Sport in The District of Columbia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. There were two baseball teams in the 20th century called the Washington Senators. The first of these won the 1924 World Series with victory over which team?

Answer: New York Giants

The first Washington Senators were founded in 1901 and were so generally unsuccessful that there was a music hall joke that Washington was "first in peace, first in war and last in the American League". They did however reach the World Series three times, defeating the Giants to win the title in 1924.

They lost to the Pirates the following year and were defeated by the Giants in 1933. In 1961, they relocated to Minnesota to become the Twins, and were replaced immediately by an expansion team who were confusingly also known as the Senators.

This "new" version of the team were even less successful than their predecessors, and departed to Dallas in 1972 where they changed their name to the Texas Rangers.

2. D.C. United are a Major League Soccer team who play home games at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. As well as a number of MLS titles, the team won which international competition in 1998?

Answer: CONCACAF Champions League

D.C. United were founded in 1996 as one of the original MLS franchises and played home games at RFK Stadium until moving into their own stadium, Audi Field, in 2017. Victory in the 1997 MLS Cup game saw them qualify for the 1998 CONCACAF Champions League. They had home advantage for the final, and defeated Mexico's Deportivo Toluca 1-0 to lift the trophy.

3. Elgin Baylor, from Washington D.C., was a basketball player who appeared in eight NBA finals series with which franchise, losing them all?

Answer: Lakers

Elgin Baylor was born in Washington in 1934 and was the number one pick in the 1958 NBA draft by the Minneapolis Lakers. Playing at small forward, he helped his team to the NBA finals in his debut season, where they lost to the Boston Celtics. After the team relocated to Los Angeles in 1960, Baylor was part of seven more finals teams, and lost on every occasion, six more times to the Celtics and once to the New York Knicks. Ironically, after retiring through injury early in the 1971-72 season, the Lakers finally ended their drought later that same season, and they gave Baylor a championship ring even though he hadn't taken part in the play-offs.

4. The Georgetown University Hoyas won the 1984 men's NCAA Basketball Championship with victory over which team in the final?

Answer: Houston

Georgetown University was founded in 1789 and is the oldest Catholic university in the USA. Their unusual nickname comes from a Greek/Latin chant, "Hoya Saxa". The school's most successful program is the men's basketball team. Under long-time coach John Thompson Jr. they achieved their greatest triumph in 1984, defeating the Houston Cougars at the Kingdome in Seattle to win the NCAA title.

5. The Washington Redskins American football team won three Super Bowl titles in the 1980s and 1990s. Which was NOT one of the teams they beat in the big game?

Answer: Los Angeles Raiders

The Washington Redskins were originally based in Boston before moving to D.C. in 1937. They won two pre-Super Bowl era NFL titles, and won their first Super Bowl in January, 1983, beating the Dolphins. They achieved further triumphs in January, 1988, over the Broncos, and in January, 1992, over the Bills. They met the L.A. Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII in January, 1984, but lost.

(Although the Redskins were playing home games in Landover, Maryland, in the early 21st century, they are very much Washington's team which is why they are included in this quiz and not my Maryland version.)

6. The Washington Mystics are a team in which sport?

Answer: Basketball

The Washington Mystics are a women's basketball team who joined the WNBA in 1998. Playing home games at the St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena in Congress Heights, the Mystics won their first league title in 2018-19, defeating the Connecticut Sun 3-2 in the finals. Head coach for this triumph was Mike Thibault, who had previously coached the Sun.

7. Pete Sampras, from Washington D.C., won 14 Grand Slam tennis titles in the 1990s/2000s, but never managed to win which of the four tournaments?

Answer: French Open

Pete Sampras was born in Washington in 1971. Turning pro in 1988, he won his first Grand Slam title at the 1990 US Open, beating Andre Agassi in the final to become the then-youngest winner of the event, aged 19. His greatest success came at Wimbledon, where he won the title seven times between 1993 and 2000.

He won two Australian Opens and five U.S. Opens but generally struggled on the red clay at Roland Garros - his best French Open performance came in 1996 when he was beaten in straight sets in the semi-final by Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

8. The Washington Capitals ice hockey team won their first Stanley Cup in 2018 with victory over which team in the finals?

Answer: Vegas Golden Knights

The Washington Capitals joined the NHL in 1974 as an expansion team and suffered through a dreadful debut season, winning only eight of their 80 games. Things didn't improve much until the 1982-83 season when they made their first play-off appearance, losing to the New York Islanders.

They reached the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 1998, losing to the Detroit Red Wings. In 2018, they finally lifted the trophy, defeating the expansion Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 in the finals.

9. The Washington Nationals won the 2019 baseball World Series in an incredible series with the Houston Astros in which the road team won every game. By what name were the Nationals known before moving to D.C. in 2005?

Answer: Montreal Expos

The Montreal Expos were a 1969 National League expansion team, who suffered from low attendances and stadium issues in the early 21st century. In 2005, they relocated to Washington, which had been without a MLB franchise since the early 1970s. In 2019, they won the franchise's first World Series title in seven games over the Astros, with pitcher Stephen Strasburg winning the MVP award.

10. The Washington Wizards are a National Basketball Association team who won their only 20th century title in 1978. What was their nickname at the time?

Answer: Bullets

The Wizards were formed in 1961 as the Chicago Packers, changing their nickname to the Zephyrs the following year. They relocated to Baltimore in 1963, becoming the Bullets. They were on the move again in 1973, this time to Washington. In 1978, the Bullets defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games to win the NBA finals.

In 1997, they changed their nickname to the more politically-correct Wizards.

Source: Author Dizart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

How much do you know about sports teams and people, past and present, from Washington D.C.?

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