I’d like to start out by giving a special thanks to Lieutenant Governor (M. Jodi) Rell, who’s with us today, thank you for your support. It makes it very special to have you here today. And I can’t say enough about the women of the WNBA. I’m so proud to be associated with such an incredible group of players and I want all of you to know how thrilled I am that you’re all here today, and how brave you are, Spoon (Teresa Weatherspoon), to be here with all these UConn women … wow, La Tech, La Tech.
I can tell you, this is a great day for the WNBA, and most of all I want to thank all of you, what a great crowd is here today to witness this. I hope we’re going to see all of you on opening night. You’ll hear more about that in a few days.
In my six-plus years as President of the WNBA, I have been asked one question over and over again and that question has been: When will there be a team in Connecticut? And the answer is: We have one. It’s been a good question, and it’s been the right question because the fans in this state truly have a passion for women’s basketball that is unmatched in any other part of the country. Thanks to all of you, we’re here, in large part because of you. So, when we changed our operating model this past fall to allow for teams outside of NBA cities, I can tell you that Connecticut was at the top of the list of all the places we wanted to be. So I’m here today to make official what I think is probably the worst kept secret in the state of Connecticut. That is we’re welcoming to the WNBA our first independently owned and operated team. Our team is going to be owned by the Mohegan Tribe. They’re going to be known as the Connecticut Sun. They are going to call this spectacular state-of-the-art facility, the Mohegan Sun Arena, their home. They’re going to be guided by what I can tell you is an outstanding management team, many of whom are here today, and they’re going to have the benefit of what is a truly first-class operation. As I said before, they are going to be supported by some of the most ardent and loyal fans in all of sports.
I can tell you, more than anything, we are looking forward to reinforcing here in Connecticut what all of you know and what our fans around the country already know, and that is that women’s professional basketball is competitive. It’s fiercely fought, it’s exciting, it’s fun. Coming out to see our games is simply an experience not to be missed. I’m also very happy to make it official that the Mohegan Sun will become the new home for the Orlando Miracle.
It’s not often in sports that a hometown heroine gets to play professionally in the place where she first established herself, but Nykesha Sales is now going to have that extraordinary opportunity. I know she was loving those warm winters down in Orlando, but, hey, what’s better than coming home. I can assure all of you who are here today that this team, your team, the entire Orlando Miracle roster -- let me give you some of the names, not only do you have the benefit of seeing Nykesha play, but you’re going to see Shannon Johnson and Katie Douglas and Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Adrienne Johnson and Carla McGhee and Wendy Palmer and Clarisse Machanguana and others. I can tell you from the heart that this is an extraordinary group of women, and they’re going to make the state of Connecticut very proud.
And finally, before I step down, and most importantly, let me say that without the commitment of Mark Brown and the tribal council, this day would not have come. I can tell you without qualification that there simply would not be a WNBA team in Connecticut if it weren’t for Mark Brown. I want to stress that all women’s basketball fans in this state have him to thank for making this very historic moment possible.
Mark Brown, Chairman, Mohegan Tribe
It’s another amazing story and milestone in the tribe’s history, our state and also the history of sports. We are extremely proud to bring professional women’s basketball home to Connecticut where clearly everybody understands it belongs. We believe that no other state can compare with Connecticut’s love and enthusiasm for this basketball team or women’s basketball, and we are so pleased that we are able to bring that major league hoops team here.
We also believe that no other venue could compare to the Mohegan Sun. When we built this arena, we recognized that one of the important factors is basketball in this state, women’s basketball especially, so we built this arena with that in mind. We’ve hosted state basketball games, college games and tournaments in just the short history we’ve been here. But it’s a dream to have a professional team. That dream has finally come true for the Mohegan Tribe and also for the state of Connecticut.
It was said earlier that this idea came to the tribe. We have a great staff here with Mitchell Etess and his staff, and they came to the tribal council one day with this real novel idea: Is the tribe interested in a professional basketball team in Connecticut? It took us a millisecond, all the counselors sitting up here, to say, “Of course.” So we moved forward to the next stage and said, “Mitchell, go ahead. [It’s] time to start making contacts.” I want to thank each and every one of these gentlemen, along with the council for the support.
Finally, I would like to say I am very proud to be able to introduce another role model for the women of Connecticut. In this state, we’re very fortunate to have someone in the level of the Lieutenant Governor, and with that I’d like to say thank you, M. Jodi Rell. Could you please come up and say a few words?
M. Jodi Rell, Connecticut Lieutenant Governor
Wow, I can only say one thing: Isn’t it great to have professional women’s basketball back in Connecticut? I want to say welcome to you, welcome to the WNBA, and welcome Connecticut Sun. That has a nice ring to it. Actually right now just the word sun has a nice to ring to it. You’ve already heard a lot, but isn’t it nice to be able to welcome home some of our beautiful Connecticut players, and also one of our own, the heroine, Nykesha Sales? It’s nice to have you back. We look forward to all of those games.
Now I know that the University of Connecticut holds a special place in all of our hearts, but think about this for a moment as we watch some of these women here today, can’t you just imagine what future player from UCONN may be playing here next? Can you just imagine who it may be? It kind of brings a whole new perspective to us watching those games, to know that someday they could be a part of the Connecticut Sun. We’re anxiously waiting to see that next round, and we’re wishing them all the very best, too. There’s no doubt about it, women’s basketball has a great place in our heart here in Connecticut. The reason is real simple: because of its fans. That’s all of you, thank you very much.
Now I can tell you that our fan base is pretty broad. They go from the very young to the very old, and all of those in between. I’m not going to tell you which category I’m in, but I’m going to consider myself somewhere in the middle. Val [Ackerman] and I were talking backstage, and I’m going to tell you that I believe Connecticut has the best, most passionate, fan base of any town or city in the country. And that goes for Tennessee too, so take heart there. I had to say it; you know I had to say it.
Now I know that this team is going to succeed, and not in just this next season but for many years to come. And I know that when this team starts playing, the calendar is going to say summer, so things are going to heat up here and they’re going to heat up nicely. We’re all going to be listening for that squeak of those sneakers on the floor. We’re going to listen for those hoops. We’re going to be listening for our Connecticut Sun. So to the WNBA, thank you. Thank you for choosing Connecticut. Mark, the very best of luck to you. And to the players, it’s nice to see all of you again. I have to tell you, you’re a great group. We’re glad you’re here. Have a wonderful time.
Nykesha Sales, Connecticut Sun Forward
The WNBA in Connecticut, how great does that sound? When the Orlando franchise decided to move and there was buzz about being back in Connecticut, I started clicking my heels and saying, “There’s no place like home.” I definitely wanted to come back here.
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to play my early years of basketball in Connecticut, starting with the Connecticut Starters, then wonderful support at Bloomfield High School and an unbelievable four years playing for the University of Connecticut in front of soldout crowds every night. That was an unbelievable experience that not many women basketball players get to experience; on top of that, winning national championships. Even Spoon [New York Liberty Guard Teresa Weatherspoon] has won a couple. I know all of us have, but Spoon has won one also. Spoon was scared all of you would boo her, so I’m trying to make her feel comfortable here in Connecticut.
I’m very happy to be here. I think bringing a program to Connecticut was a great step. We’re very happy to be here. I know a lot of great things are going to happen. The women’s game has come a long way. I remember back in high school that I was excited with the opportunity to just play college basketball here with so many fans who are interested in women’s basketball. And then you get to college and you realize you don’t have to go overseas to play basketball, which was even better. With the WNBA here, I know you’ve fulfilled a lot of players’ dreams to stay here and play in front of wonderful fans. I take nothing from the Orlando fans, but there’s definitely something special with the Connecticut fans. I’m definitely happy to be here. They’re fans like no other.
As far as the players here, I think we owe it to ourselves and to Connecticut to bring you the best possible basketball every night. I know on behalf of our team, we are dedicated to working very hard, bringing a lot of skill, a lot of physical play -- somewhat but keep it to a minimum -- and a lot of heart and determination. These players are already putting in their bids to get here. They’re definitely going to be really excited to come back here and play in front of you. Speaking on behalf of them, they’re going to work really hard to make the WNBA a success. Our hopes are only to make all of you proud, make Connecticut proud, and all those surrounding areas that will come to watch us play. And again, I’m very, very happy to be home.
Q: Pro teams have tried to distance themselves from gambling. Do you think this erodes the firewall that has kept pro sports honest?
Ackerman: The short answer is no. In this case, it doesn't present a problem for us. The Mohegan Sun Casino, unlike some of the situations you are referring to, doesn't accept any form of sports wagering. There is no sports booking whatsoever here, and there will not be. So, in this context, it really hasn’t presented a problem for us. I would just say that, generally, what we felt we had here was an extraordinary package of amenities that included a wonderful arena and a great management team that has experience in promoting great events, including sports events. In fact, there are a whole host of shows here -- Mitchell and Mark could speak better than I could -- but we have a history of a great many events here of all kinds, including arena football and others. We felt that women's professional basketball could very much thrive in the kind of setting the Mohegan Sun is providing for us.
Brown: The other thing is that from the Mohegan Sun's perspective, if you've noticed the way this place is designed, it's designed not to force you through a gaming floor. The other aspect is that this is not just a gaming destination, this is an entertainment destination. That is the real focal point. This arena that seats 10,000 people has been host to several things. I took my own children to a Nutcracker ball that was here. It's not just about those people of gaming age. This is just another amenity that is there for the families.
Mitchell Etess, Executive Vice President of Marketing: We've done, of course, boxing. That has been a staple of ours. We've had several college basketball games. We've had a sellout Jim Calhoun Charity Classic over the summer; Jen Rizzotti Charity Classic had 7,000 people. Of course, we were fortunate or lucky that the first event ever in this arena was Michael Jordan playing basketball for the Wizards against the Boston Celtics. In addition to that, almost every single TV network has broadcast from here either live or delayed. So, we have set a precedent for a wide range of family entertainment.
Q: Will there be any games in the Hartford Civic Center?
Etess: We’re definitely interested in playing in the Civic Center. We haven’t quite finalized exactly when and how many games that would be. I think when the schedule comes out shortly, that will be obvious. We haven’t actually finalized our arrangements with them, so we don’t want to talk too much about it, but we have talked about playing at least one regular season game there and a preseason game there. Honestly, the scheduling may be an issue with getting the preseason game in there, so we’re going to be up front about that right now, but our original intention was one and one.
Ackerman: I would like to add that it’s very much with our blessing at the league that there be an opportunity to play in Hartford. I think all of us think of this as Connecticut’s team. We’re very hopeful that fans in Hartford and elsewhere around the state, whether it’s Danbury or New London, or up in Providence or maybe coming down from Boston, are going to support the team. I think one of the things that sold us is that this arena is very accessible and easy to get to from so many different parts of the region. We’re obviously very mindful of the interest in Hartford and hopeful that the fans there will make the trip over and look at this as their team as much as it is the team of those that are a little closer geographically.
Rell: Just to add to that, in talking with Mark (Brown), one of the things we have talked about is being able to enhance some of the events in Hartford, in addition to those in the Civic Center, but also doing things in the community with the local YWCA camps. Hopefully, we’ll be able to engage more in that.
Q: Is there any possible chance the team will play in Bridgeport as well?
Brown: We’ve actually thought about it. We haven’t made any steps to do that right now. We talked about a possible preseason game there, but we haven’t talked to the league about that yet. It is something that has entered our minds, but there are no plans at this particular point in time.
Q: Can you talk about the price tag you paid and why it’s a good investment?
Brown: I think the one thing we’re not going to do is nail down the price today. It will probably come out in the future. We looked at it from a couple of perspectives. Number one, in the business perspective, does it bring another draw to our facility here? But more than that, I think we looked at it as women’s basketball in the state of Connecticut, where does it belong? If we can deliver a quality product here in our arena, that’s what we look to do, but the price will be something you’ll have to wait on.
Ackerman: Do you know what the Celtics got? It wasn’t that, but we’re pleased.
Q: Will this affect having a team in Boston?
Ackerman: It still remains a possibility that there could be a WNBA team in Boston. My guess is that the first option will go to the Celtics ownership, and all of you know that it’s new. We’ve had some very preliminary discussions with them about the prospects of someday it happening, but I think in the near term and even the medium term, they’re going to be focused on the Celtics and taking over that operation and getting it to where they want it to be. But I think of Boston in many ways as a distinct market. I think if you were there you’d probably pull from southern Maine. In the meantime, it’s our hope that fans in Boston would make the trip down. It’s very accessible from there, and I hope very much that this would be received in many of the same ways that that Blizzard was received as New England’s team.
Q: Was this group the only viable candidate to have a team?
Ackerman: No, there were some other groups that we spoke with, really over the course of the last several months, most of which were Hartford-based. But the level of support that we required never materialized. This group was the group that stepped up and made it clear that we were very much wanted, that put together what I think is just an incredible package for the WNBA in terms of where the team would play, what the promotional plan would be, what the staffing would be. More than any other group, this was the group that will hit the ground running and help make this a reality. From our standpoint, we couldn’t be happier.
Q: What’s the goal in terms of fan participation?
