Does this affect Washington Wizards games directly? No, but the Wizards are still playing games right around these uncertain times.
We recently posted on whether the Washington Wizards’ 2024-25 season schedule is impacted by U.S. Election Day on Nov. 5, the Electoral College Certification Day on Jan. 6, 2025 and Presidential Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. For big events like Inauguration Day, the Wizards will be on a long road trip, which always happens when the President takes the Oath of Office. However, the Wizards will be at home around the time when Election Day and Electoral College Certification Day happen, so some fans, including me, may feel anxious about going to Capital One Arena during these times.
So here are some of the things that the D.C. and Federal Government will do, and how they’ll affect you as Wizards fans, if at all.
The D.C. and federal government will increase security around major landmarks on Election Day through Inauguration Day
What government measures will be taken: Expect more police around the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court and the White House. According to Cuneyt Dil of Axios DC, local authorities will work on the assumption that the media will not declare U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party nominee or Trump, the Republican Party nominee, the winner due to anticipated mail in vote counting delays on Election Day itself. There are already barriers being made around Lafayette Square for the Inauguration Day parade and perhaps there will be an elevated presence around the Capitol as well.
What will happen: Vote counts will start, and people will also go to their voting locations nationwide to vote for Harris, Trump, or another person as the next U.S. President if they haven’t already. They will also vote for various U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, state, and/or local races.
How this affects the Wizards: The Wizards and the NBA will not play on Election Day. They are hosting the Golden State Warriors the night before however.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security labeled Jan. 6, 2025 a “National Special Security Event”
What government measures will be taken: This allows more secure measures around Capitol Hill when the Electoral College certification takes place. There will likely be barriers around the Capitol to prevent what happened four years earlier.
What will happen: Vice President Harris will have a ceremonial role where she will announce that she or Trump will succeed current U.S. President Joe Biden. The votes are officially counted on this day.
How this affects the Wizards: The Wizards are playing on Jan. 5 and Jan. 7 at Capital One Arena. Should the results of the election be close, there will likely be protests, though probably not around Capitol Hill. If there is significant unrest on that day, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the game played without fans or even delayed. It is possible that five public schools in the Capitol Hill area may be affected, per Dil’s article.
The Presidential Inauguration will definitely have an increased law enforcement presence from around the country
What government measures will be taken: Multiple police forces will be on watch to ensure that there is a peaceful inauguration ceremony.
What will happen: It’s the official transfer of power where Harris or Trump will become the 47th President of the United States. I doubt a third party candidate will win.
How this affects the Wizards: On the surface, not at all. The Wizards would be in the middle of a six game road trip during this time. They won’t be back home until Jan. 29 to host the Toronto Raptors. Still, if there is unrest on Inauguration Day, it’s possible that there may be more law enforcement than usual around Capital One Arena when Washington comes back home.
What should we do as Wizards fans who go to games every time?
In short, I still encourage everyone to go out to Wizards games. The team still needs fans in the Capital One Arena stands, regardless of whether there is an election or not.
Admittedly, I am anxious about the U.S. Elections and the next few months because things didn’t go smoothly in the winter of 2020-21. And watching what happened on Jan. 6, 2021 on TV was bizarre, shocking and frightening at the same time. Also, the coronavirus pandemic didn’t make things any easier.
While I don’t intend on writing about political topics every day, the Wizards still play in the nation’s capital, just over one mile away from both the U.S. Capitol and the White House. If there are large scale protests or riots in those areas during these times, they will affect the Wizards if they are playing at home around those times.