According to a report by Sportico, Dan Snyder has reached an agreement in principle to sell the Washington Commanders (formerly Redskins) NFL football franchise to a group that includes NBA legend Magic Johnson, Philadelphia 76ers co-owner and Chevy Chase native Josh Harris, and Potomac billionaire Mitchell Rales for $6 billion. Synder purchased the Washington Redskins for $800 million in 1999 after the death of previous owner Jack Kent Cooke. NFL insider Ian Rapoport tweeted “Josh Harris’ group is, in fact, nearing a deal to buy the #Commanders for just under $6B, sources say. Nothing is final or has been sent to the league. The bid still must be submitted and approved. But it is getting closer.”
In February we let you know that Dan Snyder was putting his Montgomery County home up for sale, for what would be a DMV record breaking $49 million if it sold for the asking price (view home here). It is being listed by listed by Heather Corey and Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty. The home, located at 11900 River Rd., has five bedrooms and eight bathrooms spread across 30,000 SF. The French-style single family home sits on a lot size of just over 9.6 acres and is located in Potomac. It comes at a price of $1,633 per square foot, with an annual tax $192,631 (over $75k more than the $117,345 median household income in Montgomery County).
EXCLUSIVE: Dan Snyder has reached an agreement in principle to sell the @Commanders for $6 billion to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris
Harris’ group, includes billionaire Mitchell Rales and former NBA star @MagicJohnson pic.twitter.com/ZIWKqeqtmN
— Sportico (@Sportico) April 13, 2023
Greivis Vasquez, who attended Montrose Christian in z Rockville, was inducted into the University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame this past weekend, joining seven other former UMD student-athletes in the ceremony.
The 2010 ACC player of the year was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to the United States to attend high school and play basketball at Montrose Christian School in Rockville in 2004. During his senior year at Montrose he committed to the University of Maryland to play under head coach Gary Williams. Below you’ll see some of his accomplishments at the University of Maryland and in the NBA after that:
- Winner of the 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented to the nation’s top point guard (the first player in Maryland history to win a national position player of the year award)
- 2010 All-American (First Team by Wooden Award, Fox Sports, The Sporting News; Second-Team by AP, Yahoo Sports)
- 2010 ACC Player of the Year
- Led Maryland to the 2010 ACC regular season championship
- Three-time All-ACC (First Team in 2009 and 2010; Second-Team in 2008), making him one of just 15 players in Maryland men’s basketball history to earn three all-conference selections
- Named to the 2009 ACC All-Tournament team
- Second on the all-time points list at Maryland (2,171) and is just the third player in school history to surpass 2,100 points, along with Juan Dixon and Len Bias
- Hold school record for double-figure scoring games (117); second on the all-time assists list (772) and is one of only two players – along with Steve Blake – to surpass 700 assists in their careers
- One of just two players in school history to record a triple-double (35 pts., 11 reb., 10 ast. vs. North Carolina on Feb. 21, 2009)
- Selected with the 28th pick of the first round of the 2010 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies; played seven seasons in the NBA for Memphis, New Orleans, Toronto, Sacramento, Milwaukee, and Brooklyn
MoCo native Katie Ledecky won ESPN ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards) for “Best Athlete-Women’s Sports” and the “Best Olympian-Women’s Sports” at last night’s annual award show. Ledecky has won 7 Olympic gold medals and 22 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. She is also the world record holder in the women’s 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle (long course), and holds the fastest-ever times in the women’s 500-, 1000-, 1500-, and 1650-yard freestyle events.
Ledecky attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015. Ledecky’s current home base is in in Gainesville, Florida. You can view a Ledecky’s acceptance speech below:
“To all of the young athletes out there, … find something that you really love, that you’re good at, that can be a positive force in our world.”
