UNCASVILLE, CT – Through the riverside entrance of the Mohegan Sun resort, you’ll stroll past a Krispy Kreme, a hotel entrance, a bundle of restaurants and the casino before you get to Mohegan Sun Arena. It’s what makes the home of the Connecticut Sun unique. But that arena may no longer feature a professional sports team in the coming years.
The Sun, currently owned by the Mohegan Tribe, have received a purchase offer by the PagsGroup, former Celtics minority owner and Bain Capital executive Steve Pagliuca confirmed via X.
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Various reports exist on where the offer officially stands, with some suggesting that playing games (or some games) in Providence is still an option, as well.
On Monday, Aug. 4, the Hartford Courant reported that an investment group led by billionaire Marc Lasry, a former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, is attempting to compete with the Boston ownership group to buy the team and keep it in Connecticut, citing “a source with knowledge of the negotiations.”
Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles (31) warms up before the start of the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Mohegan Sun Arena on July 27.
The prospect of losing the Sun hasn’t gone over well with its homegrown base, more specifically season-ticket holders.
“I wouldn’t go,” Joe Hildreth of Groton, Connecticut, said of a potential move out of state. “I know a lot of people I’ve talked with, they wouldn’t go.”
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Hildreth is a first-year season-ticket holder but has come to Sun games since the tribe bought and relocated the team in 2003. He doesn’t agree with a move to either Providence or Boston.
He wasn’t alone in that sentiment. Ryan Morth of Waterford, Connecticut, is also in his first year as a season-ticket holder. He said traveling to Uncasville is convenient so he’d only go to playoff games if the team was moved out of state.
“I really hope they wouldn’t go,” Morth said. “We lost the Hartford Whalers 20-something years ago and haven’t gotten anything else since then besides the Sun.”
A move to Providence means the Sun would most likely play in the Amica Mutual Pavillion (AMP), which Hidreth said is a 45-minute drive for him. TD Garden in Boston would add about an hour to that drive.
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While Boston changes the discussion, there are fans who would welcome a move to Providence. Namely, Cranston’s Selena Beatty-Jackson. Beatty-Jackson and her husband are used to driving to Uncasville to see their team in action.
“Connecticut fans drive to Boston,” Beatty-Jackson said. “You’ve got to give them a chance to come. No matter what, whether they be Providence fans or Connecticut fans or Boston fans, people are going to come.”
New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) shoots the ball against Connecticut Sun guard Lindsay Allen (15) and center Olivia Nelson-Ododa (10) in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena on Aug. 3.
It’s not just the travel that has fans concerned, though. Hildreth and Morth both think a move from Connecticut would take money from the resort.
“This has to be one of the best venues to have a professional sports team,” Morth said. “It’s awesome just to be able to make a night and come up here, have dinner beforehand at the restaurant. Afterwards, you can go out and eat again or have drinks again after the casino.”
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The atmosphere is paired with free parking, something likely to cease if the team is moved to Boston or Providence.
But, being in a resort does have its limitations. Mohegan Sun Arena is 10th in the WNBA in capacity at 9,323 seats. As expansion and relocation fills the league, it could simply be time for the Sun to upgrade.
“I just think that they need their own facilities,” Beatty-Jackson said of the team.
One of the goals of a potential sale, and move, is for the team to have its own practice space. The Sun are one of the few WNBA teams without a dedicated practice facility, using their home arena for both training and games. The reported Pagliuca deal — $325 million for the team, and $100 million toward a new practice facility — would address that concern.
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Beatty-Jackson also noted a chance for more seating in a new location. Friday night’s matchup with the New York Liberty brought in 8,664 spectators. The Sun have consistently filled most of its seats, but a new arena and relocation could give the chance for more fans to attend.
Though that likely means there won’t be any blackjack to sweeten the pot after games, Morth thinks the atmosphere at Sun games won’t change with a move.
The presence of UConn and Providence College has built a strong hoops following in Southern New England. So long as the Sun continue to be New England’s only WNBA team, the team’s expected to continue to have a devoted fan base.
The Sun have already sold out the TD Garden for all of its appearances there in the past two seasons, most recently July 15 against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
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It doesn’t change the fact that he, and many others, are hoping the tribe or other investors can find a way to keep the Sun in the state.
“It’s nice having, in such a rural and suburban area in southeast Connecticut, it’s great to have our own team especially when the league is booming and it’s on the upside,” Morth said. “It would be a real bummer if they left.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What fans say about a possible move of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun
