Commanders Ownership Change Celebrated By Bowie Baysox With Special Events

BOWIE, MD — A celebration of the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders by Dan Snyder to Maryland investor Josh Harris, NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and other partners will be held Thursday at Prince George's Stadium in Bowie.

Hosted by the Bowie Baysox, which opened a six-game series Tuesday, the celebration includes a $10 day-of-game box seat or the closest ticket to the field for fans who wear Washington franchise gear to the Baysox game Thursday.

All fans named Josh or Harris (first or last name) or those wearing a Magic Johnson jersey will receive a free general admission ticket. Three fans — one each wearing a Josh, Harris and Magic jersey — will get to throw out the first pitch.

“Longtime fans of the Washington franchise are celebrating the news of a sale of the team," Baysox General Manager Brian Shallcross said. “And we just want to provide a light-hearted opportunity for Commanders fans to come out and enjoy a fun night at the ballpark as we commemorate this moment of transition.”

The evening's festivities will include in-between inning games looking back on the last 25 years of the Washington Commanders. Fans will also be given a slice of cake in honor of the change in owners. Snyder had long been a target of fan wrath as the team vanished from the NFL playoffs and the game-day experience at FedEx Field suffered.

Related: Commanders Sold For $6.05 Billion To Group Led By Josh Harris: Report

The Commanders announced on Friday that Snyder and his wife, Tanya, had agreed to sell the franchise to a group led by Harris. The group will pay a record $6.05 billion for the team, ESPN reported. Snyder purchased the team in 1999 for $800 million.

"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for the sale of the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, an area native, and his impressive group of partners. We look forward to the prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team in the coming years,” according to a statement from the Snyders.

Harris already owns the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils. He grew up in the Washington, D.C., area before making his fortune in investing. His group also includes fellow billionaire Mitchell Rales; and David Blitzer, who owns part of the Crystal Palace FC of the English Premier League with Harris, according to ESPN. Also included in the group are at least 12 limited partners.

Harris and his partners will inherit crumbling FedEx Field in Landover as part of the sale. In recent years, Snyder had explored building a new stadium in Virginia. The Washington Commanders' lease at FedEx Field will end in 2027.

In 2020, the franchise changed its name and branding after years of concerns that the previous name was racist toward Native Americans. From 2020 through 2022, Dan Snyder was the subject of investigations by the NFL, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and the D.C. Attorney General's Office. In 2021, the Commanders, then known as the Washington Football Team, were fined $10 million by the NFL. The NFL investigation determined that Snyder fostered a hostile work environment within the organization. Several former employees expressed concerns about sexual harassment and retaliation.

After the investigation, Dan Snyder temporarily stepped away from the team's day-to-day operations. In November 2022, the team announced that he was considering potential transactions involving the franchise. Initial reports said Snyder could sell the whole franchise or a minority stake. Snyder and his wife, Tanya, had owned 100 percent of the franchise since buying out the minority owners in 2021.

The once-storied Washington franchise now draws fewer fans than any other NFL team, last won a playoff game after the 2005 season and its last Super Bowl win and appearance was in January 1992 after the 1991 season. A source told ESPN an update on the sale agreement is expected at the May 22-23 league meetings in Minneapolis and a potential vote could happen in the coming months.