How Washington Wanted To Become A Big-Time Business Town And Failed

With Daniel Snyder's exit, Washington's wish to become a big-time business town has failed.

There was something missing from yesterday’s big news about the Washington Commanders sale: Washington money.

In a region that recently cast itself as one of America’s major-league economic engines, the roster of potential buyers turned out to be distinctly minor-league — meaning the next owner of the team, that ultimate emblem of mogulhood, would have to be imported.

In the end, the winner of the reported $6 billion prize, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris, beat out tycoons based in Houston and Toronto, in addition to Jeff Bezos, who despite owning the Washington Post calls Seattle home. While one Washington-based billionaire is part of Harris’ group, the principal would be commuting from more economically muscular climes, just like all of the also-rans.

That’s a far cry from the days when superlawyer Edward Bennett Williams, insider’s insider, man-about-to...

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