WNBA expansion

[ellobo]

a league statement emphasized that "relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams

is this true in other leagues?
when the rams and raiders moved to los angeles and las vegas, the league made the final choice not the owners of the teams?

I'm sure the league didn't CHOOSE to relocate from Orlando to Uncasville. But I'm sure Orlando took the best offer they had and the league approved it.

[hermes]

That's what this is all about, they want to make the WNBA a subsidiary of the MNBA, which is also why they don't want to sell to Boston, cause Pagulica isn't gonna be part of Celtics ownership after the sale

It's just such a slimeball move by the league, if the Sun leave CT I might not be a WNBA fan anymore, it's just ridiculous.

is it not a subsidiary now? the nba owns a good chunk of the wnba

[hermes]

this is embarrassing. the wnba and nba should be embarrassed.

the tribe should say something (or leak something) to the effect of: 'boy i really hope the league isn't being racist and discriminatory against native americans by not letting us sell to the highest bidder'

might as well make the league look completely terrible

[DOT]

That's what this is all about, they want to make the WNBA a subsidiary of the MNBA, which is also why they don't want to sell to Boston, cause Pagulica isn't gonna be part of Celtics ownership after the sale

It's just such a slimeball move by the league, if the Sun leave CT I might not be a WNBA fan anymore, it's just ridiculous.

is it not a subsidiary now? the nba owns a good chunk of the wnba

I mean in its entirety

They only want WNBA teams to be owned by NBA franchises so they can get all the profit from it

Something else that this is gonna have an effect on is CBA negotiations, cause if the league offered $250 million straight up to buy the Sun, the WNBAPA is gonna use that when they try to argue they have no money to pay them and the league is broke so salaries can't go up. There are only like 150 total players in the league, that's like $1.8 million per player, while the league is saying the best they can do is max salaries of $1 million.

[DOT]

a league statement emphasized that "relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams

is this true in other leagues?
when the rams and raiders moved to los angeles and las vegas, the league made the final choice not the owners of the teams?

I'm sure the league didn't CHOOSE to relocate from Orlando to Uncasville. But I'm sure Orlando took the best offer they had and the league approved it.

Right, that's the thing

The only time a league will tell a team they can't take a higher offer is if they have a slightly lower offer to remain in-state. I think if I'm reading this correct, the Kings were to be sold to Seattle in 2013, but then were rejected by the NBA board and sold to a Sacramento group for slightly less money than what the Seattle group was offering

But it's the opposite in this scenario, both Boston and Hartford are offering the most money, with Hartford being within the market the league explicitly told the tribe they had to stay in, and the league is trying to make them sell for significantly less money ($250 million is just over 75% of $325 million) to move farther away, and to completely leave the New England market for the next decade at least.

[DOT]

So now the tribe are considering not selling the team and just looking to get some minority owners in to help with cash in order to build proper facilities

Honestly, this whole thing is incredibly stupid and is just the WNBA shooting itself in the foot by being greedy. But the thing that annoys me the most is how in the national media, nobody even talks about the Hartford offer like it's real, it's always "the Sun were sold to Boston, then the league said no and wants to move them to Houston" when that was never the case, the tribe never agreed to any offer. Even at the time the initial reports came out, Pagliuca said nothing was agreed on, yet every article talks like Boston was a done deal and the only viable option to keep them in New England

Not that I would hate the team staying in Uncasville, but if they're gonna stay, moving to Hartford would be better for everybody involved, the tribe gets the biggest offer, the players get a brand new practice facility (though potentially not as nice as the one they would get to move to Boston), the team gets a substantially larger arena in an area where women's basketball is loved and where more people live, and the league doesn't have to deal with having a team in Boston that isn't owned by the Celtics org and all the headaches that would cause

It's just a whole mess.

[hermes]

having the hartford group be minority owners seems like the play. maybe they can slowly increase their stake over time and when the league is not being so dumb about this can finally buy the team outright

[DOT]

having the hartford group be minority owners seems like the play. maybe they can slowly increase their stake over time and when the league is not being so dumb about this can finally buy the team outright

That's probably how it's gonna play out

The tribe and the Lasry group negotiate a minority ownership stake which goes to funding a new practice facility, probably have the Sun play a couple games a year in Hartford, then see if in a few years the league would be amenable to Lasry outright buying the team and having them play in Hartford full time

It's not ideal for really anyone, but it'll piss Boston off and keep the team in CT, so I would consider it a win. F*ck Boston.

[DOT]

Mayor of Hartford had some pretty strong words for the league yesterday

https://www.reddit.com/r/ConnecticutSun/comments/1n3924h/hartford_mayors_speech_defending_the_mohegan/

The WNBA is essentially telling a group of investors who are ready to purchase the Sun, have them play right here at the People's Bank Arena: "We are going to block that deal." You've seen the reports. And we are saying that it is time to fight back. It's ridiculous.

Look, for the WNBA to say essentially to Connecticut, "No matter what you do, uh, you can't have a team in Connecticut, we are going to block a deal to allow you to keep a team in Connecticut, have them play here in, Hartford...uh, and by the way, we want you to sell the team to us for $250 million" -- which is $75 million less than the offer that is being talked about, to pay the owner, current owners, which is a tribe of Native Americans, $75 million less than the market value of this team -- it's ridiculous behavior from the league.

Look, half the WNBA cut their teeth on the hardwood right behind me, playing either for or against the most storied basketball team in all of women's basketball, the UConn Huskies. And this is how the league shows their appreciation for that history, by saying to Connecticut, "You don't get to have a team anymore"?

And in 2025, for a league to say to a tribe of Native Americans who own this team, "We're going to cheat you out of $75 million in the process", speaks to the values of the league. A league that is willing to put TV deals above the history of the game. A league that's willing to cheat a Native American tribe out of $75 million in the process seems like a league that's lost its way. And it's time for us in Connecticut to remind them what the value of women's basketball is to the state and to this league.

And they should remember the history of women's basketball here in the state of Connecticut. I get it. We we may not be the biggest media market. We're not Boston or New York. But we're also tired of being pushed around and bullied by bigger cities. This is a proud city and a proud state and we are ready to fight back.

And so I'm calling on Connecticut residents to work with me to put pressure on the league to say, "Do not take away our team. You cannot steal the Connecticut Sun from us because we're going to put up a hell of a fight to keep them right here in the state of Connecticut."

I'm asking you to join me, Connecticut residents, in that fight to put pressure on the league. We have investors who are willing to bring this team here to Hartford, to keep them in Connecticut, in the Basketball Capital of the World. And the league should appreciate and value that.

It's looking like the end result is gonna be the tribe keeping the team out of spite lol

And good for them, the league is being utterly ridiculous in how they're handling this situation.

[DOT]

It's looking like the end result is gonna be the tribe keeping the team out of spite lol

And good for them, the league is being utterly ridiculous in how they're handling this situation.

Well, here it is:

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/46157068/connecticut-proposal-see-state-take-minority-sun-stake

The proposed investment, which would use funds affiliated with the state, would involve the Sun selling a minority stake in the franchise at a valuation higher than the WNBA's current $250 million offer to buy the team, which would allow the league to relocate the franchise to a market of its choice.

Games would be held at Mohegan Sun Arena, the team's current home site, and PeoplesBank Arena (formerly the XL Center) in Hartford. There is a desire from the state to hold more games in Hartford, but at the moment, the Sun are allocated only a handful of games to be held there each season.

The state would also build and finance a practice facility in Hartford, sources told ESPN, that would be leased by the team.

After uncertainty has reigned over the Sun's future, the proposal, if agreed to, would mark a commitment from the Mohegan tribe to keep the team in Connecticut over the next decade.

"The Mohegan tribe is very committed to trying to keep the Sun in the state, and the state of Connecticut very much values the tribe as a key partner," Bysiewicz said. "We want to keep that strong partnership with the tribe that we've had going because they took a leap of faith going back to the beginning, saying that Connecticut should have a women's basketball team here when not a lot of others thought that was a great idea."

Connecticut's bid could be the cleanest option for the tribe, as it would not reflect a franchise relocation or require a relocation fee.

"We so appreciate what they do and what they represent," Bysiewicz said of the Sun. "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."

Get f*cked Adam and Cathy.

[hermes]

so the actual state government is going to be a minority owner? interesting, wonder how big of a slice they will get

[DOT]

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/46199554/senator-warns-wnba-stay-sun-sale-negotiations

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the WNBA on Monday warning the league to stay out of negotiations between the Mohegan tribe and prospective new ownership groups for the Connecticut Sun, and that "any attempts by the WNBA to block efforts to keep the Sun in Connecticut could violate federal antitrust laws."

https://www.reddit.com/r/wnba/comments/1nbowyh/us_senator_blumenthals_message_to_the_wnba/

Thanks, Dick

By the way, our AG, William Tong, is really good at winning antitrust cases. So I repeat, get f*cked Adam and Cathy

Our other Senator:

Spoiler:

He's just spitting facts here. And doing the PR move of conflating Tillman with Trump, essentially making this a proxy Trump vs the Mohegan Tribe

In essence,

[MrDollarBills]

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/46199554/senator-warns-wnba-stay-sun-sale-negotiations

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the WNBA on Monday warning the league to stay out of negotiations between the Mohegan tribe and prospective new ownership groups for the Connecticut Sun, and that "any attempts by the WNBA to block efforts to keep the Sun in Connecticut could violate federal antitrust laws."

https://www.reddit.com/r/wnba/comments/1nbowyh/us_senator_blumenthals_message_to_the_wnba/

Thanks, Dick

By the way, our AG, William Tong, is really good at winning antitrust cases. So I repeat, get f*cked Adam and Cathy

Our other Senator:

Spoiler:

He's just spitting facts here. And doing the PR move of conflating Tillman with Trump, essentially making this a proxy Trump vs the Mohegan Tribe

In essence,

Seeing a state actually FIGHT to keep their sports team and offer very sensible solutions about doing it is refreshing. Seeing CT fight back against open corruption is amazing.

