Washington D.C. Sports Power Rankings

Washington D.C. Sports Power Rankings
By Jon McCullough 

As a Chicago sports fan, I hate to admit it, but DC is a really, really good sports town. Although their success doesn’t seem to translate to the postseason, there is something here for anyone who loves to watch sports. After spending the semester here and going to my fair share of games I decided there was no better way to write a second blog post than writing about sports. So in true ESPN/BleacherReport/Buzzfeed fashion, here is a power ranking of the “Big Four” DC sports teams.

Criteria (1 = lowest, 5 = highest)

History

Recent Success

Star Power

Venue

1.    Washington Nationals (Overall Score: 15.5)

History

Washington has a tricky history with baseball. The current Nationals franchise is the fourth major league baseball franchise to be located in DC. Originally based in Montreal as the Expos, this iteration moved to DC before the 2005 season and has been here ever since. Previous franchises, named the Washington Senators, ended up moving to Texas and Minnesota and changing their names. The history of baseball in Washington is deep, with the original Washington Senators playing back in 1891. That being said, there are gaps in a baseball team being here, and that affects the history of a franchise

Score: 3

Recent Success

This category is very hard to score, as it will be for most of these teams, due to the dreaded “DC sports curse”. A quick summary of the curse is that while DC teams tend to find success during the regular season, they consistently struggle to do anything of note in the postseason. The Nats are a prime example of this, winning division titles in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017, but never making it out of the first round of the playoffs and losing in heartbreaking fashion. As a huge fan of a particular baseball team on the north side of Chicago, I am not one to take curses lightly, and know that while regular season success is important success is really dictated by how you perform in the postseason.

Score: 3

Star Power

There is no lack of star power for the Nats, as you can see talent across the lineup. First and foremost, you have one of the best players in baseball today in Bryce Harper. A former first overall draft pick, rookie of the year, five-time all star, NL home run leader, and NL MVP, Harper has the talent and charisma that teams look for in players to build franchises around. Also only 25, he will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Going to the bullpen, you have a two-headed monster at the top of the rotation in Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. Scherzer is a five-time all star, a 3-time Cy Young winner for best pitcher (including winning the past two years), has pitched two no-hitters, and tied a MLB record of 20 strikeouts in a game. Strasburg is also a first overall draft pick, a three-time all star, and the NL strikeout leader in 2014. While these accolades do not match up to his counterpart, Strasburg is always in the conversation of being one of the best pitchers in the league. Outside of these three players, the Nats have other great players such as Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman, and Anthony Rendon.

Score: 5

Venue

One of the things that can really add to a sports franchise and separate it from the pack is the venue games take place at. Venues are important for a variety of reasons such as the fan experience and comfort for the players. You want fans excited coming to watch games, your team to enjoy coming to work and using the facilities, and the opposing team to dread having to play there. This fall I had the chance to attend a Nats game for a regular season game as a fan of baseball, and to attend a playoff game as a Cubs fan. Nationals Park is a beautiful ballpark, and while it doesn’t have the history as other ballparks it makes up for it in look, location, and hospitality. In addition, it can get VERY loud in there for the opposing team during playoff games. Overall, I think Nationals Park stands out as one of the better ballparks in Major League Baseball and it will not burn a hole in your wallet to go there for a game.

Score: 4.5

2.    Washington Wizards (Overall Score: 14)

 History

Originally located in Chicago and then Baltimore, the Wizards did not move to the DC area until 1973 and at that time were dubbed the Washington Bullets. Unlike the Capitals’ early struggles upon coming to the area, the Bullets continued their success at previous stops. The Bullets made the NBA finals four times during the 1970s, winning the NBA title in 1978. The Washington Bullets officially changed their name to the Wizards in 1997, due to violent overtones the Bullets name had. The Wizards have had many high-profile players in their franchise history, but none was bigger than Michael Jordan, who came out of retirement in 2001 to play for the team.

Score: 3.5

Recent Success:

The Washington Wizards have entered an era of being a constant playoff contender, winning their division this past year and making the playoffs three of the past four seasons. However like the Capitals, the Wizards have struggled to make it past the second round of the playoffs. In fact, the team has not reached a conference finals since winning the title in 1978.