Etess: Our goal is to sell out every single game. I think that given the level of support that the UConn women have had and how the Blizzard was successful, I think when you look at this facility and how much fun it is to come here, how easy it is to get here, the time of year and how that plays in to where our location is, our goal is to fill every seat for every game. I don’t think it’s a totally unachievable goal. We have the team in place. Tickets are going to be on sale now. I have a lot of confidence in the marketing staff here. We’re fortunate to have Paul Munick, who spent 20 years at Madison Square Garden, and Chris Sienko, who just happens to be working here at the time and was the general manager of the Blizzard, so we think we bring a lot to the table and have a great chance to achieve success.
Q: Will there be territorial rights instituted to keep some of the great Connecticut players home to play for the Sun?
Ackerman: We don’t have that in the WNBA. When we started the league, we did some engineering, trying to get certain players in certain markets, but we haven’t intervened in that kind of way for several years. The primary way for players to enter our league is through our draft, which we hold every year in the April timeframe after the college season ends. We anticipate that will continue to be the mechanism to get players into the WNBA. We do allow for teams to relatively easily make trades, and I think that is probably what this group might consider doing with their current roster and the potential trades they might want to make. But that’s their call. It’s up to them. I think we have here a fan base that is so sophisticated about women’s basketball that I’d be shocked if after a short while they didn’t fall in love with some of these players on the current roster. These women are terrific, they’re great role models and they’re going to be embraced as if they were playing in Storrs. And the good news is we have so many Connecticut players now in the WNBA that more than half the teams are going to have somebody for whom the game will be a homecoming. It will Sue Bird night, Swin Cash night. I think, frankly, that raises some interesting promotional opportunities for the players. I think the Connecticut influence will be pretty profound. We’re looking forward to it.
Q: You lost two teams this year. What does that mean for the future of the league?
Ackerman: Well, we, as many of you know, made a major change in the structure of the league several months ago. The NBA Board of Governors made the decision to reconstitute our structure in a way to allow for our teams to be individually owned, much like they are in the NBA and other sports. That was a very major change in the operation of the league, which will open us up to markets like this one. It wasn’t part of the original model to be able to come to a place like this. The new model we think opens up some very good possibilities for the league. We did lose two teams, but we have two new teams that want to be a part of the league. As many of you know we are going to be in another new market in San Antonio this summer, they will take over the Utah Starzz. We also had a very encouraging development in that Robert Johnson, who was awarded the NBA’s new team in Charlotte, as part of that transaction, will take over the ownership of the Charlotte Sting, which will allow us to keep our operation in Charlotte going. I would call it a bit of a transition period right now for the league as we evolve into the new model, but we are as confident as ever that women’s basketball has a place.
Q: When will the coaching staff will be put in place?
Etess: That will be our first order of business. I can’t give you a date, but we’ll be hard at work searching out coaching prospects because the season is going to be upon us quickly.
Q: Does this mean you’re open to other casinos owning teams?
Ackerman: We’re going to look at each situation on a case-by-case basis. We felt very comfortable here. We’re going to look at every situation on its own merits.
Q: (To Rell) What does this mean for Connecticut?
Rell: We’re just thrilled to have the WNBA in Connecticut. I’m ecstatic that we now have professional women’s basketball in Connecticut. This goes back a long ways. Val and I have been on the phone over the last couple of years talking about it. When they actually changed the rules, we kept saying to them, let Connecticut be your first choice. Yes, we would like to have more games in Hartford, but the mere fact that we are playing some and have committed to some is a great thing. We’re just thrilled to have the WNBA in Connecticut.
Q: How soon will the schedule be out?
Ackerman: It will be out within days. We intend to have something out by early Thursday. We have expanded the schedule to 34 games, which means 17 home dates. Our preseason and playoffs will remain unchanged, but to accommodate the extra games, we will expand our season into September, which is something we’ve never done before.
Q: Does this enhance rivalries?
Ackerman: I was telling Spoon today, you’ve got a rival. Whether it’s New York and Connecticut, or Washington. Connecticut joins our Eastern Conference, one of seven teams, and our Western Conference will have seven for a total of 14. But I think there are some great rivalries here.
Q: Any word on the media coverage you plan for the team?
Etess: We are certainly hopeful that all the games will be broadcast over radio, and we’re hopeful to put together a television package that does not conflict with national games as per league rules. Obviously, we have a lot to do between now and the first tip. TV and radio are at the top of the list.
Q: Who is the GM of the team?
Etess: For the interim basis, Chris Sienko will be acting as the GM, working closely with Paul Munick.
Q: What’s going on with the Collective Bargaining Agreement?
Ackerman: We’re in the midst of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with our players association. The old one ran out in September. We had a meeting last week with the players and exchanged a lot of information. We remain as hopeful as ever that we will have an agreement by the start of the season.