F*ck Adam and Cathy.

[DOT]

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/46199554/senator-warns-wnba-stay-sun-sale-negotiations

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the WNBA on Monday warning the league to stay out of negotiations between the Mohegan tribe and prospective new ownership groups for the Connecticut Sun, and that "any attempts by the WNBA to block efforts to keep the Sun in Connecticut could violate federal antitrust laws."

https://www.reddit.com/r/wnba/comments/1nbowyh/us_senator_blumenthals_message_to_the_wnba/

Thanks, Dick

By the way, our AG, William Tong, is really good at winning antitrust cases. So I repeat, get f*cked Adam and Cathy

Our other Senator:

Spoiler:

He's just spitting facts here. And doing the PR move of conflating Tillman with Trump, essentially making this a proxy Trump vs the Mohegan Tribe

In essence,

Seeing a state actually FIGHT to keep their sports team and offer very sensible solutions about doing it is refreshing. Seeing CT fight back against open corruption is amazing.

F*ck Adam and Cathy.

Yeah, we're a small but very rich state

We don't have much in terms of culture, mostly because we're stuck right between Boston and New York, but the one thing I think the rest of the country would associate with us is women's basketball

Basically, we're not playing when it comes to women's basketball. It's our thing. Especially because the WNBA is becoming a much bigger brand, we're gonna want to keep the team around, cause other than that, our biggest pro sport team would be like, the Athletic who are in the 2nd league or whatever it's called for soccer (so not MLS, the tier below that), some lacrosse teams I think, and minor league baseball and hockey

If it were a choice between Boston and Hartford, I would get it if they moved to Boston, especially if Boston were offering more. I would hate it, but I would get it. But Houston? Nah, f*ck that. And something Chris Murphy didn't mention about the Boston deal is, they would play in Providence for half the season (exaggerating, it would be more than a few games though), so it's not Boston vs Hartford, it's Boston/Providence vs Hartford.

[DOT]

By the way, our AG, William Tong, is really good at winning antitrust cases.

From the top rope:

https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2025/91125-letter-to-wnba.pdf?rev=d8588d39126f4398b3c72088051c91ab&hash=21764653B25B6AECAA1F94430FD9F5E9

I am troubled by recent reports in the press that the WNBA may be wrongfully blocking a sale of the Connecticut Sun that would keep the Team in Connecticut in a manner that may be anticompetitive and may violate state and federal law,” Attorney General Tong states. “I am also concerned about press reports that, in lieu of a sale of the Team to a Connecticut-based buyer, the WNBA is demanding that the Team be sold to the League itself at a price tens of millions of dollars below market value, which could then be sold later to an owner approved to move the Team to a city that is part of the League’s plan of expansion. To better understand the position of the WNBA, and the relative rights and responsibilities of the WNBA, and the Connecticut Sun, we respectfully request that you provide the state and the Office of the Attorney General with the following information,
(1) a copy of the WNBA, LLC Operating Agreement;
(2) the WNBA Membership Agreement between Team and WNBA;
(3) the WNBA Operating Manual;
(4) all other WNBA League Rules and Regulations; and
(5) copies of all valuations of the Team, including but not limited to any appraisal, offer and/or
expression of interest.

[ellobo]

By the way, our AG, William Tong, is really good at winning antitrust cases.

From the top rope:

https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2025/91125-letter-to-wnba.pdf?rev=d8588d39126f4398b3c72088051c91ab&hash=21764653B25B6AECAA1F94430FD9F5E9

I am troubled by recent reports in the press that the WNBA may be wrongfully blocking a sale of the Connecticut Sun that would keep the Team in Connecticut in a manner that may be anticompetitive and may violate state and federal law,” Attorney General Tong states. “I am also concerned about press reports that, in lieu of a sale of the Team to a Connecticut-based buyer, the WNBA is demanding that the Team be sold to the League itself at a price tens of millions of dollars below market value, which could then be sold later to an owner approved to move the Team to a city that is part of the League’s plan of expansion. To better understand the position of the WNBA, and the relative rights and responsibilities of the WNBA, and the Connecticut Sun, we respectfully request that you provide the state and the Office of the Attorney General with the following information,
(1) a copy of the WNBA, LLC Operating Agreement;
(2) the WNBA Membership Agreement between Team and WNBA;
(3) the WNBA Operating Manual;
(4) all other WNBA League Rules and Regulations; and
(5) copies of all valuations of the Team, including but not limited to any appraisal, offer and/or
expression of interest.

William Tong was my state representative before he became attorney general, and I've talked with him when he was canvassing door to door in my neighborhood. I've always had a very positive impression of him.