WASHINGTON — With the Capitals coming off a Stanley Cup title, ending D.C.鈥檚 championship drought, Monumental Sports CEO Ted Leonsis stopped by the 91欧美激情 studios Thursday morning to discuss a wide array of issues. He reflected fondly back to last summer鈥檚 title run and potential White House visit, laid out his expectations for the Wizards this season, and detailed his vision for legalized sports betting in the District.
Leonsis brought his championship ring, as well as a piece of a meteorite carved into the shape of the Stanley Cup, which was a gift from a fan.
Though the Caps are winless in their last seven games, they are still in a strong position to make the playoff and try to defend their Stanley Cup title.
鈥淲inning the Stanley Cup was one of the things to do on my list to bring the community together, and now we have to go and do it again,鈥� Leonsis told 91欧美激情.
Leonsis also said that the White House has been in communication with the team about a potential visit to celebrate the title, but that nothing has been confirmed yet.
鈥淭his will be a team decision — I鈥檝e said that from Day 1,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think we鈥檒l have an answer to that soon.鈥�
Wizards, Mystics
The Wizards haven鈥檛 been nearly as successful of late. After a first-round playoff exit last year, they sit at 22-29 following Wednesday night鈥檚 win, 2.5 games behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Leonsis said a fan recently asked him if the team would start rebuilding right away and mail in the rest of the season.
鈥淚 was asked point blank, 鈥楢re you going to tank?鈥欌�� he recalled. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 an offensive question. You can鈥檛 go to your organization, to your players, to your coach and say, 鈥楲et鈥檚 plan to lose.鈥欌��
Star point guard John Wall is out for the season after undergoing heel surgery. But Leonsis remains optimistic about the team鈥檚 chances at a postseason run this year.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 fall back to 鈥榳oe is me,鈥� you have to go to the players, the coach, the staff, and say, 鈥楧o we have enough to make the playoffs?鈥� And to a person, I was told, 鈥榊es we do.鈥欌��
Despite an injury-plagued season that has seen the team underperform so far, Leonsis indicated that he had very specific goals for the Wizards this year, and that there could be repercussions if they aren鈥檛 met.
鈥淢y expectations are that we are going to make the playoffs and improve on last year,鈥� he said, though he did not expand upon what any further improvement would entail.
When asked if he was happy with general manager Ernie Grunfeld鈥檚 performance, Leonsis indicated that depended on this year鈥檚 results.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy if we meet our goals. If we don鈥檛 meet our goals, we have to sit down and take stock on what do we have to improve during the offseason.鈥�
That contingency extended to head coach Scott Brooks as well.
鈥淚n pro sports, every job is at risk every year. You really do use an offseason to take stock of what you do. But you do that by talking to the players, by talking to the agents, by talking to people within the organization, people at the league office. It鈥檚 not something that you make light of,鈥� said Leonsis.
Leonsis also ruled out dealing any of the team’s highly-paid stars before this year’s NBA Trade Deadline, specifically calling out John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter by name.
鈥淲e’re not trading any of those players,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Capital City Go-Go are in the midst of their inaugural season at the new Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southeast D.C., which is also the home to the Washington Mystics and serves at the Wizards practice court.
鈥淚t is a world class building in a neighborhood in Anacostia that we think will be welcoming and very, very supportive,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 believe we鈥檙e the first team to have an optimized arena for the WNBA, and I think that the women are very, very excited about playing in their own place, where they are the primary tenant.”
Sports betting, Arena Football League
Leonsis has also been one of the biggest proponents of legalized sports betting in America, which is being discussed among legislatures around the region. While he said he doesn鈥檛 gamble himself, he cited studies that 10 times as much money will be bet illegally ($60-$80 billion) this year than legally.
鈥淚f we can move that revenue stream out of the shadows and into the light, it can be regulated, it can be monitored, it can be taxed, and it will become a very, very big business,鈥� he said.
Leonsis also tried to divorce the concept of sports betting from other casino gambling.
鈥淚t won鈥檛 have the connotation of, oh, it鈥檚 gambling. Gambling is a game of chance. You鈥檙e rolling the dice. You鈥檙e buying a lottery ticket. That is a game of chance. Wall Street, when you鈥檙e buying a stock, you can do a lot of research and study, and I think that鈥檚 what it will look like in pro sports,鈥� he said.
Leonsis envisions sport betting not simply thriving online, but existing in brick and mortar locations right at the arena, and that legal sports betting will be online for the NBA and NHL playoffs this year.
鈥淚 think you鈥檒l see at our arena, but soon all arenas, that a partner company — an MGM, a DraftKings, a Caesar鈥檚, a William Hill, the big, big players will create and open a sportsbook within your building,鈥� he said.
Leonsis also said the Arena Football League, in which he already owns two teams and a stake in the league, would serve as a testing ground.
鈥淲e want to use the Arena Football League for kind of the test bed for everything that you can do with interactive wagering, and what鈥檚 called prop betting, and real-time update betting within the venue,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to be seen as the innovators.鈥�
