On Friday, a group led by Josh Harris finalized a deal to purchase the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder. All that stands between Harris becoming the next owner of the Commanders is his approval from at least 24 NFL owners, which is viewed as a formality.
ESPN recently obtained a prospectus prepared by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and its advisers, and it’s packed full of information.
Per John Keim and Seth Wickersham, who authored the story, Harris believes the removal of Snyder as the owner will boost attendance, ticket sales and sponsorship revenue. Current Washington team president Jason Wright stated something similar recently, even acknowledging that Snyder and his wife Tanya realize that new ownership would be good for business.
In this instance, it’s not surprising that anyone believes removing Snyder would be good for business. Sure, it could be difficult for Harris and his group to win back all of the fans Snyder’s ownership ran off, but people will return.
Washington’s home attendance at FedEx Field tanked to No. 31 in 2021 and was dead last in 2022. However, as late as 2017 — 18 years into Snyder’s ownership — Washington ranked No. 6 in home attendance. And yes, a lot of those fans at FedEx Field over the past 10+ years were opposing fans, but there are ways new ownership can change that trend. Above all, winning would change everything.
In the ESPN story from Harris’ prospectus, Harris believes Washington fans are “disengaged.” He’s right. While it’s easy to point to constant drama and investigations into Snyder, it goes beyond that. It’s the constant losing, the overpromising and underdelivering, and the name change. This isn’t another debate on whether or not Washington should rebrand, but you can’t simply say that the name change hasn’t kept some fans away.
When you add everything together, disengaged may not be a strong enough word. However, Harris and his group enter at the perfect time. He’s a hero the moment this thing is final for one simple reason: He isn’t Snyder.
Harris’s success as a professional sports owner, in addition to his — and his partners’ — business acumen, should give Washington fans actual hope again.