WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Washington sports owner was missing from Thursday night’s “Inside the Owner’s Box” panel at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and that absence stood out.
The event took its title from David Rubenstein’s recently published book, and Rubenstein - who serves as chairman of the Economic Club and owns the regional rival Baltimore Orioles - hosted a conversation that featured four major local franchise owners. But according to a source, the principal owner of the Washington Nationals was not invited.
That omission was notable because the Lerner family owns the majority stake in the Nationals and also holds a minority stake in Ted Leonsis’s Monumental Sports & Entertainment, making the absence from a Washington sports-owner gathering even more conspicuous.
Rubenstein had once been involved, alongside Leonsis, in advanced talks to buy the Nationals from the Lerners before that effort fell apart. He later shifted to the Orioles, completing a $1.725 billion purchase in 2024.
Since taking over Baltimore, Rubenstein has had an uneven run, and this year’s Orioles season did not help. The club raised its payroll to a team-record $166.7 million, then finished 79-82 and in last place in the AL East.
“Obviously, I have a long way to go because I took a team that was in first place and managed to put them in last place,” Rubenstein joked. “It’s very hard to do that.”
The timing of the book release has also drawn attention because of the Orioles’ results, and Rubenstein faced additional criticism this past week after becoming the first baseball owner ahead of a possible CBA lockout to make layoffs. The cuts hit employees in the business office and the entertainment department, including workers who dressed as the Orioles Bird and Mr.
Splash. The team later said it has other employees who can handle those roles.
So instead of softening the moment, Rubenstein’s appearance at the Economic Club added another layer to a difficult week. And with the Lerner family left off the guest list, the snub landed especially close to home - just 3.4 miles from Nationals Park to The Economic Club on K St. NW.
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