WNBA Conneticut Sun for sale

[LadyStanley]

Connecticut Sun owners reportedly exploring a sale of the franchise ahead of 2025 season

Mohegan Sun purchased the franchise and relocated it to Connecticut ahead of the 2003 season.

sports.yahoo.com

Purchased in 2003.

Per recent WNBA discussion from podcast (on one of a handful I listen to on womens sports), Sun are falling out of favor from big names/stars as they are one (of the few/only) team that has NOT invested in standalone practice facility. Could be the current owners are not interested in making that (additional) investment and the time it would take to build.

 

[LadyStanley]

Check out this Podcast: The Shootaround: New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun The Shootaround: New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun

This might be the episode from Good Game with Sarah Spain.

 

[LadyStanley]

Check out this Podcast: She's Got Game #207 She's Got Game #207

Estimated value of team $80m.

Off season, team lost entire starting line up, assumed due in part to being the only WNBA team without even an announced plan for dedicated practice facility.

 

[GindyDraws]

Connecticut has always felt like an anachronism in the WNBA, or really any big league, due to the fact that they play out of a casino and are in a state that doesn't have the population to support a major league team (doesn't help you're close to two major markets in Boston and New York City, either). Being consistently good for years helped maintain their image but considering that the team is now bereft of talent and behind the times compared to the rest of the league, I can see the new owners either making the investments themselves to stay viable... or relocating the team to another market given the growing popularity of the sport. The tribe sold the Black Wolves in the NLL a few years back, so perhaps they are either stepping out of having sports teams or recognizing they don't have enough resources to be competitive.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

I think whoever that buys them will almost certainly get them out of there. Hartford perhaps?

 

[Takuto Maruki]

I think whoever that buys them will almost certainly get them out of there. Hartford perhaps?

If they're going to go anywhere, they're better off heading towards Boston if they want to stay in the Northeast. Like Gindy said, Connecticut is a anachronism even by the time the Whalers left - in a modern league that wants to shoot for the stars like the WNBA, there's no point in trying to tether a team either to a casino, or especially a region that is an outpost of a much larger metroplex they already have some tendrils in.

Considering that Mohegan Sun is the only area I can think of other then the obvious that place(d) such an emphasis on sports and gambling, how actually profitable was it for the tribe, taking into account the Black Wolves got sold?

 

[LadyStanley]

Check out this Podcast: Explain It To The Five-Year-Olds with Eben Novy-Williams Explain It To The Five-Year-Olds with Eben Novy-Williams

Today's Good Game pod. About 15 minutes in discussion on Sun sale.

Possible sale price (relocatable) around $250m.

A number of denied expansion groups seem to be in negotiation about purchase.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

If they're going to go anywhere, they're better off heading towards Boston if they want to stay in the Northeast. Like Gindy said, Connecticut is a anachronism even by the time the Whalers left - in a modern league that wants to shoot for the stars like the WNBA, there's no point in trying to tether a team either to a casino, or especially a region that is an outpost of a much larger metroplex they already have some tendrils in.

Considering that Mohegan Sun is the only area I can think of other then the obvious that place(d) such an emphasis on sports and gambling, how actually profitable was it for the tribe, taking into account the Black Wolves got sold?

Agreed. CT only got the team in the first place as it was trying to catch the strong UConn fanbase. Problem is, UConn is a top-2 or 3 WNCAA all-time team dating back 25-30 years. No WNBA team will capture that.

And I agree about Connecticut/Hartford. It pains me to say as I grew up there a long time ago, but the state is just not a great spot for an owner to put a pro team. Zero population growth (the Hartford MSA actually has the same population today as it did in 2011) and it hasn't had major corporate growth since the 70's or early 80's. The state just seems complacent with zero growth and super high taxes.

 

[LadyStanley]

Pod also describes WNBA ownership breakdown (e.g., NBA, investors, team owners, etc.), franchise valuation.

 

[PistolPete]

Has Pittsburgh ever had a WNBA team?

I wonder if it helps sharing a market with an NBA team, hurts or no difference either way.

 

[LadyStanley]

Has Pittsburgh ever had a WNBA team?

I wonder if it helps sharing a market with an NBA team, hurts or no difference either way.

A lot will depend on $$ for rent vs income from arena sponsorships.