The Washington Mystics today won the 21st annual WNBA Draft Lottery and earned the top pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm to be held in April 2022.
The Lottery results were broadcast during a 30-minute WNBA Draft Lottery special on ESPN between games of its women’s college basketball doubleheader featuring Baylor vs. Michigan and Louisville vs. Connecticut.
Washington, which won the WNBA Draft Lottery for the first time in franchise history, entered the Lottery with the third-most chances to land the top pick (178 out of 1,000).
The Indiana Fever, which had the most chances to win the top pick (442 out of 1,000), will have the second selection. The Atlanta Dream will select third after having the second-most chances to land the top pick (276). The Dallas Wings, which had 104 chances to receive the first pick, will choose fourth.
By missing the 2021 WNBA Playoffs, Indiana, Atlanta, Washington, and the Los Angeles Sparks qualified for the Lottery drawing. Dallas, however, had previously acquired Los Angeles’ own 2022 first round pick in a trade on April 14, 2021. Lottery odds were based on the cumulative records of the Fever, Dream, Mystics and Sparks over the two most recent regular seasons (2020 and 2021).
Most recently, the New York Liberty won the Lottery for both the 2020 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm and the 2021 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm. New York used the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 to select Sabrina Ionescu. In February 2021, the Liberty traded the top overall pick ahead of the draft in a move that brought three-time WNBA champion Natasha Howard to New York from the Seattle Storm. Seattle then dealt the No. 1 selection to Dallas in exchange for Katie Lou Samuelson and the Wings’ second round pick in 2022. Dallas used the 2021 top pick to select Charli Collier.
A representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young was in attendance to oversee the Lottery process.
The following are results of the 2022 WNBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm.
* Dallas acquired Los Angeles’ own 2022 first round pick in exchange for Dallas’ 2021 first round pick and 2022 second round pick in a trade on Apr. 14, 2021
**Pick exchanged as part of three consecutive trades on Feb. 10, 2021 that included Kia Nurse and Megan Walker moving from New York to Phoenix, Natasha Howard from Seattle to New York, and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan from Minnesota to Seattle
*** Indiana acquired Minnesota’s own 2022 first round pick and Minnesota’s own 2022 third round pick plus the player contract of Odyssey Sims and exclusive negotiating rights to Temi Fagbenle from Minnesota on Feb. 15, 2021 in exchange for Indiana’s own 2022 second round pick
The NFL decided to move the Washington Football Team/Philadelphia Eagles game from today to Tuesday Night after the WFT’s Covid-19 List grew to over 20 players on Friday.
A new agreement will require Covid tests for unvaccinated players only unless a vaccinated player is experiencing symptoms, which should keep further postponements or cancellations from occurring.
The Football Team is still without its top 2 quarterbacks, Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen, as they prepare for Tuesday’s game. Two negative back to back tests (with 24 hours in between tests) are required for a player to be removed from the Covid-19 list if they are vaccinated. A mandatory 10 days must be used for players who are not.
Starting defensive backs Kam Curl and Kendall Fuller remain on the Covid-19 list, as well as rotational defensive tackles Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle. Swing tackle Cornelius Lucas is also on the list, along with several other reserves.
The players will have an additional two days to test out of the Covid-19 list and be eligible to play on Tuesday night at 7pm against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Metrorail Service & Derailment Investigation Update
Advisory Effective: 10/18/21 – 11/30/21
Per WMATA:
As of Wednesday, November 17, 2021 Metrorail service will operate as follows:
- Red Line trains run every 12 minutes
- Green Line and Yellow Line trains run every 20 minutes
- Blue Line, Orange Line, and Silver Line trains run every 24 minutes
- Silver Line service has resumed between Wiehle-Reston East and Largo Town Center
Metro will continue to operate at reduced service levels through at least November 30 and will advise the public of any additional service improvements should more trains become available.
Metro’s trip planner has been updated to reflect the latest service schedule. Customers are also encouraged to use the live train map to see the locations of trains on each line. In-station next train signs (Passenger Information Displays) are providing accurate train arrival estimates.
As Metro continues to work closely with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission and NTSB and more information develops, we will update the public about service.
Need additional information? Message Customer Care, Monday through Friday, 7am-7pm, through Twitter @Metrorailinfo or Live Chat
Watch a collection of recorded media briefings on our YouTube page.
Actions Taken
WMATA started working with NTSB and the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission last week to determine the cause of the Blue Line derailment at Arlington Cemetery; that investigation is still ongoing.
Because safety remains our number one priority, we have removed all 7000-series railcars from service to properly inspect the fleet.
These actions are being taken out of an abundance of caution.
- We understand the impact this decision has on transportation for the DMV area (National Capital Region). We apologize for this reduction in service and the inconvenience this is causing our customers.
- As customers experience delays and full rail cars during their commute, please know we have made a concerted effort to improve airflow. Face masks continue to be required throughout the system, and Metrorail cars recycle the air approximately every three minutes
- We want the public to know we are committed to their safety and will continue to release updates as we receive them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Background: On Wednesday, October 13, Metro, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) launched an investigation into the Blue Line derailment that occurred on Tuesday, October 12, between Rosslyn and Arlington Cemetery Stations.
