For pro sports in Washington, D.C., welcome to the dark ages.
Before the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018, almost all 2010s Washington, D.C. sports fans had heard rumors of a “D.C. sports curse” that supposedly hounded the city’s sports franchises.
It seems like a long time ago, the nation’s capital was truly spoiled.
Let’s reflect on those supposedly “cursed” 2010s seasons. One of the best hockey players of all time, Alex Ovechkin, was a star player for the Capitals. In 2015–16 and 2016–17, “Ovi” and his outstanding supporting group led the team to the NHL’s best regular-season record. For nearly ten years, the Capitals were a title contender before making a breakthrough in 2018.
In the meantime, the Nationals, led by three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper, won three division titles in four years between 2014 and 2017. In 2017, the Wizards, behind an All-Star backcourt of Bradley Beal and John Wall, were one win away from making it to the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA.
Even the city’s beleaguered NFL team was treated to a memorable 2012 rookie campaign starring quarterback Robert Griffin III, and an incredible 2015 playoff run captained by Kirk Cousins. With Cousins at quarterback, the team went 24-23-1 over the three years from 2015 to 2017, which is the most competitive record for Washington football over a prolonged period of time in recent memory.
The Commanders (4-10) are in disarray under the new ownership and will likely undergo a makeover in the front office and possibly a rebuild on the field during the offseason.
The Wizards, who are 4-21 going into their game against Sacramento on Monday night, are starting the first phase of what will probably be a protracted rebuilding process.
The Nationals, who went 71-91 in 2023 and finished last in the NL East, are going through a transitional phase of their own. Ovechkin and the rest of the old guard are nearing the end of their careers, but the Capitals (15-9-4) are still in the running for a postseason spot.
The absence of young, gifted players who could take the place of the big names from the previous ten years as D.C. sports icons is even more disheartening for fans of the capital. There
Who among the four main professional teams has the makings of a superstar? Wizards’ Bilal Coulibaly? The Capitals’ Connor McMichael? Sam Howell, the quarterback for the Commanders, seemed to be headed in that direction earlier in the season, but it’s unclear what lies ahead for him now. Outfielder Dylan Crews was selected by the Nationals second overall in the MLB Draft in July, but it might take him years to make his major league debut.
To put it another way, professional sports are having a difficult time in Washington. Call it a period of transition before the next generation emerges, but it’s difficult for D.C. supporters to feel a strong sense of devotion to their teams when that generation doesn’t even seem to be around yet.
After D.C. was “cursed,” Washington professional sports fans embraced their teams. They knew they had four chances a year to, at most, be a title favorite and, at worst, be in the playoff picture. At the time, there was a lazy, media-driven myth claiming that D.C. sports couldn’t have any good things, but in reality, they had too many.
D.C. sports are truly in their dark ages right now. Positively, though, that indicates there’s nowhere to
