I made a commitment that our company, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, would be first to market and be an innovator in sports technology. We believe at the heart of every great company is risk-taking, innovation and thinking as an “attacker” and not as a “defender.” We seek to create an organizational culture where making mindful and smart decisions is paramount while efficiently and quickly becoming a market leader and raising the game for the industry. We have no fear to innovate or to make errors of commission. Getting a seat at the table in big new industries early is the key for all organizations – now is the time to “innovate or die.”

There are several mega trends that are driving the global world of sports and entertainment; and Monumental has proven to be first to market for many of these trends. Check out the list here:

1. Over-the-top (OTT) and streaming video – We were the first to create a regional OTT streaming network with the launch of Monumental Sports Network (monumentalsportsnetwork.com). We also crafted a dynamic partnership in the regional sports network and OTT streaming world with our partners at NBC Sports Washington. Each are partners in the other’s network, and together, we seek to be the leaders in sports programming and innovation for the benefit of our fans. We offer a variety of innovative and engaging content via broadcast and mobile. We’re also among the first in sports to integrate data into our game broadcasts featuring things like live-scores and real-time betting odds.
2. Gaming and sports gambling – As I just noted above, we are leading the way in big data informed content. We recently announced an innovative new partnership with William Hill U.S. to make our arena the first in the U.S. to host a sports book (Washington Arena to Offer Hockey, Hoops and Sports Betting, The New York Times; Capital One Arena, British bookmaker team up as D.C. moves forward with legal sports gambling, The Washington Post). The Revolution Growth Fund, which I’m a founding partner, has invested in DraftKings and Sportradar, two leading companies in the sports gaming industry too.
3. Esports – We are driving the growth of esports with multiple investments in cutting-edge companies like aXiomatic, which owns Team Liquid, one of the biggest and most successful esports franchises in the world. We also invested and partnered with Epic Games — publishers of the global phenomenon Fortnite – and Niantic, publisher of Pokémon Go.
4. Utilize the latest in technology in-arena – From big data partnerships with companies like Alibaba, to being the first to utilize virtual reality, to early use of paperless ticketing, to unveiling the most up-to-date interactive LED screen network that totals a staggering 49 million pixels, and the completion of our recent $30 million arena renovation project, we are dedicated to bringing the latest technology and innovation into our arena and delivering extraordinary experiences to our fans.
5. Introducing the first fully integrated approach to team operations – Similar to companies like Google or Microsoft, we launched a shared services basketball platform with the announcement of Monumental Basketball bringing together our NBA, WNBA, G League, Summer League and NBA 2K franchises and implementing a forward-thinking new organizational structure for our basketball operations.
6. Bricks and clicks integration – Our building boasts an average of 220 events each year from NBA and Georgetown basketball, to NHL games, esports events, concerts and family shows, Capital One Arena is a sports and entertainment destination in Washington, D.C. We also operate three other facilities across the DMV, including the Entertainment and Sports Arena at St Elizabeths in Ward 8, EagleBank Arena at George Mason University and MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Ballston, VA. At Capital One Arena, we have also invested in a state-of-the-art practice studio for our NBA 2K team Wizards District Gaming, and we look forward to finding ways to host esports tournaments here too.

Our organization strives to Raise the Game for our fans and the DMV. #RaiseTheGame #BeMonumental