Remaining season in Connecticut?
The 2025 WNBA season kicks off Friday, and pleasure couldn’t be larger after a historic 2024 season that noticed the league take pleasure in an unprecedented degree of fan curiosity. However a cloud will likely be hanging over gamers, workers, and followers of the Connecticut Solar, because the crew’s proprietor has engaged an outdoor agency to discover the opportunity of promoting the franchise, a monetary transfer which may finally result in relocation.
In line with Sportico, the Mohegan Indian Tribe has employed funding financial institution Allen & Firm to look right into a sale. And there must be loads of suitors. This season is the primary in practically twenty years to characteristic a WNBA enlargement crew, the Golden State Valkyries, and there have been greater than 10 teams that submitted bids in the course of the enlargement course of. A course of, by the best way, that was managed by Allen & Firm.
The Connecticut Solar play at Mohegan Solar Area on the Mohegan Solar On line casino, therefore the crew title. It’s the solely main skilled crew within the state; the crew performs in one of many smallest arenas within the WNBA and is within the league’s smallest media market.
Prices going up
The explosion within the WNBA’s recognition within the final yr has been a blessing and a curse for the Solar. On the one hand, the franchise’s worth has doubtless skyrocketed: Sportico had it at $80 million final yr, however that has nearly definitely jumped since. In 2023 and 2024, enlargement franchises have been awarded for $50 million, however value for a crew within the subsequent enlargement spherical is predicted to be quadruple that.
However, crew house owners are actually anticipated to spend far more to stay aggressive. Some groups have constructed glowing, trendy coaching services. Others have introduced plans to construct their very own, new arenas. The price of maintaining has risen and the Connecticut Solar wants cash, even with all of the income streams that come from the Mohegan Solar on line casino.
Sportico says that the Solar may promote a restricted partnership stake to lift funds, however an entire sale of the franchise is extra doubtless. Toronto and Portland may have groups debut subsequent yr and Cleveland is probably going a number of years from now. However there are many cities that had potential possession teams submit bids, so the nicely is way from dry. Among the many potential cities to nab the Solar are Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Nashville.
The Connecticut Solar have been initially the Orlando Miracle, based in 1999 in the course of the WNBA’s enlargement from 10 to 12 groups. The Mohegan Tribe grew to become the primary Native American tribe to personal knowledgeable sports activities crew when it rescued the franchise from dire monetary straits and moved it to Connecticut in 2003.
The Solar has been one of the vital profitable regular-season groups in WNBA historical past, making the playoffs in 15 of its 21 seasons, however has by no means gained the WNBA championship.
Picture credit score: Flickr.com / Joe Bielawa
