Poor arena conditions at the Royal Farms Arena are the reason that the Washington Wizards haven’t played a basketball game in Baltimore since 2014. With renovations slated to begin in February 2022 to the Royal Farms Arena, will this change?
Baltimore’s spending panel recently approved a deal to renovate the Royal Farms Arena in downtown Baltimore. The cost of the redevelopment is $150 million. Royal Farms Arena has hosted Wizards and Caps’ games in the past, but because of poor playing conditions for the Caps’ their return to Baltimore might be farfetched.
D.C. area native Kevin Durant’s venture capital company is behind the project, leaving many like myself to wonder if his plan is to bring Wizards basketball back to Baltimore. Upgrades include expanding the arena’s capacity 10% to 15% higher, exterior upgrades, modern seating, and concession upgrades.
The redevelopment will take approximately 11 months to complete, and won’t cost taxpayers a dime.
Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis want’s to play more Wizards games in Baltimore.
While speaking at a CEO Club of Baltimore, Ted Leonsis stated the Wizards would play more games in Baltimore if the city replaced the aging Royal Farms Arena. “Say there is a new arena here. Who’s to say you couldn’t play 10 games in Baltimore?” said Leonsis.
The possibility of the Wizards returning to Baltimore simply relies upon this renovation. If they turn the Royal Farms Arena into a state-of-the-art facility, I believe the Wizards will eventually play a slew of home games in Baltimore. It will then be up to the City of Baltimore and its surrounding areas to make the Wizards feel at home.
It’s time to pay homage to Wizards basketball that was played in Baltimore.
Connecting the Washington Wizards back to the Baltimore area won’t be an easy feat, but renovations to the Royal Farms Arena is the first step.