—Katie Ledecky with a message after winning the ESPY for Best Athlete, Women's Sports 💪 pic.twitter.com/t1mZLyVlxJ
— ESPN (@espn) July 21, 2022
Todd Boehly, a 46-year-old businessman from Bethesda, is leading the group who had come to a deal to become the new owners of the Premier League’s Chelsea Football Club, the team confirmed in a statement yesterday. He is also part-owner of Major League Baseball team Los Angeles Dodgers and minority owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
While there are conflicting reports as to whether he was born in Connecticut or Maryland, Boehly spent his formative years in Bethesda, where he attended the Landon School and graduated in 1991. According to the Sporting News, he’s “from Bethesda, Maryland, the grandson of German immigrants made his money in investments and was the president of Chicago financial services firm Guggenheim Partners. Today he is the co-founder, CEO and chairman of Eldridge Industries, a private investment firm which makes investments across many different sectors. He has connections to the U.K., having attended the London School of Economics in the mid-90’s and worked for Citibank in the English capital.”
Boehly himself is worth around $4.5 billion, according to Forbes. Yesterday’s statement from Chelsea F.C. states that “the club can confirm that terms have been agreed for a new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjoerg Wyss, to acquire the Club. Boehly’s group is purchasing the club in a deal worth $5.25 billion (£4.25 million), making it the most expensive team transaction in sports.”
The Washington Commanders announced today that Katie Feeney will be the team’s first-ever social media correspondent. Feeney graduated from Sherwood High School in 2021 and is a well-known social media personality. She currently has over 6.8 million followers on her TikTok.
Per the Washington Commanders:
LANDOVER, Md., April 13, 2022 – Today the Washington Commanders announced social media influencer and content creator Katie Feeney will be the team’s first-ever “Commanders Social Media Correspondent.” As part of this partnership, Feeney will serve as an extension of the Commanders’ social media presence, providing team coverage and content to her 10+ million total social media followers. With the ever-growing importance of brand authenticity on social media, the team is expanding its social media reach through influencers and content creators to help amplify fan engagement with the organization. This season-long partnership between an NFL team and a social media content creator is believed to be the first of its kind in the NFL.
“We are excited to welcome Katie Feeney into our Burgundy & Gold family, as our first ever Commanders Social Media Correspondent,” said Chief Creative & Digital Officer Will Misselbrook. “We are lucky to be joining forces as she becomes an extension of the Commanders social media team. Katie provides a youthful perspective that will reach new eyes and ears and help cultivate the next generation of fans as we enter the inaugural season of the Washington Commanders.”
A Maryland native, long-time Washington fan and freshman at Penn State University, Feeney has seen explosive growth on her social media channels, including becoming a top YouTube Shorts creator, amassing 2.5 billion views worldwide. Her social footprint includes 2.2 million subscribers on YouTube plus 6.8 million followers on TikTok, 870,000 on Instagram and 825,000 on Snapchat. During her first year on campus, Feeney has provided gameday coverage at home football games and for a variety of women’s sports teams including basketball, hockey, gymnastics, track & field and more.
“Growing up in Maryland, my family and I have always been massive Washington football fans. I am so excited to become part of the Commanders family. This opportunity allows me to create content which combines my passion for storytelling and broadcast sports journalism. I can’t wait to get started,” said Feeney.
Feeney will receive an all-access pass to cover the Commanders on and off the field, including the Commanders Draft Party, rookie minicamp, team minicamp, media day, training camp and select home games throughout the 2022 season. Fans will have access to behind-the-scenes content from Feeney across her social media channels, as well as all Commanders social media accounts.
Excited to welcome Katie to the team as our first-ever Commanders Correspondent!
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 13, 2022
ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, a MoCo native who graduated from Sherwood High School, announced Monday that he’d miss the evening’s edition of SportsCenter after dealing with a “bit of a medical scare.”
Van Pelt said he suffered a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), a rapid heartbeat that develops when the normal electrical impulses of the heart are disrupted.
Van Pelt was taken to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD, and is now home resting.
Van Pelt was listed as the most famous person to graduate from Sherwood High School in a 2017 MoCoShow article.
Bummed to miss one of my favorite shows of the year, but happy to be ok and home after a bit of a medical scare this afternoon. Thanks to @SuburbanHosp @CJPVFD for looking after me.
