We already paid for the arena.
Stop making us pay to watch.
DC taxpayers are putting $515 million into Capital One Arena. Then the Wizards and Caps vanished from the TV packages most of us actually have. It's time for free, easy access to our home teams.
The problemWe paid once. We're paying again.
In 2024 the DC Council unanimously approved $515 million in public money for the Capital One Arena renovation, a project with a total cost of about $800 million.[1][2] Under the deal, the District buys the arena for $87.5 million and leases it back to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which makes lease payments through 2050, with extension options that could run to 2070.[3]
Meanwhile, watching the teams that play in that building keeps getting harder and more expensive. Monumental Sports Network (MNMT), which Monumental owns, holds the local rights to nearly every Wizards and Capitals game. It has left major TV packages one after another, so many fans now need a separate subscription just to see their home team.
The public summaries of the arena deal include no broadcast-access condition that we could find. So this isn't a contract dispute. It's a political question: if the public is a major investor in the building, should the public be able to watch what happens inside it?
- April 2024DC Council unanimously approves $515M for the arena.[1]
- June 2024Fubo drops Monumental Sports Network after a carriage-fee dispute.[5]
- September 2025Xfinity moves MNMT exclusively to its higher-priced "Ultimate TV" package.[6]
- October 1, 2025YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV drop MNMT. Monumental points DMV fans to Monumental+, at $19.99/month or $179.99/year.[4]
- 2026–27 seasonMonumental+ adds new paid outlets, including Prime Video and DAZN. More places to pay is not the same as free.[9][10]
Other citiesDC is falling behind
Across the NBA, teams are moving local games to free over-the-air TV, where anyone with a $20 antenna can watch. DC is heading the other way.
Where local games are free
At least seven NBA teams have moved local broadcasts from cable sports networks to free over-the-air stations.[7]
What we're asking forThree demands
Put the games where fans already are
Monumental should 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.
A free local option for DC residents
The public is a major investor in the arena. DC residents deserve a free way to watch a meaningful share of local games, the way fans in Phoenix, Dallas, Portland, New Orleans and Miami now can.
A DC Council oversight hearing
The Council should hold a public hearing on broadcast access and press Monumental for a written commitment, so the arena deal delivers for the fans who helped pay for it.
Sign the petition
Tell Ted Leonsis, Monumental Sports & Entertainment and the DC Council: we already paid for the arena. Free the Wizards. Free the Caps.
Sign on Change.org →Take actionDo more than sign
Email your Councilmembers
Every DC resident has five Councilmembers: their ward member plus four at-large members, along with the Chairman. Email all of them.
Find their emails →Tell Monumental directly
Let Monumental Sports & Entertainment know that fans want free, easy access to local games.
Monumental Sports →Post on game night
Every game night, post where you're watching, or where you can't, with our hashtag.
Post on X →Ready-to-send message to the Council
Copy it, add your name and ward, and send it to your ward member, the at-large members and the Chairman.
Our hashtag
Capitals fans: use #FreeTheCaps too.
The campaignWhat happens next
Build a coalition
Fan groups, neighborhood associations and DC residents who want public money to deliver public benefit.
Testify and write
Show up at Council hearings and budget oversight sessions, and keep letters flowing to every member.
Deliver the signatures
When the petition hits its goal, we'll deliver it in person to the Wilson Building and to Monumental.
Reporters and producers: hello@freethewizards.org
FAQQuestions
Isn't Monumental free to sell its TV rights however it wants?
Legally, yes. The public arena deal includes no broadcast condition that we could find. That's exactly why this is a political ask and not a lawsuit. Public partners can make reasonable requests of the companies they invest in, and the Council has a say in future deals with Monumental.
Didn't YouTube TV and Hulu drop the channel, not Monumental?
The two sides disagree about who walked away. Monumental says the streamers refused fair terms. The streamers say the carriage fees were too high.[12] Either way, fans lost access. Free over-the-air broadcast sidesteps carriage fights entirely, which is why other teams have moved that way.
Can I still watch some games for free?
Nationally televised games on ABC, ESPN, NBC and similar networks are still available through the usual providers. But most local Wizards and Capitals games air only on Monumental Sports Network.
Who runs this campaign?
Free the Wizards is an independent, volunteer campaign by DC residents and fans. We aren't affiliated with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the NBA, the NHL or any team.
ReceiptsSources
- WTOP, "DC Council unanimously approves hundreds of millions in funding for Capital One Arena renovations," April 2024. wtop.com
- DC Council, Arena Funding memo, April 2, 2024. dccouncil.gov (PDF)
- Washingtonian, "DC to Buy Capital One Arena as Part of $515 Million Renovation." washingtonian.com
- Monumental Sports Network support, "Monumental Sports Network No Longer Available on YouTube TV and Hulu + LIVE TV." support.monumentalsportsnetwork.com
- The Streamable, "Fubo Loses Monumental Sports," June 2024. thestreamable.com
- Monumental Sports, "2025-26 Washington Wizards Local TV & Radio Schedule" (Xfinity Ultimate TV note). monumentalsports.com
- Awful Announcing, "Miami Heat strike over-the-air deal with WPLG," June 2026. awfulannouncing.com
- Front Office Sports, "Suns give free antennas to fans before television shift." frontofficesports.com
- Sports Video Group, Monumental+ now available through Prime Video, 2026. sportsvideo.org
- Roundtable, "DAZN, Monumental announce streaming deal," August 2026. roundtable.io
- WPLG Local 10, "WPLG Local 10 Becomes the Home of the Miami HEAT," June 8, 2026. local10.com
- The BayNet, "MSN dropped from YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV." thebaynet.com