The Commanders have spent much of owner Dan Snyder’s tenure wandering in the desert, with just two playoff wins to their name since former owner Jack Kent Cooke died in 1997.
However, optimism is growing in the DMV region as Snyder appears poised to sell the team to 76ers and Devils owner Josh Harris—so much so that Washington is already feeling the impact.
“We’ve already seen some of that business momentum come back,” team president Jason Wright told CNBC's Last Call Tuesday afternoon.
Wright, who has served as the Commanders’ president since 2020, pointed specifically to one example of that positive momentum.
“When the sale was just announced, when the process was announced last November,” he said, “We sold what we would normally sell in a full season, in annual suites, we made that in a week after we announced the sale... There’s anticipation of this franchise returning to what it once was.”
"We've already seen some of that business momentum come back"
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 2, 2023
Washington Commanders president Jason Wright tells @cnbc the team have seen a spike in ticket sales with news of Dan Snyder's sale:pic.twitter.com/jnvBqba5V5
Much of Snyder’s ownership has been marred by scandal, as allegations of widespread misconduct and underhanded business dealings attracted attention from Congress and local prosecutors.
On the field, Washington went 8-8-1 in 2022, posting its best record since 2016. The franchise has made the playoffs just once in the past seven years.