Ted Leonsis: A Man of the People

Ted Leonsis celebrates a Capitals goal in the owner's box

Not all professional sports team owners are bad people like Dan Snyder. Whereas Snyder puts his wallet first and everything else in his life second, Ted Leonsis does quite the opposite. He is a man of the people of Washington D.C. Don’t get me wrong, Leonsis is an extremely successful businessman. However, the way he conducts his business is written about in his book, The Business of Happiness. Leonsis discusses that success is created through trust and happiness. I have had the privilege of meeting Ted several times because of a family friend who is invested in Leonsis’ company that currently owns the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, and Washington Mystics. I would like to share three stories that truly show that Ted Leonsis is a successful businessman through charity.

The first story goes back to 2009 when Leonsis was at Union Station in Washington D.C. which is a common area for homeless people to linger. As Leonsis walked to his train with Washington Capitals beat writer, Tarik El-Bashir, one homeless man mumbled something to them that caught Ted’s attention. Leonsis stopped and asked the man what happened to his shoes. The man replied, “Somebody stole them.” Leonsis proceeded to take out his wallet and hand the man enough money to buy a new pair of shoes and made him promise that he would only use it to buy shoes. As they boarded the train, Leonsis turned to El-Bashir and said “This is America, right? How does he not have shoes? Incredible.” Thousands of people go through Penn Station every day, but it was Ted who took the time to acknowledge this man in need of shoes in the middle of the winter.

The second story was told to me by my family friend this November, but occurred several years back. Leonsis has a very familiar drive to work every morning since he became the Washington Capitals owner in 1999. He drives on the same streets and parks in the same lot under the rink every day. For about a month, he saw the same homeless man every morning and evening outside of what is now called Capital One Arena. Leonsis became friendly with this man and heard about how he has children that he is trying to support. One day, Leonsis went up to him and asked if he would like to bring his children to the game later that evening and sit with him in the owner’s box. The man accepted his invitation. Upon his arrival at the game, Leonsis had gift bags that included Capitals gear and $100 bills. Ted saw the joy that he was able to bring to a family by a simple act of kindness.

 

Ted Leonsis talks to Capitals fans in the concourse of Capital One Arena

Lastly, I had the privilege of sitting in the owner’s box for the Washington Capitals game this fall. During the middle of the first period, Leonsis brought a long-time season ticket holder into the box. This man was blind. He continues to renew his season tickets because he loves listening to the game live on the radio while using his senses to feel the energy in the arena. In the first intermission, all of the people sitting in the box take an elevator down to a private dining area near the Capitals locker room. As the man got on the elevator, he said, “It’s crowded in here. I think there are about 15 people in here.” Although there were only 12 people in the elevator, I could not believe his ability to pick up on his surroundings. Leonsis had the man eat dinner at his table and the two shared stories throughout their meal. Once the second period started, the man got to enjoy the rest of the game in the owner’s box. Leonsis created an experience of a lifetime for this die hard Capitals fan. He was able to show me and everyone else in that box that he cares about his season ticket holders and all of the patrons at Capital One Arena.

Just because an owner has the power in an organization does not mean you can treat others with disrespect. The success that the Capitals and Wizards have seen in recent years starts from the leadership at the top. The way that Leonsis treats his fans, employees, and even random homeless people on the street with kindness shows that he is a man of the people.

Ted Leonsis honors Alex Ovechkin for his 1,000th career point