Professional Teams in Washington, D.C.

The four professional sports teams in Washington, D.C. are the Washington Nationals, the Washington Redskins, the Washington Wizards, and the Washington Mystics. Each has had quite a varied history with the Mystics being the youngest team.

The Washington Nationals began as the Montreal Expos in the late 1960s. In 2002 the Expos were bought by Major League Baseball. Finally in 2004, they became the Washington Nationals. Difficulty surrounded the financing of a new stadium for the Nationals. Finally, a plan for a new stadium was approved in 2005. They have not been a winning team.

The Washington Redskins began in the early 1930s as a team for Boston called "The Braves." In 1937 they transferred to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Redskins. Over the years they have won three super bowls.

The Wizards began their existence as the Chicago Packers in the early 1960s. Within two years they moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Bullets. In the 1990s they became the Washington Wizards and are a part of the NBA. They have difficulty being a winning team.

The Washington Mystics, a women's basketball team began in 1998. Since that time they have made it to the playoffs twice. However, they seem to struggle with keeping good players and their coaches. Their claim to fame seems to be that they have excelled in having very high attendance at their games. To celebrate they have hung banners in the Verizon Center, which has caused much controversy with teams that want to emphasize what the players have accomplished.

So whether you like baseball, basketball, or football, you have several choices, all in the Washington, D.C. area.