Washington, D.C.’s rich pro sports history dates back to the
Washington Olympics baseball team in 1871, one of the first
professional clubs in the country. The tradition of the ceremonial first
pitch was born in D.C., when President William Howard Taft took to the
mound at the Washington Senators’ opening-day game in 1910.
D.C.’s love of sports has only grown since, with six professional teams
calling the city and region home: the Redskins (NFL), Nationals (MLB),
Capitals (NHL), Wizards (NBA), Mystics (WNBA), D.C. United (MLS) and
DC Defenders (XFL). But despite a plethora of talent and loyal fanbases,
Washington, D.C. endured a championship drought lasting 26 years.
That all changed when the Capitals became NHL champions in 2018.
Not only did star player Alex Ovechkin and the team bring the first
victory parade to D.C. since the Redskins’ 1992 Super Bowl win, they
also turned the tide for Washington sports franchises.
explained. “I’d want to work in a field where I was able to help
bring awareness to the awesome personalities and hearts of the
people in that community.”
Giving back is extremely important to Delle Donne. “As a
professional athlete, I have a unique platform to raise awareness
for causes close to my heart,” she said. “A few years ago we started
the Elena Delle Donne Charitable Foundation, which raises funds
and awareness for individuals with special needs, Lyme disease
research, and animal welfare.”
When it comes to travel, the Bahamas are her go-to spot. “I took a
truly amazing trip with my wife and our close friends to Exuma after
winning the championship that I will never forget,” she said. Next
on their bucket list are Australia and Italy. “Given my family’s Italian
heritage, it would be a dream come true to go to Italy.”
Fast forward to 2019, and the Mystics became WNBA champions
for the first time. They were followed three weeks later by the
Nationals, who won their first-ever World Series championship with
maximum drama, defeating the Houston Astros in Game 7. Before the
champagne bottles finished popping, Washington, D.C. had become
the “District of Champions.”
Two players who helped make it all happen are Mystics small forward
Elena Delle Donne and Nationals shortstop Trea Turner. The past three
seasons since Delle Donne joined the Mystics have been dubbed the
“Delle Donne Era” because of the impact the two-time MVP has had on
the franchise, while Turner earned respect for his resilience by playing
through the pain with a fractured index finger that required surgery
after the World Series.
ELENA DELLE DONNE
“D.C. is an awesome sports town,” said Wilmington, Delaware, native
Delle Donne, who has a connection to the D.C. area through her mom’s
family. “My wife [Amanda Clifton] and I live on the water, so we have
a boat that we take out in the summertime. Being able to eat and
walk along the waterfront in Georgetown or Old Town Alexandria is
special,” she told #FlyWashington.
“I love to eat,” she adds. “It’s hard to name just one place but Pop’s
Old Fashioned Ice Cream, Il Porto Ristorante, and Carmine’s are among
my favorites,” she said. When friends come to visit, they’ll head to
Daniel O’Connell’s, which is “a really fun Irish restaurant and bar.”
The Mystics made a huge trade to acquire Delle Donne from the
Chicago Sky in 2017, and the 30-year-old has certainly lived up to
expectations. Winning the WNBA championship “felt so good,”
she said. “Not only did it feel amazing to bring this franchise its first
title and another championship to D.C., but also to win with such an
amazing group of people makes it that much more special.”
While many WNBA stars play in China or Europe to supplement their
income during the offseason, Delle Donne stays in the U.S. so she can
help care for her sister, Lizzie, who has cerebral palsy and autism and is
deaf and blind.
“Lizzie is such an inspiration to me,” Delle Donne explains. “If
I wasn’t playing professional basketball, I’d probably be doing
something where I could work with people with special needs,” she
Elena and Lizzie Delle Donne
Credit: Rebecca Yale Photography
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SPRING 2020
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