Score: 3

Star Power

The Wizards feature of the best backcourts in the NBA with the tandem of John Wall and Bradly Beal. A number one overall draft pick and four-time all star, John Wall’s ball handling skills are among the elite and also has incredible speed and athleticism. Beal provides the Wizards with another big scoring threat, while also being a great three-point shooter.

Score: 4

Venue

Like previously mentioned, the Wizards also play at Capital One Arena. Unlike Hockey, the venue is actually one of the larger arenas for basketball. Although I cannot attest to the noise level or fan attendance, I can say that Capital One Arena definitely provides a positive experience to any event there.

Score: 3.5

3.    Washington Capitals (Overall Score: 13.0)

History

The Capitols are still a relatively new franchise, being founded in 1974 as part of an NHL expansion. The first couple seasons were incredibly rough, with wins coming few and far between. Like most teams, the Caps have gone through several stints of rebuilding and relative success, however the team has yet to win a single Stanley Cup.

Score: 2

Recent Success

Like previously mentioned, the Washington Capitals are among the DC sports teams plagued by regular season success followed by postseason woes. The Caps have won their division seven times in the past 10 years, including this past season. In addition, they have also won the President’s Trophy, given to the team with the best regular season record, the past two seasons. In the last 10 seasons, the Caps have made the playoffs nine times but have not made it past the second round of the playoffs. While slightly better than the National’s playoff history, it does not take away from the fact that this is a franchise and fanbase desperate for playoff success.

Score: 3.5

Star Power

Like the Nationals star power, the Capitals have arguably the best player in the NHL in Alex Ovechkin. “Ovie,” as fans call him, is an eight-time all star, winner of the Calder trophy (Rookie of the Year), winner of the Hart Trophy (MVP) three times, and led the league in goals scored six times. One player does not make a team, and the Caps also bring players like Nicklas Backstrom and US Olympic hero TJ Oshie to the table while having a lockdown goalie in Brandon Holtby, who won the Vezina trophy for best goalie in the league during the 2015-2016 season.

Score: 4.5

Venue

Capital One Arena, formally known as the Verizon Center, is the home of the NHL’s Capitals, NBA’s Wizards, WNBA’s Mystics, NCAA’s Georgetown basketball, and the AFL’s Valor. Located in the heart of DC at the Gallery Place-Chinatown metro stop, this arena brings a great atmosphere to the area. Like previously mentioned, an arena can add to the experience of sporting events and add a special x-factor to a franchise. Capitol One Arena is no different to this rule, and while my experience attending a game was good, the arena is neither one of the largest or loudest.

Score: 3

4.    Washington Redskins (Overall Score: 12.5)

History

The Redskins are one of the oldest remaining franchise in the NFL, originally created in 1932 and moving from Boston to DC in 1937. Overall, the franchise has made the playoffs 24 times and won three Super Bowls, albeit these titles came in a 10-year span from 1982 to 1992. Regardless, this franchise has a long and storied history in the Washington metropolitan area.

Score: 5

Recent Success

Despite the history, this franchise has not experienced much success in recent years. In the past 10 seasons, the team has only won their division and made the playoffs twice, losing in the wild card round both times. Outside of these two seasons the team has been mediocre at best, posting a losing record five times.

Score: 2

Star Power

Star power can be hard to analyze in football, as most “superstars” in football are found at the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver position. The Redskins have talented players on both sides of the ball, but no player is more important to the franchise than quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins threw for over 4,000 yards the past two seasons and made the pro bowl in 2016. On defense, the Redskins have one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL in Josh Norman. Norman made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team in 2015, and is constantly tasked with covering the opposing team’s best receiver.

Score: 3

Venue

Located in Landover, Maryland, FedEx Field is one of the largest NFL stadiums and holds 82,000 fans. However, there has been complaints from fans about game experience. In 2007, Sports Illustrated ranked FedEx Field fan experience 28 out of 31 NFL franchises. In addition, the stadium is viewed as not very accessible, as it is a mile away from the nearest metro stop.

Score: 2.5