An Open Letter to Ted Leonsis

Dear Ted,

I think I speak for many Caps' fans (along with myriad others around the NHL and sports world) when I say that you've done an absolutely amazing job in your first 10 years as Caps' owner. Not only has the team achieved unprecedented success on and off the ice but you've opened the press box to bloggers and gotten as close as anybody to making Washington a true hockey town.

But all is not right at Verizon Center. The building's other main professional tenant, the Wizards, are going through (in many ways) what the Caps experienced towards the beginning of your ownership tenure. They are a team in turmoil and a franchise that most definitely would answer a big "no" to one of your most famous questions: "Can this team -- as constructed -- ever win a championship?" This is certainly not what Abe Pollin ever imagined would happen to his beloved Bullets/Wizards.

Furthermore, the Caps are essentially renting the building from Washington Sports and Entertainment instead of earning the proper profits from a building that they very much own in every other sense of the word. This does not seem right. The Caps are the more successful franchise, one that now produces consistent sellouts and has a waiting list -- something, to my knowledge, the Wizards have never boasted.

As you make preparations to finalize the Lincoln Holdings purchase from Mr. Pollin's estate, we, the Caps' community, have the utmost confidence that you will bring respectability back to Washington's professional basketball franchise and do your part to ensure that the hockey franchise is better represented in the building (scheduling, ice maintenance, expanded ticket availability, food selection, etc.).

Thank you for your time and best wishes in your new role.

Sincerely,

Rob Yunich
Founder, Storming the Crease, and 20-plus-year Caps fan