36 Facts About Ted Leonsis

Theodore John Leonsis was born on January 8,1957 and is an American businessman.

Ted Leonsis was born on January 8,1957, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, to a family of working-class Greek immigrant grandparents, who were mill workers, and parents who worked as a waiter and a secretary.

When his high school guidance counselor evaluated his skill set, the counselor concluded that young Ted Leonsis was destined to work in a grocery store.

Ted Leonsis attended Brooklyn Technical High School, before moving to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Lowell High School in 1973.

Ted Leonsis was first in his family to go to university, where he attended Georgetown University to pursue his undergraduate studies majoring in American Studies, and graduated in 1977 at the top of his class.

Ted Leonsis started LIST, a magazine focused on personal computing.

Ted Leonsis raised $1 million in seed capital with his partner Vincent Pica.

In 1987, Ted Leonsis established the PR company Redgate Communications Corporation.

Ted Leonsis held numerous positions at AOL before retiring in 2006 as the audience group's president and vice-chairman.

In 2023, Ted Leonsis considered relocating the Washington Wizards and Capitals from the District of Columbia, seeking public funding for a major renovation of Capital One Arena.

Ted Leonsis has owned the Washington Capitals since the spring of 1999, and in that timeframe the team has won seven Southeast Division titles, six Metropolitan Division titles, three Presidents' Trophies, recorded more than 200 consecutive sellouts at Verizon Center, and won a Stanley Cup Championship.

Ted Leonsis was involved in a physical altercation with a fan, who led a mocking chant of Leonsis during the game and hoisted a sign chiding him.

Ted Leonsis received a suspension of one week, during which he was prohibited from having any contact with the team.

In 2010, journalist Damien Cox, author of the Ovechkin Project, a biography of Alexander Ovechkin, wrote that Ted Leonsis was trying to circumvent the NHL's salary cap when signing Ovechkin's contract.

Ted Leonsis alleged that Leonsis was bribing bloggers for positive coverage of the Capitals.

In 2001, Leonsis claimed to have written a computer program that prevented Pittsburgh Penguins fans from purchasing tickets online.

Ted Leonsis became the majority owner of the Washington Wizards in June 2010, inheriting a team that had 26 wins and 56 losses during the previous season.

Ted Leonsis was initially believed to have taken a fan-centric approach to running the franchise, thought to be listening and responding to the concerns of Wizards supporters through his email and personal website.

Ted Leonsis purchased the rights to the Washington Mystics, a Women's National Basketball Association team, around the same time he took over the Wizards.

On March 10,2016, Ted Leonsis announced that he was purchasing an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League to play at the Verizon Center beginning in 2017.

In 2018, Ted Leonsis announced the purchase of an NBA G League franchise that would be later named the Capital City Go-Go.

Ted Leonsis was the founder, chairman and largest shareholder of the defunct SnagFilms, a content and technology company with a full-service video streaming platform.

In 2008, Ted Leonsis produced Kicking It, which is a documentary by Susan Koch about the 2006 Homeless World Cup.

In 2013, Ted Leonsis produced the documentary Lost for Life, which explores juvenile offenders who have been sentenced to life without parole.

Ted Leonsis founded Revolution Money, a company which provides secure payments through an Internet-based platform.

In 2009, the company was sold to American Express; Ted Leonsis is on the board of directors at American Express.

Ted Leonsis is cofounder and partner in the DC-based venture fund, Revolution Growth, and chairman of Clearspring Technologies.

Ted Leonsis is co-inventor of Only In New York, a board game about New York City.

Ted Leonsis is a member of the investment group, aXiomatic, which owns Team Liquid, a competitive eSports Team.

Ted Leonsis is married since August 1987 to Lynn Ted Leonsis and they have a son and a daughter.

In early 2011, Ted Leonsis purchased a 13-acre estate in Potomac, Maryland.

Ted Leonsis acquired the property for $20 million after selling homes in McLean, Virginia and Vero Beach, Florida.

Ted Leonsis purchased the home from Chris Rogers, a telecommunications executive who acquired Ted Leonsis' home in McLean.

Ted Leonsis has authored a number of books, including Blue Magic: The People, Power and Politics Behind the IBM PC and The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Work and Life.

Ted Leonsis is the founder of the Ted Leonsis Foundation, which supports children "overcome obstacles and achieve their goals".

Ted Leonsis was vice chairman of Washington 2024, the region's bid for Summer 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.