Our nation’s capital has great professional sports teams including the Washington Redskins, Nationals, Wizards, and Capitals. The football team, the Redskins, has been around for a long time. As in most sports-crazed towns, they sell out every game. Over the years, Redskins fans have been fortunate to see players like Sammy Baugh, Sonny Jurgenson, Sam Huff, John Riggins, and a host of others. Redskins coaches have included George Allen, Vince Lombardi, and Joe Gibbs, all legends in the sport.
In professional hockey, Washington fans have the Capitals, also known as the Caps. They compete in the Verizon Center. The Capitals have had their ups and downs, but went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998 (their only appearance to date), losing to the defending champion Detroit Red Wings in a four-game sweep. That same year, three players all scored the thousandth point of their careers, an impressive feat for the team.
The city also hosts the Washington Wizards, a professional basketball team. During the 2007-2008 season the team got off to a rocky start and lost five straight games, but got on track with wins in the next six. The loss of key players Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler midway through the season dampened the Wizards’ hopes, but they ended the season with a record of 43-39.
The Washington Nationals, the District’s professional baseball team, filled the gap left in Washington after the departure of the old Washington Senators in 1972. The professional franchise in Montreal moved to Washington in 2005 and changed their name from the Expos to the Nationals. The Nationals play ball in the new Nationals Park, opened in 2008.