The investigation is ongoing, and the following questions provide the most up-to-date information to ensure the public is informed.
The Washington Football Team out together the type of performance our area has been waiting, beating Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29-19.
In a rematch of last year’s playoffs, where the Football Team gave the Bucs their toughest game of the playoffs, Washington started off hot and never gave up the lead.
New kicker Joey Slye went 3/3 on field goals, including a 46 yard kick, and nailed both extra points.
Taylor Heinicke went 26 for 32 for 256 yards and a touchdown while Antonio Gibson ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
Playing without starting defensive end Montez Sweat, who is out for a few weeks with a broken jaw, the team was expected to relay heavily on second year player Chase Young. Young, who has been dealing with criticism about his play this season after a strong rookie year, suffered a no-contact knee injury in the first half. Unfortunately, the injury is feared to be a torn ACL which would end his season.
The Washington Football Team travels to Charlotte to take on head coach Ron Rivera’s former team, the Carolina Panthers at 1pm on Sunday.
None of the D.C. area’s top zip codes for homebuyers are in the District, according to a Zillow analysis highlighted in a report by Axios.
They’re all in suburbs and even exurbs of the city, including one in West Virginia. Three of the five can be found right here in MoCo.
Per Axios, “The online real estate marketplace tracked which ZIP codes had the highest number of average website views in the D.C. metro.”
The top 5, which were not presented in order include the following MoCo zip codes:
20854: This includes part of Potomac. The typical home value in this area is $1,073,039, according to Zillow, up 12.8% from last year.
20851: This covers part of Rockville and North Bethesda. The typical home value in this area is $468,035, a 9.9% increase over the last year.
20905: This area primarily consists of Cloverly. The typical home value in this area is $594,147, an 11.6% increase over the last year.
Dan Reed of Just Up The Pike referred to Cloverly as “Potomac-sized houses without Potomac prices.”
three MoCo zip codes are the most popular for DC area home finders on Zillow—20854 (Potomac), 20851 (Twinbrook), and 20905 (Cloverly, or as I call it, Potomac-sized houses without Potomac prices) https://t.co/4xvyqLWpAl
— dan reed 🦀🏳️🌈👋🏾 (@justupthepike) November 13, 2021
The MoCoShow’s real estate expert, Nurit Coombe of The Agency DC and Team Nurit, says “Montgomery County has always been attractive. People are moving out of DC for more space.”
”We have great schools, excellent services, new shopping centers and restaurants, and a lot has changed in the past few years.”
Metrorail Service & Derailment Investigation Update
Advisory Effective: 10/18/21 – 11/30/21
As of Monday, November 8, 2021 Metrorail service will operate as follows:
- Red Line trains run every 12 minutes
- Green Line and Yellow Line trains run every 20 minutes
- Blue Line, Orange Line, and Silver Line trains run every 30 minutes
- Silver Line service has resumed between Wiehle-Reston East and Largo Town Center
Metro will continue to operate at reduced service levels through at least November 30 and will advise the public of any additional service improvements should more trains become available.
Metro’s trip planner has been updated to reflect the latest service schedule. Customers are also encouraged to use the live train map to see the locations of trains on each line. In-station next train signs (Passenger Information Displays) are providing accurate train arrival estimates.
As Metro continues to work closely with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission and NTSB and more information develops, we will update the public about service.
As a D.C. suburb, Montgomery County plays a big role in helping make Washington D.C the 7th ranked “large sports city” in the country, according to a new report. While many have jumped ship on the Football Team, the Wizards fast start this season, and the recent success of the Capitals and Nationals has likely been helpful.
With NCAA athletes now able to make money from sponsorships using their name, likeness and image, potentially earning them thousands of dollars per year, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2021’s Best Sports Cities.
To determine the cities where the game is always on regardless of season, WalletHub compared 392 small to large cities across the five largest sports in the U.S.: football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer.
D.C. ranks 19th in terms of football and 24th when it comes to baseball, but is in the top ten for basketball (9th) and soccer (8th), while coming in 13th for hockey.
| Best Large Sports Cities |
| 1. Boston, MA |
| 2. Los Angeles, CA |
| 3. New York, NY |
| 4. Pittsburgh, PA |
| 5. Philadelphia, PA |
| 6. Denver, CO |
| 7. Washington, DC |
| 8. Dallas, TX |
| 9. Chicago, IL |
| 10. Miami, FL |
| Best Midsize Sports Cities |
| 1. Buffalo, NY |
| 2. Green Bay, WI |
| 3. Salt Lake City, UT |
| 4. Orlando, FL |
| 5. Glendale, AZ |
| 6. Durham, NC |
| 7. Ann Arbor, MI |
| 8. Baton Rouge, LA |
| 9. South Bend, IN |
| 10. Norman, OK |
| Best Small Sports Cities |
| 1. Clemson, SC |
| 2. West Point, NY |
| 3. Fayette, MS |
| 4. East Lansing, MI |
| 5. Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 6. Hanover, NH |
| 7. State College, PA |
| 8. Buies Creek, NC |
| 9. Stanford, CA |
| 10. Morgantown, WV |
Best vs. Worst
- Cookeville, Tennessee, has the lowest minimum season-ticket price for a college football (FBS and FCS) game, $36.00, which is 31.9 times lower than in South Bend, Indiana, the city with the highest at $1,150.00.
