The state of Connecticut isn’t giving up its WNBA franchise that easily.
About a month after reports emerged that said the Mohegan Tribe reached a deal to sell the Connecticut Sun to an investment group that wanted to move the team to Boston, Connecticut has proposed its own plan that would keep the Sun in-state.
Specifically, the state wants to acquire minority ownership of the Sun, and their bid would value the franchise higher than the WNBA’s current offer of $250 million to buy the team.
Should the league take over the Sun, it could move the franchise to a market of its choice; Front Office Sports previously reported that Houston was at the top of that list.
But Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz told multiple outlets that the state’s “fierce fan base” for women’s basketball indicates the Sun are already where they’re meant to be.
“We so appreciate what they do and what they represent,” Bysiewicz told ESPN. “We just want our young people to continue to be able to benefit from this huge asset. Yes, it’s economic, but part of it is what makes it fun to live in Connecticut, and it’s also aspirational.”
The Mohegan Tribe have been made two known offers to purchase the franchise this year, both at $325 million. Former Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca led one group that wanted to take the Sun to Boston, and former Milwaukee Bucks minority owner Marc Lasry got involved, with the intention of moving the team to Hartford.
The tribe wanted to move forward with Pagliuca’s offer, but it was never properly presented to the WNBA board of governors.
The state of Connecticut’s plan involved having some Sun home games played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville — their current home — and some played in Hartford at PeoplesBank Arena, previously known as the XL Center. That arena currently hosts some off-campus UConn men’s and women’s basketball games each year.
–Field Level Media
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