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Hello, Defund the Police: Goodbye, Pro Sports Franchise Revenues
Washington, D.C. is facing some hard truths about crime.
“Soaring Crime Pushes Wizards, Capitals Out of D.C.; Potential Revenue Loss $25M,” crowed Wendell Husebo for Breitbart on December 16, 2023.
“Washington, DC’s, soaring crime rate pushed the Wizards and Capitals to relocate the professional basketball and hockey teams out of the nation’s capital, surrounding District residents say, potentially costing the District $25 million in yearly tax revenue,” began Husebo for the popular conservative media outlet.
“Sports: the latest victim of DC’s crimewave,” raged conservative media analyst Ben Domenech for the Spectator. “The departure of the city’s pro basketball and hockey teams to Alexandria was so avoidable.”
Unfortunately for D.C. city leadership, conservative media outlets weren’t the only newspapers to take notice.
“D.C. will lose more than the Capitals and Wizards if it doesn’t act fast,” begged the Washington Post editorial board on December 14, 2023.
“Could D.C. lose two of its sports teams?” wondered the All Things Considered crew for NPR last week.
Though D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been trying — and, thus far, failing — to stop the deal, it is probably, as even the WP…