The WNBA is rapidly growing, but the Washington Mystics’ potential move to a new arena is the latest example of not reading the room.
Entertainment & Sports Arena has been the home of the Mystics since 2019. It’s located near the heart of Southeast Washington, D.C. and gives super intimate vibes with the 4,200-seat capacity building that saw Washington win its first title.
But that might be changing soon in stunning fashion.
On Wednesday, Mystics owner Ted Leonsis announced an agreement (pending approval) to create an Entertainment District in Alexandria, Virginia at Potomac Yard. The deal moves the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards to the new arena by 2028.
It also means the Washington Mystics could be potentially uprooted.
In all of the news about Monumental Sports moving to Alexandria with the Wizards and Capitals, there was Mystics news also. They announced the intention to have the Mystics move to Capital One Arena for game days. Says the plan is to still update the arena.
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) December 13, 2023
Ted Leonsis this morning:
"My belief is that at Capital One Arena, we can host women's sports. Our intention is to expand here and keep Capital One Arena in DC a great place."
Sounds like he wants the Mystics to play at COA. Says they'd keep some concerts there as well.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) December 13, 2023
On the surface, Leonis’s move seems admirable. Moving the Mystics gives them an upgraded facility and the ability to attract more fans — almost 16,000 more — to women’s sports.
However, more than one thing can be true: This disturbs the fan culture and experience the Mystics have already built, and it forces their growth to be questioned. (And that’s on top of how the Wizards’ and Capitals’ move could affect the culture and community.)
The Mystics play in one of the smaller arenas in the league, and even if they maintain their standard attendance levels moving forward, it could take some time to fill Capital One Arena to capacity.
That’s no fault of the Mystics, who are doing their part to support the growth of the WNBA. But I imagine forthcoming photos of empty seats during home games and how they will imply that “no one watches women’s sports” — when that’s not the case — and it infuriates me.
Maybe Leonis is betting on that growth. Perhaps he’s got a vision that I do not understand. But, right now, this feels awfully disheartening to those in the Mystics organization, and I can’t shake that feeling.
