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News of the team’s potential sale broke over the past few days, after a group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca reached a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun for a record $325 million and move the team to Boston, The Associated Press learned. Pagliuca would also contribute $100 million for a new practice facility in Boston for the team, an anonymous source told the outlet.
The deal would mark the largest amount ever offered for a women’s professional sports franchise, the New England Sports Network and The Boston Globe reported.
Pagliuca, on Sunday, released a statement through his group on social media, confirming an offer had been made to buy the team and move it out of Mohegan Sun Arena. But he said there were still approvals that had not been obtained from the WNBA’s Board of Governors.
“Central to our proposal is enabling the Sun to play in larger capacity arenas in New England,” Pagliuca wrote, in part. “We believe our record-setting offer and deep commitment to growing the WNBA in the region that is home to the most passionate basketball fans in the nation will significantly benefit the league, the team, and all its fans.”
If the deal goes through, the franchise wouldn’t play in Boston until the 2027 season.
The Connecticut Sun, meanwhile, have played at the Mohegan Sun resort and casino in Uncasville for over 20 years, having been purchased by the Mohegan Tribe in 2003. (The team had been established as the Orlando Miracle several years before.)
Fans walking out of Sunday afternoon’s loss to the New York Liberty say news of a probably sale is a tough pill to swallow.
“This is my 21st season, [I’m a] season ticket holder. It was just a real gut-punch,” fan Debra Pudlo said. “I wanted the league to stay around, and I thought that it was important that women had a league to play in here.”
And while the Sun wouldn’t be going far, some call the move a dealbreaker when it comes to traveling out-of-state.
“As much as Boston keeps saying, ‘Move the team to New England,’ Connecticut is already part of New England. It is our team, it’ll always be our team,” fan Amanda Ballassi said.
Coming with her family, Ballassi says the team inspired her to play basketball herself as she grew up. While she feels bruised knowing she might not be able to continue that tradition with her daughter, she understands that the players might want to strive for some change.
“This is not a big market; it’s really hard to get the high-caliber players here,” Ballassi said. “We’ve had a blast watching them and the ease of getting here, but totally makes sense.”
Some fans are still staying positive.
“They deserve more, there’s no doubt about it. They deserve to have nicer facilities and they deserve respect,” fan Margaret McGovern said. “Wherever they play, get it in the basket!”
The team had announced in May that it was searching for a potential buyer for the franchise and had hired investment bank Allen & Company to conduct the probe.
The WNBA has experienced rapid growth the last few seasons and ownership groups have been investing more into their teams, including player experiences. That has come in the way of practice facilities. The Sun are one of the few teams in the league that haven’t announced any plans for a new training facility. (The Sun practices either at the arena in the casino or a local community center.)
Despite the lack of facilities, the Sun have been one of the most successful teams in the league, making the postseason in 16 seasons, including a run of six straight semifinal appearances. But the team was hit hard this offseason with the entire starting five from last season leaving either via free agency or trade.
Connecticut is currently in last place in the WNBA at 5-22. The team sent out a letter to season ticket holders last week saying they’d still be playing at the casino next year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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