Free the Wizards & Caps: DC already paid for the arena. Stop making fans pay to watch.
Free the Wizards & Caps: DC already paid for the arena. Stop making fans pay to watch.
The Issue
DC taxpayers committed $515 million in public money to renovate Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Wizards and Capitals. The District is buying the building and leasing it back to Monumental Sports & Entertainment through 2050.
Fans are paying for the arena, and then paying again just to watch the teams that play there.
Monumental Sports Network, which Monumental owns, carries nearly every local Wizards and Capitals game. Since 2024 it has left Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, and Xfinity moved it to its most expensive "Ultimate" tier. Most fans now need a separate Monumental+ subscription at $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year.
Other cities are going the other way. Phoenix, Utah, Portland, Dallas, New Orleans, Detroit and Miami now air local NBA games free over the air, so anyone with an antenna can watch. DC should not be the outlier, especially after the public helped pay for the building.
We, DC residents and fans, ask:
- Monumental Sports & Entertainment to make local Wizards and Capitals games available without a separate app subscription, through broadcast TV or the standard cable and streaming packages DC households already pay for.
- Monumental and the District to provide a free local viewing option for DC residents.
- The DC Council to hold a public oversight hearing on broadcast access and press Monumental for a written commitment.
We already paid for the arena. Free the Wizards. Free the Caps.
Sources and more: freethewizards.org
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The Issue
DC taxpayers committed $515 million in public money to renovate Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Wizards and Capitals. The District is buying the building and leasing it back to Monumental Sports & Entertainment through 2050.
Fans are paying for the arena, and then paying again just to watch the teams that play there.
Monumental Sports Network, which Monumental owns, carries nearly every local Wizards and Capitals game. Since 2024 it has left Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, and Xfinity moved it to its most expensive "Ultimate" tier. Most fans now need a separate Monumental+ subscription at $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year.
Other cities are going the other way. Phoenix, Utah, Portland, Dallas, New Orleans, Detroit and Miami now air local NBA games free over the air, so anyone with an antenna can watch. DC should not be the outlier, especially after the public helped pay for the building.
We, DC residents and fans, ask:
- Monumental Sports & Entertainment to make local Wizards and Capitals games available without a separate app subscription, through broadcast TV or the standard cable and streaming packages DC households already pay for.
- Monumental and the District to provide a free local viewing option for DC residents.
- The DC Council to hold a public oversight hearing on broadcast access and press Monumental for a written commitment.
We already paid for the arena. Free the Wizards. Free the Caps.
Sources and more: freethewizards.org
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Petition created on October 30, 2026