2023 Year-End Boxscore Charts, Billboard Magazine

Yesterday, my SmartNews feed was on fire, with so many great articles.  There were a series of articles by smaller communities, about how the quality of their city as an events-sports destination was high, despite the size of the community or whether or not they actually had a sports team, for example Fort Worth doesn't ("Here’s why Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena was named Billboard’s No. 1 venue in the world." Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

2023 Year-End Boxscore Charts, Billboard Magazine

• Top 40 Tours 
• Top 30 Boxscores 
• Top 10 Stadiums 
• Top 25 Venues (cap 15,001 or more) 
• Top 10 Venues (cap 10,001 to 15,000) 
• Top 10 Venues (cap 5,001 to 10,000) 
• Top 10 Venues (cap 5,000 or less) 
• Top 10 Promoters Top Tours by Genre;

For years, I'd argued with Alex B. about the importance of CapitalOne Arena on the development of Downtown's East End.  I argued it would have happened anyway.  Alex B. said "no, the Arena has had significant impact."

The reality is that he was right ("More sports: sports-anchored entertainment districts and LA Live." 2018).  I was too parochial.  

Look at all the people going to a San Francisco Giants baseball game, and taking transit.  Mike Kepka, San Francisco Chronicle, 2002.

While I may have been right that the East End would have redeveloped, as the rest of Downtown was built out, the real issue is velocity of change, and the arena moved things faster, at least by 10 years, and helped to rebrand and reposition the City of Washington as an exciting place worth considering for work, commerce, and residential choice.

Fans line up outside the arena before the opening night game between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena on October 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images). 

Note that this was written before it was announced that the Washington Wizards and Capitals would be moving to Alexandria, Virginia.  I haven't done a follow up but at least for now, that doesn't seem to be happening ("Top Virginia Senate negotiator vows to keep Alexandria arena out of the budget," AP).

-- "Capital One Arena, Wizards and Capitals may move to Alexandria | Why not the RFK campus?," 2024

The thing is to improve cities in the post industrial entertainment city paradigm, you have to do everything you can to attract patrons, and urk, even casinos ("As Bally's troubles mount, City Hall has to make sure casino is a winning bet," Chicago Sun-Times).

-- "Crain's Chicago Business: Crain's Forum on Rebranding Chicago," 2024

- "The unintended consequences of converting office buildings to housing: the need for public safety; schools; amenities," 2022

-- "What is the competitive advantage for the post-covid city? Doubling down on place values," 2022

-- "From more space to socially distance to a systematic program for pedestrian districts (Park City (Utah) Main Street Car Free on Sundays)," 2020

-- "Planning programming by daypart, month, season: and Boston Winter Garden, DC's Holiday Market, etc.," 2016

-- "Daypart and age-group planning in mixed use (commercial) districts," 2009

-- "Town-City branding or "We are all destination managers now"," 2005
-- "Now I know why Boulder's Pearl Street Mall is the exception that proves the rule about the failures of pedestrian malls," 2005