? Or did you just see too many black people out at night?

This move has absolutely nothing to do with crime or taxes or anything else. It's a cash grab by a billionaire who once put his face alongside MLK to promote his community activism, which is exclusively opportunistic and minimal.

[CTHoya08]

Dec 14, 2023 11:27:25 GMT -5 ColumbiaHeightsHoya said:

Dec 14, 2023 10:36:57 GMT -5 drquigley said:

I'm old enough to remember what the neighborhood looked like before the arena. Will it revert after Caps and Wizards leave? I'm not so sure. Still lots going on in the area. Shakespeare Theater Company, National Portrait Gallery, shops, Hotels and destination restaurants. I think if Bowser and the DC government spent the $500 million on crime prevention, homeless eradication and mental health facilities (all of which BTW are connected) the area will be fine. And since thee is no chance in hell of the Hoyas getting an on campus or Rosslyn arena Cap One will work out fine, especially once we get a national championship caliber team. Maybe once the dust settles we can evenget the OOC cupcakes playing at McDonough.

I recall shows at the old 9:30 club in '93. The area was just empty. Cap one is soulless but in a great location. I don't see the market for a 10K venue for concerts but concerts at Cap One stink. It's just too big for those. I saw Prince there and he looked like an ant even with his heels on. If they could chop off the upper deck of cap one permanently, I don't think the venue is all that bad actually. I wasn't going to Wizards games even with free tickets and the Caps games are outrageously expensive for a family of four of passive hockey fans. I could care less about those teams moving.

DC got played though. I don't understand the investment in St. E's for the Mystics which is a great venue, bad location. It's the perfect size for a WNBA team. If they move to Cap One, what comes of that space? At the end of the day, my lone concern is the Hoyas. If we get a refurbished arena with 10K, great! If not, we have a huge problem.

I think you just answered your own question here??

There's absolutely a market for concert venues that seat about 10k. Very few acts are big enough to fill 20k-seat arenas. Plenty are viable in a 10k-seat environment. My wife used to work in concert ticketing at Madison Square Garden. The company is much bigger than just the MSG building, and owns various properties in New York (and other cities for that matter) that have differing capacities, and which accordingly book different acts. My wife will still say things like "that's not an MSG act; that's a [some other venue owned by MSG] act."

It absolutely could make sense for Leonsis to renovate the arena to make it smaller and book those acts while also hosting the Mystics, Hoyas, and some other events. Just because he'd be making money hand over fist in Virginia doesn't preclude the ability to make money off of an additional property. I'm not saying that a smaller, jazzed up CapOne will happen--it just seems too good to be true from a "what will happen to the Hoyas?" perspective--but I'm frankly baffled by the "what demand would there be for an arena that seats 10k?" takes.

[dariantownesvanzandt]

[DanMcQ]