The endings were familiar, with the docile tones and search for reasoning. Three of the four major pro sports teams in the District had their seasons crash to a close in the playoffs in 2016. The Washington Wizards did not even make it to the postseason, prompting them to fire their coach, Randy Wittman.
Thanks to those results, 2016 flipped through the calendar in same-as-it-ever-was mode. The Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and Cleveland Cavaliers winning the NBA title undid generations-long droughts in the Midwest. They also helped push Washington sports further into a non-title town position.