- Charlotte, North Carolina, has the lowest average ticket price for an NBA game, $32.05, which is 3.9 times lower than in San Francisco, the city with the highest at $125.43.
- NHL fans in Pittsburgh are 28.1 times friendlier and more engaged than their New York counterparts.
- Pittsburgh has the lowest average MLB ticket price, $20.75, which is 2.9 times lower than in Boston, the city with the highest at $60.09.
- Atlanta has the highest attendance rate for MLS games, 163.06 percent, which is 8.1 times higher than in Chicago, the city with the lowest at 20.04 percent.
To view the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-sports-cities/15179
The Washington Football Team released Chris Blewitt after three of his five field goal attempts were blocked in his two weeks as the team’s kicker.
Blewitt was signed after Washington released longtime kicker Dustin Hopkins after an inconsistent start to the year.
Joey Slye, possibly known for his physique as much as he is for his kicking, has been signed. Slye was initially signed by Ron Rivera in Carolina back in 2019. He was the Panthers’ kicker for two seasons, making 54 of 68 field goals in his time there.
This season, Slye has played for the Texans and the 49ers (three games per team). He made 11 of 13 field goals and 9 of 12 extra points.
According to a press release from Metro, train frequencies on the red and yellow lines have improved.
The release can be seen below:
Today Metrorail service improved on the Red Line with trains arriving every 12 minutes, down from 15 minutes, and Yellow Line service improved with trains every 20 minutes, down from 30 minutes.
Chairs Seek Commitment to Allow Witnesses to Speak Out Without Fear of Retaliation
Full Press Release Below:
Washington, D.C. (November 5, 2021)—Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, called on the National Football League and the Washington Football Team to commit to complete transparency on the NFL’s handling of the WFT’s hostile workplace culture.
Following Commissioner Goodell’s October 26, 2021, statements that the NFL will “be cooperative” with Congress, and that witnesses “are welcome to be public if they wish to,” the Chairs are calling on the NFL to honor these commitments by producing all requested documents, and by releasing all individuals from any non-disclosure agreement that prevents them from speaking out about Dan Snyder and the Washington Football Team’s toxic work environment.
“Commissioner Goodell said the NFL will cooperate with Congress, and we expect him to make good on that promise by producing the documents requested,” Chairwoman Maloney said. “In the spirit of transparency, I am calling on the NFL and Washington Football Team to honor the Commissioner’s public statement that witnesses to the team’s hostile workplace culture are ‘welcome’ to come forward. Congress has a responsibility to combat harassment and discrimination in the workplace. If the NFL shares our commitment to address these issues, it will be fully transparent about the findings of the internal review and will allow all individuals to speak freely without fear of retaliation.”
“While Commissioner Roger Goodell has told the press that victims and witnesses are free to take their story public, he should know many of them do not have that option,” Chairman Krishnamoorthi said. “Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Football Team, has saddled them with gag orders, preventing them from coming forward due to fear of retaliation. If the NFL and the WFT are serious about addressing, among other things, sexual harassment within their organizations, they must allow these individuals to speak freely. “The NFL has committed to producing documents. We look forward to seeing them.”
On October 21, 2021, the Chairs sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and launched an investigation into the WFT’s workplace culture and how the NFL responded when it uncovered serious issues of harassment and discrimination within the organization.
The letter followed the NFL’s July 1, 2021, announcement on the outcome of the WFT investigation conducted by an outside law firm. The announcement described vague and conclusory findings, including that “the workplace environment … particularly for women, was highly unprofessional,” that “[b]ullying and intimidation frequently took place,” and that “senior executives engaged in inappropriate conduct themselves.” Unlike past investigations into potential misconduct, the NFL did not disclose the full results of the investigation.
Metrorail service will remain at the current reduced levels through at least November 15 as Metro continues to work with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission on a plan to get 7000-series railcars safely back into service.
Trains will continue operating every 15-20 minutes on the Red Line and every 30-40 minutes on all other lines. Silver Line service will continue to operate between Wiehle-Reston East and Federal Center SW only. Customers are encouraged, where it makes sense for them, to use Metrobus service as an alternative.
Metro’s trip planner has been updated to reflect the latest service schedule. Customers are also encouraged to use the live train map to see the locations of trains on each line. In-station next train signs (Passenger Information Displays) are providing accurate train arrival estimates.
As Metro continues to work closely with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission and NTSB and more information develops, we will update the public about service.
