Washington Valor

The Washington Valor are a professional arena football team based in Washington, D.C. that began play in the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2017. The team's home arena is the Capital One Arena. The Valor is owned by Monumental Sports and Entertainment (Ted Leonsis, chairman), which also owns the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL), Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League and fellow AFL team the Baltimore Brigade.

The initial announcement was made in February 2016 of being close to a deal. The official announcement was made in March 10, 2016. The team name "Valor", and colors of red, white, blue and silver were announced in July 2016. The Valor were the first AFL franchise to play in the DC market since the Washington Commandos folded in 1990. The Valor are the current (as of 2018) Arena Football League champions, having defeated fellow Monumental property Baltimore in ArenaBowl XXXI.

Washington Commandos
In 1987, one of the charter teams to play in the new league was the Washington Commandos. The team played its home games during its first season at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland in 1987. The Commandos did not play in 1988, but returned as the Maryland Commandos the following season. The team moved to Virginia in 1990, again as the Washington Commandos and played at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. The team was folded after the 1990 season.

Washington Warriors
In 1999, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder announced his purchase of an expansion franchise to play in 2003. Snyder named the team the Washington Warriors. He attempted to trademark the name Warriors, but after legal battles, the trademarks were nullified. After years of promising to put a franchise on the field, the Warriors expansion franchise never materialized and was abandoned.

Washington Valor
On February 10, 2016, The Washington Post and radio station WTOP-FM first broke the story that Monumental Sports and Entertainment (Ted Leonsis, chairman), which also owns the NBA's Washington Wizards, WNBA's Washington Mystics, and NHL's Washington Capitals, were "close to a deal" in bringing a new Arena Football League expansion franchise to the Capital One Arena. On March 10, 2016, AFL commissioner Scott Butera announced that the deal was finalized and that the new Washington, D.C., team would begin play in 2017. The official website, Facebook and Twitter pages launched on March 15, 2016. On July 14, 2016, the teams name was announced as the Washington Valor with the teams colors being red, white and blue. Jerseys and helmets designs were released on December 10, 2016. Valor owners Monument Sports and Entertainment also acquired a franchise in Baltimore on November 14, 2016. The team's name was later revealed as the Baltimore Brigade. The Valor's first game was on April 7, 2017, in the Verizon Center against the Brigade. The Valor were the first AFL franchise to play in the DC market since the Commandos. On July 28, 2018 the Washington Valor upset the Baltimore Brigade 69-55 at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore in Arena Bowl XXXI, despite having won only two regular-season games in 2018. Washington QB Arvell Nelson was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

In a January 2019 interview with Forbes, Leonsis noted that the Valor were not particularly successful in regard to finances, and that he mainly used the team and its Baltimore counterpart to experiment with ideas to later use with his more prominent sports properties such as the Wizards, Mystics and Capitals.