Heart got a little out of whack, (SVT) which was pretty spooky, but fine now.
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) January 11, 2022
The Washington Football Team has released third year wide receiver Steven Sims, as reported by JP Finlay of NBC Sports.
Sims started four games over the last two seasons, serving primarily as the team’s slot receiver. Sims has caught 61 balls for 575 yards and five touchdowns in his two year career here in Washington.
He recorded the only receiving touchdown for Washington in the wild card playoff game against the Buccaneers this past season.
He came in as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of the University of Kansas.
Sculpture in Honor of Dominique Dawes Being Commissioned
Montgomery County Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz will hold a virtual press conference this morning to announce a sculpture being commissioned in honor of three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes. Dawes is from Silver Spring and won gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
According to a press release, the sculpture will be located at the future Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center, which will also be home to the new Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame. It is currently under construction and expected to open in 2023. Artist Brian Hanlon will be creating the bronze sculpture.
“I’m thrilled beyond words to have this statue in my honor, placed in downtown Silver Spring. I was raised in Montgomery County, spent the majority of my life here, began my gymnastics and ninja academy here and now I am raising my own children here,” said Dominique Dawes.
“I hope this statue will serve as a hopeful reminder that we can achieve great successes in life, by working hard and believing in your dreams.”
Bethesda Big Train to Host Team Israel on Sunday, 7/18/21
Per Montgomery Parks:
Montgomery Parks and Bethesda Big Train Collegiate Baseball are gearing up for a milestone game on Sunday, July 18, 2021, with Israel’s national baseball team (Team Israel).
The friendship game is part of Team Israel’s exhibition tour in preparation for the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The game takes place at 9 p.m. at Shirley Povich Field, located in Cabin John Regional Park in Bethesda. (The late start time is scheduled in recognition of the Jewish day of mourning, Tisha B’Av, which ends at sundown.)
Team Israel is made up of Israeli natives as well as American-born Jews who have gained Israeli citizenship. Bethesda Big Train is made up of college players from across the United States who play in Bethesda during the summer.
WHO / WHAT: Team Israel and Bethesda Big Train Collegiate Baseball teams will play a friendship game in advance of Team Israel heading to Tokyo for the team’s Olympic debut.
WHEN: Sunday, July 18, 2021, 9:13 p.m. (tickets are sold out for this game)
WHERE: Shirley Povich Field, Cabin John Regional Park, 10600 Westlake Dr., Bethesda, MD, 20852
WHY: This game marks Team Israel’s final stop in the U.S. prior to its Olympic debut in Tokyo. Team Israel is the first team to represent Israel in the Olympics since its soccer team in 1976.
Wizards With Last Chance to Advance to the NBA Playoffs
The Wizards play the Indians Pacers tonight for their last opportunity to advance to the NBA Playoffs.
While the Wizards were hoping to make it into the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday by beating the Boston Celtics, many were hoping for a loss so that they could be in the position they find themselves now– an opportunity to make it in as the 8th seed to go up against the #1 seed Philadelphia 76ers rather than the #2 seed Brooklyn Nets.
The Pacers dominated their play-in game against the Charlotte Hornets on their way to this elimination game, while the Wizards lost a close one to the Boston Celtics.
The winner of this game will advance to the NBA Playoffs as the 8 seed to play the Philadelphia 76ers– the highest seeded team in the eastern conference.
The game will be played at Capital One Arena in DC at 8pm and can be watched live on TNT.
Governor Hogan Signs Legislation to Legalize Sports Betting in Maryland
Governor Hogan signed 226 bills into law today, including legislation to legalize sports betting in the State of Maryland.
According to the Washington Post, “Under the sports betting bill, a commission will be created to review applications for licenses to sports wagering facilities and mobile sports wagering. Maryland is the last jurisdiction in the Washington region to legalize sports betting.”
It is estimated that sports betting will generate close to $20 million annually, the majority of which would go towards education.
You can view the bill signing ceremony below:
