Virginia
Virginia announces plan to bring two pro sports teams to Alexandria – Virginia Mercury
ALEXANDRIA — The Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals could be headed to Virginia.
State officials and Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the basketball and hockey franchises, on Wednesday unveiled plans to create a $2 billion entertainment district in Alexandria that would include a sports arena, a practice facility for the Wizards, a performing arts venue and an expanded esports facility, coupled with new retail, residential, restaurants, hotels, conference facilities and community gathering spaces.
Located along the Potomac River in the Potomac Yards neighborhood, the proposed district would be adjacent to the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus and near Amazon HQ2, with access to air, bus and rail services.
In a release Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called the project “the most visionary sports and entertainment development in the world, bringing together entertainment, sports, and technology in the most advanced innovation corridor in the United States: a once-in-a-generation and historic development for the commonwealth, sports fans, and all Virginians.”
The win for the Old Dominion comes at the expense of Washington D.C., which this week made a last-minute pitch to keep the teams in the city, offering $500 million in financing for an $800 million renovation of the arena the teams have been using in downtown D.C.
Under the proposed deal with Virginia, which was approved by the state’s Major Economic Incentives Commission earlier this week, the state would set up a new authority that would issue $2 billion in bonds for the district. Monumental would have a 40-year lease of the site and would repay the bonds annually through rent payments, arena parking revenues, district naming rights and incremental taxes generated by the development. The company would also invest $403 million into the proposed project, and Alexandria would contribute $56 million toward the construction of the performing arts venue and $50 million for an underground parking facility.
The governor’s office has said the state will make no upfront investment in the project and local residents will not be subject to any tax increases for it. The authority will own the land and buildings built under the proposal.
At a Wednesday morning announcement at Potomac Yard, Youngkin said the project “would first and foremost be good for the Virginia taxpayer.”
“That’s exactly what this project represents,” he said. “No upfront investments, harnessing the financial horsepower of the future incremental taxes and other revenues with an estimated $12 billion of economic contribution to Virginia and the city of Alexandria over the coming decades.”
Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, called Virginia a “fantastic state,” noting, “You’re also the only state, the most successful state without professional sports teams.”
“So I think this is a big, big moment that is kind of a capstone for that journey of making Virginia a major driver and a major part of this whole new economy where sports and technology are the big drivers of what a community stands for,” he said.
The project, which is expected to open in late 2028, will require backing from the General Assembly to come to fruition. Legislators will have to approve the creation of the new Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority that will be the issuer of the bonds, a proposal expected to come before the legislature in the upcoming session that starts in January.
While the Major Economic Incentives Commission has already backed the idea, Virginia lawmakers have balked previously at getting involved in sports team developments. During the last session, the General Assembly abandoned legislation to bring the Washington Commanders to Virginia following concerns over the use of tax revenue and team culture. The Commanders are now under new ownership.
Commanders sale could revive Virginia General Assembly interest in stadium relocation
A handful of protesters turned out Wednesday, yelling over officials’ remarks and urging policymakers to focus on other issues affecting Virginians, such as potential cuts for Metro and a lack of housing.
Patrick Hedger, a Virginia resident and executive director of the nonprofit Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said he believes stadium subsidies are a poor use of public funding and Monumental is “playing off of a bunch of really closely located jurisdictions” to finance an arena.
Hedger said that he’s concerned the governor is “saddling taxpayers with this new debt and this new burden.”
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said local, state and federal leaders will need to build on the investment by improving existing transit and engaging with the community.
“Our job is to make sure that the neighborhoods adjacent here in Potomac Yard, across Route 1 in Del Ray and other surrounding neighborhoods, feel engaged and know that their quality of life will be protected,” Warner said. “And at the end of the day, their quality of life will be improved from this investment.”
Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, said she’s encouraged that “there is a dedication to do the work to ensure that is not disproportionately impacting our most vulnerable in our community.”
“I know, like many of you, [I] have been looking for a bipartisan agreement that will meet our community’s values and ultimately benefit the local community, Alexandria and commonwealth,” she said. “I look forward to turning this framework into an incredible project beginning as a venue for the entire community.”
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Not all soccer fans may be aware of the +/- statistic used in basketball and hockey which records a team’s point differential when a player is on the floor compared with when she’s not. In theory, this is a clever way to measure not just a player’s scoring but something media types love: the so-called intangibles. This is a format I use for reporting on the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and I’m feeling punchy following the soccer team’s loss, so I’m going to apply it here.
Minus
It has now been four seasons since the Virginia women’s soccer team has advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. Just four years ago the women possessed the second longest streak of reaching the Sweet 16 (second only to UNC) but two seasons ago, the women lost in the opening round and last year the team was not invited to the tourney. And now a loss to a middling Wisconsin: a team like Virginia, which finished an underwhelming 9th in a power conference.
Plus
I’ll label my bias: I love PKs. Once a game hits overtime, I’m actively rooting for penalties. There is no more gut-wrenching cauldron in all of sport than PKs on a soccer pitch. I think it’s the walk. Players stand huddled at midfield and have to walk, by themselves, one by one, to the appointed penalty spot. Going from a constant-motion game like soccer to a static skill is jarring. Golfers have to make that walk all the time, but soccer players, not so much. The pressure is unbelievable.
Minus
Wisconsin’s Hailey Baumann sent Victoria Safradin the wrong way for the first penalty. Maggie Cagle took Virginia’s first and hit it pretty much straight down the middle for an easy save. Yuna McCormack and Lia Godfrey hit textbook pass-the-ball-into-the-side-netting shots, bringing up Linda Mittermair who pushed the ball wide left. Season over. Despite what I said about loving PKs, it is an anti-climactic way to end a season.
Minus
Head coach Steve Swanson had brought in Mittermair cold to take that penalty. She had not played a minute of the game’s 110 minutes. Every coach who has designs on playing in the NCAA Tournament knows that there will be no ties and that penalties loom on everyone’s horizon. Swanson has had all season to determine who his five best penalty takers are, and he must have settled on Mittermair at some point. But to expect her to take a penalty cold, to put her under that kind of pressure, well, that’s just coaching malfeasance.
Plus
After missing the last seven games, Alexis Theoret returned to the pitch in the second half and she logged 62 minutes. Theoret is my favorite Virginia player over the past decade and it has been a joy, and privilege to watch her. Unfortunately, she was not match fit and was not her usual forceful presence.
Minus
Chloe Japic did not play either of Virginia’s two NCAA games, and while inconclusive, I couldn’t see her on the sideline. I don’t know if her absence was disciplinary or due to injury, but she has been a versatile contributor to the team. On the bright side, Swanson may have found the replacement for Samar Guidry, who is graduating, in Laughlin Ryan who was solid in defense and adventurous in attack.
Minus
Virginia was called for offsides six times. That’s just a lack of situational awareness and it cost Virginia because four of those could have sprung a Virginia attacker for a dangerous opportunity.
Minus
Virginia sent way too many crosses into the box. For the most part, they were lovely balls, but this team doesn’t have anyone with the aerial presence of a Meg McCool, Diana Ordonez or Haley Hopkins. And because there was no commanding presence, every weak side runner crashed toward the penalty spot – as they should – but no one ever ran to the back of the box. At least four nice crosses went rolling wide, free for a Wisconsin defender to start the attack.
Plus
Defenders Kiki Maki and Moira Kelley put in lights-out shifts today. Wisconsin didn’t get a single shot on goal and the pair completely shut down Wisconsin’s best attacker, Aryssa Mahrt.
Minus
Virginia has struggled to play the ball out of the back all year. For the past two games Swanson has opted for a five-back defensive line, ostensibly to give the defenders more targets. It didn’t work, even against a decidedly average Wisconsin press. I personally think you need more targets in midfield. In any event, Yuna McCormack and Lia Godfrey weren’t able, by themselves, to control midfield. Virginia was so inept controlling the ball that on the second half kickoff, the Cavaliers possessed the ball for less than three seconds before Kelley hit the ball out of bounds in desperation.
Minus
Karma bit Maggie Cagle in the butt today. With three minutes left in the game, Cagle got the ball at the top of the box, turned two defenders and got baseline within the six-yard box. As she turned toward goal, she was brought down. She sold the foul hard but the referee’s initial call was not a penalty. Sure, the ref went to VAR for review, but given that the initial call was not a foul, there wasn’t enough evidence to rule for a penalty. Cagle has developed a penchant for embellishing her fouls as the season progressed, and on this night, the ref simply didn’t believe her. And it cost Virginia a chance for the win.
Plus… and Minus
For the most part, this was an uninspiring game and yet the announcers gave it their all. At one point when a Virginia player slipped trying to make a turn in the Wisconsin box, one announcer opined that “the pitch had gotten in her way.” I’ve watched a lot of soccer and never heard that turn of phrase.
But the announcer gave it away in overtime when he stated that “Virginia had a plethora of chances in a myriad of ways,” which is pretty close to word salad.
Plus
Three times the camera closeup on Wisconsin keeper Drew Stover showed her delivering no-look distributions to her teammates. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. That was pretty cool.
Next Up? Well, it’s been a pretty crummy mid-week for Virginia athletics. The women are out of the tournament and men’s basketball got hammered in two games in The Bahamas. I invite you to join me watching women’s basketball. The women play with a greater ferocity than do the men, and in Kymora Johnson, the women’s team has maybe the best player in the athletics department. You know, this side of the women’s swim and dive team. Next game is Sunday, November 24th. Game time is 4pm and is on the ACC Network.
Virginia
How to watch Louisville volleyball vs. Virginia (11/22/24) online without cable | FREE LIVE STREAM for ACC game
The No. 3 Louisville Cardinals volleyball team face the Virginia Tech Hokies on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024 (11/22/24) in ACC play at in Charlottesville, Va.
How to watch: Fans can watch the game on ACCNX, or ACC Network Extra, a streaming-only service which is available through ACC Network authenticated subscribers, such as DirecTV Stream (watch with free trial) or fuboTV (watch with free trial).
If your TV provider includes the ACC Network, you already have access to ACCNX. You can view the ACCNX broadcast via the ESPN app or espn.com/watch using your TV provider credentials.
Here’s what you need to know:
What: ACC volleyball
Who: Louisville vs. Virginia
When: Friday, Nov. 22 (11/22/24)
Where:
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: N/A
Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial)
***
Top 25 NCAA Volleyball Rankings
Games through Nov. 18, 2024
1, Pitt; 2, Nebraska; 3, Louisville; 4, Penn State; 5, Creighton; 6, Wisconsin; 7, Stanford; 8, Purdue; 9, Arizona State; 10, SMU; 11, Kansas; 12, Kentucky; 13, Oregon; 14, Texas; 15, Georgia Tech; 16, Minnesota; 17, Baylor; 18, Dayton; 19, Utah; 20, Florida; 21, Southern California; 22, TCU; 23, Florida State; 24, BYU; 25, Missouri.
***
Here are the best streaming options for college sports this season:
Fubo TV (free trial): fuboTV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS.
DirecTV Stream (free trial): DirecTV Stream carries ESPN, FOX, NBC and CBS.
Sling TV – Sling TV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC and NBC.
ESPN+ ($9.99 a month): ESPN+ carries college football games each weekend for only $9.99 a month. These games are exclusive to the platform.
Peacock TV ($5.99 a month): Peacock will simulstream all of NBC Sports’ college football games airing on the NBC broadcast network this season, including Big Ten Saturday Night. Peacock will also stream Notre Dame home games. Certain games will be streamed exclusively on Peacock this year as well.
Paramount+ (free trial): Paramount Plus will live stream college football games airing on CBS this year.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription
RICHMOND, Va. — Friday will be windy and cold with highs in the 40s and wind chills in the 20s and 30s. A few scattered showers will be around, especially later in the day. Rain chances will be higher north of I-64, where some wet flakes could mix in. Wind gusts over 30 mph are possible.
For those traveling, the mountains of West Virginia will see significant snowfall over the next 48 hours, with one to two feet possible in the highest elevations. The Virginia panhandle will pick up a few inches of snow.
Saturday will be breezy with highs in the upper 50s to 60. Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in the lower 60s.
Monday will be mostly sunny with highs in the low to mid-60s.
A cold front will move through Tuesday morning with the slight chance of a shower.
Wednesday will be cooler with increasing clouds. Highs will be in the lower 50s.
As of now, it looks like a storm system will bring some rain into the area Wednesday night into Thursday.
Stay With CBS 6, The Weather Authority.
STORM TRACKING LINKS:
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