Donovan McNabb has arrived, Stephen Strasburg is on the way and John Wall could follow. Welcome to Washington, suddenly the most hyped sports town in America
The cause for celebration in Washington barely merited a yawn on the national stage. This was nearly two years ago. This was before Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb. This was before Stephen Strasburg. This was before John Wall.
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And this is what it was like: The Redskins were 6-2, riding high with a quirky new coach. In Washington? Big news. Elsewhere? Pass the No Doze. So says former local sports radio personality Bram Weinstein, then in his first year as an anchor for ESPN.
“I found out how little cache the local teams had very quickly when I got up there, and I wasn’t used to that,” Weinstein said. “They were 6-2, and they couldn’t get a sniff of attention from ESPN. It’s almost like it wasn’t happening.”
The other teams? Not much more, save for a locker room gun incident or an Alex Ovechkin showdown vs. Sidney Crosby.
And now?
Here come Shanahan and McNabb. Then Strasburg. Then the likely drafting of Kentucky point guard Wall. And the continued domination of Ovechkin. Look around and every team in the four major sports boasts not just hope but sizzle and Q ratings.
“The city has become relevant,” Weinstein said. “The other night we did a longer highlight package of Strasburg in a Triple-A game than we did of most major league games that day. Strasburg will have major legs, and McNabb and Shanahan should have legs.”
Changes in the front office, coaching staff and at quarterback have resulted in a different sort of optimism surrounding the Redskins. Ratings for “Redskins Nation,” the team-produced TV show, have increased 50 percent over last year. McNabb’s jersey was the NFL’s No. 2 seller in April.
There are subtle signs, too. At a recent luncheon for business folks in Loudoun County, headlined by Shanahan, attendance was nearly doubled from 2009 when Jason Campbell spoke.
And for the first time in a long, long time, the Redskins might have the best coach-quarterback combination in the NFC East; Shanahan/McNabb carries more weight than Jim Zorn/Campbell.
“It’s a different feeling around here,” Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said.
Inside the District, the early playoff exit hasn’t killed the buzz surrounding the Capitals, the lone serious title contender in Washington.
Just look at the numbers: The Caps, with a core of young talent, set a franchise record with a 98 percent season-ticket renewal rate. For the first time in club history, they’ll have a season-ticket waiting list — they’ve sold out 60 straight games (including playoffs). And for the third straight year the Caps have had triple-digit ratings increases.
Meanwhile, the Wizards, coming off a disastrous season better known for Gilbert Arenas’ guns and not his gunning, won the draft lottery. Since then, the team has sold 500 season tickets.
“Just the excitement there is everywhere,” Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. “Walking around town, people coming up and talking, in the building, our staff itself, the players, there’s just a renewed interest right now.”
The Nats’ buzz comes not just from Strasburg. Washington is fielding a competitive team for the first time since its first season here in 2005 — and that follows two straight 100-loss seasons. The Nats also are likely to draft another phenom next month in 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper. Their TV ratings have increased 43 percent over this time last season.
Soon Strasburg will arrive; then the Wizards will pick No. 1; then the Redskins will open camp. All three events will be national headlines.
“It’s cool,” Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “It’s a great time to be in the city. Hopefully now we’ll just have the results go with it.”
Or, as Weinstein said, “It makes it sound like ‘The Place’ to be in sports. And that’s never been the case. Never.”
Washington Examiner staff writer Brian McNally contributed to this report.
