Final season in Connecticut?
The 2025 WNBA season kicks off Friday, and excitement could not be higher after a historic 2024 season that saw the league enjoy an unprecedented level of fan interest. But a cloud will be hanging over players, staff, and fans of the Connecticut Sun, as the team’s owner has engaged an outside firm to explore the possibility of selling the franchise, a financial move which could ultimately lead to relocation.
According to Sportico, the Mohegan Indian Tribe has hired investment bank Allen & Company to look into a sale. And there should be plenty of suitors. This season is the first in nearly two decades to feature a WNBA expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, and there were more than 10 groups that submitted bids during the expansion process. A process, by the way, that was managed by Allen & Company.
The Connecticut Sun play at Mohegan Sun Arena at the Mohegan Sun Casino, hence the team name. It is the only major professional team in the state; the team plays in one of the smallest arenas in the WNBA and is in the league’s smallest media market.
Costs going up
The explosion in the WNBA’s popularity in the last year has been a blessing and a curse for the Sun. On the one hand, the franchise’s value has likely skyrocketed: Sportico had it at $80 million last year, but that has almost certainly jumped since. In 2023 and 2024, expansion franchises were awarded for $50 million, but price for a team in the next expansion round is expected to be quadruple that.
On the other hand, team owners are now expected to spend much more to remain competitive. Some teams have built sparkling, modern training facilities. Others have announced plans to build their own, new arenas. The cost of keeping up has risen and the Connecticut Sun needs money, even with all the revenue streams that come from the Mohegan Sun casino.
Sportico says that the Sun could sell a limited partnership stake to raise funds, but a complete sale of the franchise is more likely. Toronto and Portland will have teams debut next year and Cleveland is likely a few years from now. But there are plenty of cities that had prospective ownership groups submit bids, so the well is far from dry. Among the potential cities to nab the Sun are Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Nashville.
The Connecticut Sun were originally the Orlando Miracle, founded in 1999 during the WNBA’s expansion from 10 to 12 teams. The Mohegan Tribe became the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team when it rescued the franchise from dire financial straits and moved it to Connecticut in 2003.
The Sun has been one of the most successful regular-season teams in WNBA history, making the playoffs in 15 of its 21 seasons, but has never won the WNBA championship.
Image credit: Flickr.com / Joe Bielawa
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