From this year’s Super Bowl including a historic matchup of two Black quarterbacks to the success of Howard University athletics, 2023 has been an eventful year in sports.
- Black History Month was extra special in February, as sports history was made when Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts became the first two Black athletes to start as quarterback in the Super Bowl.
- Howard University had unprecedented success in athletics.
- In February, the Howard University men’s swimming and diving team won the 2023 Northeast Conference (NEC) swimming and diving championships.
- Both the men’s basketball team (in March) and the football team (in November) won conference championships and advanced to post-season play for the first time in school history in the same year.
- The Sidwell Friends boys’ and girls’ basketball teams both finished number 1 in basketball in the DMV for the first time in March.
- In May, longtime great and Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing was fired as head men’s basketball coach at Georgetown after six seasons.
- Bradley Beal, longtime All-Star and fan favorite of the Washington Wizards, was traded to the Phoenix Suns in June.
- NFL owners approved the sale of the Washington Commanders franchise to Josh Harris and partners, including Magic Johnson, for a hefty amount of $6.05 billion in July.
- In December, Wilfried Nancy became the first Black coach to win the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup.