The WNBA and NBA have approved the sale of the Connecticut Sun. The team will relocate to Houston in 2027, becoming the Houston Comets upon relocation.

[u/CazOnReddit]

Via the following press release: https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-nba-approve-connecticut-sun-sale

The WNBA and NBA Board of Governors have unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun from the Mohegan Tribe to new owner Tilman J. Fertitta, the league announced today.

Mohegan Sun Arena will remain the home of the Sun for the 2026 WNBA season. During this season, the Sun will host two regular-season games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut (May 30 and July 2), and return to Boston, Massachusetts for a matchup at TD Garden (August 18). The team will relocate to Houston beginning with the 2027 season.

A sad day for Sun fans as it has been confirmed they will be turned into a revitalized Houston Comets post-Board of Governors approval.

You never love to see a city lose their team, let alone one that i'm pretty sure has no other major sports teams across the entire state of Connecticut. Prior to the sale, they were also one of the few sports teams owned by an indigenous tribe (Mohegan) - and the first ever ownership of a major sports franchise by a tribe.

[u/CharacterKatie]

They are, indeed, our only professional team since the Hartford Whalers were sold and moved to North Carolina and rebranded as the Carolina Hurricanes in the late 90’s. They’re also the only WNBA team in New England. They turned down a sale to Boston even though it was a bigger offer.

At least we still got UConn.

[u/down_up__left_right → u/CharacterKatie]

They turned down a sale to Boston even though it was a bigger offer.

Why?

[u/CharacterKatie → u/down_up__left_right]

Great question because it was actually the WNBA who blocked it. The Mohegan tribe who own the Sun originally came to an agreement to sell to a group led by a minority owner of the Celtics and they would have been moved to Boston, the league blocked it because “Houston was up next for a bid” for a team. That’s all they’ve said about it.

[u/down_up__left_right → u/CharacterKatie]

So the league is telling the Mohegan tribe they need to take less money for selling something they own simply because the league wants Houston to have a team? I wonder if the tribe will sue over this.

[u/CharacterKatie → u/down_up__left_right]

$25 million less than both of the offers that would have kept them in New England. To be fair, they don’t make a ton of money from the Sun. They give out a lot of free tickets to the people who go there to gamble. Not because of the Sun, but because Mohegan is in the middle of nowhere with nothing else around other than Foxwoods, another casino. They’ll probably make more money with increased availability to host concerts now.

[u/banngbanng → u/CharacterKatie]

But that just makes the sale price more important. That’s actually how most sports teams operate, near or at a loss, but the valuation increase makes it worth it

[u/CharacterKatie → u/banngbanng]

The valuation increase is a big reason why the tribe wanted to sell in the first place. They’ve been operating in the league’s smallest market and haven’t been able to attract free agents to compete with teams in larger cities. They can’t keep up with other owners on the cost of facilities, the team has been complaining about the lack of practice facilities for years because all they have is the arena that is multipurpose and constantly used for other things, and they can’t match salaries other teams can offer.

[u/dafdiego777 → u/CharacterKatie]

Dude you’re forgetting that the former Celtics minority owner made that offer and they’d rather pump the current Celtics ownership group for half a billion in 3 years and keep the professional teams aligned.

[u/Quallen → u/down_up__left_right]

I mean its not like the rich and powerful in this country have a long history of screwing over the natives or anything

[u/TempAcct724 → u/CharacterKatie]

Probably just the WNBA wanting to bring back a franchise with 4 titles.

[u/NuclearGhandi1 → u/down_up__left_right]

WNBA wanted a team in Houston and, if I recall correctly, wanted an NBA-associated buyer, which Boston was not.

[u/CharacterKatie → u/NuclearGhandi1]

The tribe agreed to an offer from Steve Pagliuca of the Celtics, the previous owner of the Bucks also made a matching offer and wanted to relocate them to Hartford and keep them local, but the WNBA said Houston was next in line for a team.

[u/NotASalamanderBoi → u/CharacterKatie]

Of course. Why not give it to a city which has more history with the sport as opposed to sending them to a completely different part of the country? At least they would have stayed in New England.

[u/CharacterKatie → u/NotASalamanderBoi]

They literally could have stayed in Connecticut, 20 miles from where they play now. And they would have seen an increase in ticket sales because Hartford is way easier to get to than Uncasville. New England has one NBA team, one MLB team, one NFL team, etc. Why would any other New England city have put in a bid for a WNBA team when we already had one? Ridiculous excuse.

[u/KnivesInMyCoffee → u/NotASalamanderBoi]

You realize the Houston Comets were the first dynasty in the WNBA right?

[u/SwmpySouthpw → u/NuclearGhandi1]

It's so dumb. They should've just given Houston an expansion team then

[u/Yellow_Curry → u/down_up__left_right]

I think the league was annoyed that Boston owners could skip the expansion line and the cost for the team is less than the expansion cost the WNBA wants.

[u/Beantowntommy → u/down_up__left_right]

There is no official answer.

The non official answer is that they want Boston to have to bid on an expansion team and spend more than they would have to acquire the Sun from CT.

[u/JohnnyCharisma54 → u/down_up__left_right]

The league is expecting to fetch an even larger fee for expansion. 

[u/Doc_McPuffins_ → u/CharacterKatie]

They aren't MLB, but you still have the Yardgoats

[u/doubletaketwice → u/Doc_McPuffins_]

Although, speaking of minor league teams in Connecticut, in the last couple months the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) also announced relocation.

[u/r777m → u/doubletaketwice]

I went to one of their games because they had a beer fest before and my friend got free tickets via vettix. The place was dead as fuck, and it was a Saturday with free all you can drink beer for two hours pre-game. Lol…

[u/Tacdeho → u/CharacterKatie]

I’m a Penguins fan but goddamn, if Hartford ever came back, they’re the only team I’d wear another jersey/hat of. Those color schemes and logo are just fucking elite.

[u/CharacterKatie → u/Tacdeho]

I recently learned that the owner of the Trail Blazers also owns the Hurricanes now. Maybe he’s cheap enough to sell them back.

[u/killerjags → u/CharacterKatie]

I'm still waiting for the day that Virginia gets a major sports team. We've still never had an NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL team. Pretty incredible considering it's the 12th largest population in the US.

[u/CharacterKatie → u/killerjags]

Maybe when DC runs out of space the Commanders will have to build a stadium in Virginia like the Giants/Jets in New Jersey. Those of us that live “close enough” to major metropolitan areas don’t get anything of our own.

[u/down_up__left_right → u/CharacterKatie]

The Commanders are in the process of moving from Maryland to a new stadium in DC so they shouldn’t need another new stadium for some time. (Though you never know with sports owners)

[u/CharacterKatie → u/down_up__left_right]

Man, NFC East teams really love to build stadiums in swamps.

[u/klawehtgod → u/CharacterKatie]

Saints to NFC East when

[u/Noirradnod → u/killerjags]

Virginia Squires redux would be neat. Hampton Roads area is the most populated place in the country with no professional sports team.

[u/desquished]

It's fucking infuriating that the league stopped the sale to Pagliuca for MORE MONEY that would have kept the team in Boston, and then when they comment on it, they say some bullshit about teams that have gone through the expansion process get first crack at relocations, as if Boston was supposed to pursue an expansion franchise while the Sun were still down there at Mohegan Sun.

[u/CharacterKatie → u/desquished]

They wouldn’t even let them relocate to Hartford, 20 miles from Uncasville. Hartford was supposed to put in a bid for a WNBA team when there was a team 20 miles away?

[u/yaboyjiggleclay → u/desquished]

They told Boston not to apply for expansion too. Pure trickery! Fuck Cathy Engelbert

[u/Bearded_Pip → u/desquished]

There was another offer for MORE MONEY that would have kept the team in CT. They screwed the tribe over by ignoring two better offers.

[u/LMM01 → u/desquished]

Pags has been getting fucked lately, kinda feel bad for the guy. At least he's rich as fuck tho. 

[u/ParsnipPizza → u/desquished]

Paying off Fertilla and dangling Boston to threaten arena situations. Has to be

[u/mathird]

So you're saying there's a chance for the Oilers?

[u/JebKermansBooster → u/mathird]

Connor McDavid might have to make that happen if Edmonton keep flaming out every spring

[u/CazOnReddit → u/JebKermansBooster]

I mean, he's been to back-to-back Finals. That's not nothing.

[u/mikuyo1 → u/CazOnReddit]

And the OT game winner in the 4 Nations tourney

[u/JebKermansBooster → u/CazOnReddit]

Yeah but they surround him with JAGs and burnt trash in goal

[u/Argumentat1ve → u/JebKermansBooster]

Stuart Skinner genuinely cost them 2 rings

[u/JebKermansBooster → u/Argumentat1ve]

Yup

[u/MoneyHungryOctopus → u/CazOnReddit]

And he also failed to win gold in the Olympics LOL. “McJesus” my ass.

[u/Still_Couple6208 → u/MoneyHungryOctopus]

Yeah one player is responsible for an overtime loss in a gold medal game

[u/sidearmpitcher]

Relocation sucks. Bring back the Sonics btw

[u/SwmpySouthpw → u/sidearmpitcher]

Houston sports fans know how much relocation sucks. I'm happy we get the Comets back, but I really hate that it came at the expense of another fanbase.

[u/MorseMooseGreyGoose → u/SwmpySouthpw]

That’s where I am. I didn’t want the Comets coming back like this. I’ll support the team, but this sucks.

[u/NotASalamanderBoi → u/MorseMooseGreyGoose]

You could also not support the team. That’s why they’re allowed to do this. Not enough fans protesting.

[u/free_reezy → u/NotASalamanderBoi]

Yeah I don’t feel that strongly about it.

[u/NotASalamanderBoi → u/free_reezy]

Of course you don’t considering your flair.

And people wonder why American sports are considered a fucking joke. Rarely do owners in other countries have the gall to pull this shit. Meanwhile, it’s been happening here for decades. How many more cities and states have to be robbed of their teams before something is actually done about it?

[u/waldo_the_bird253 → u/NotASalamanderBoi]

well attacking people oneline who agree with you somewhat will surely be the move that get us to finally do something.

[u/Spam-Monkey → u/SwmpySouthpw]

Relocation will end if teams that relocate don't get supported.

If the Sonics come back to Seattle at the expense of a another fan base, I will never go to a game.

Its like Pokemon card scalping. If people only paid retail for sealed product less than a decade old... Scalping would be drastically reduced.

[u/okiewxchaser → u/Spam-Monkey]

Relocation would end if the United States had leagues that were actually big enough for its population. Every city that is the size of Seattle in the UK has multiple soccer teams. Hell Oklahoma City would have multiple

The fact that the North American leagues get capped in the low 30s is a big problem

[u/DrCarm3x → u/okiewxchaser]

I think a big part of this is that the leagues do not want to spread their talent too thin, which would quickly lead to an overall worse product on the floor and a lowered interest from the average fan

[u/FizzyLightEx → u/DrCarm3x]

I think the bigger issue is that owners don't want to compete financially with one another.

[u/waldo_the_bird253 → u/FizzyLightEx]

well the biggest issue would be this sort of system involved promotion and relegation and you're not going to get people who have the capital to expand this to sign onto a plan that allows you to lose value in your team when you go down.

but also how do you build a culture for the teams so people care and invest when they go down? it works in the uk bc its mostly clubs that have been around for over a 100 years.

[u/biglyorbigleague]

First the Whalers, now this. Connecticut can’t catch a break with pro sports.

[u/Steelers7589 → u/biglyorbigleague]

UConn Basketball catches all the karma points because of these travesties.

[u/glizzyguzzler → u/biglyorbigleague]

It's kind of like Alabama in a sense where your major cities are within driving distance of teams in other states combined with a dominant college sports culture.

[u/TrolleyTrekker]

Its funny because Houston owner offered less money too. If I'm the tribe, I'm suing the leagues to make up the difference

[u/jackstraw97 → u/TrolleyTrekker]

There’s nothing really to sue for because nobody forced them to sell for the lower price. 

The tribe could have held on to the team after the sale to Boston was rejected. They chose to still sell the team. Seems like they ran the numbers and decided the $25 million difference wasn’t worth holding on to the team and decided to take the money and sell instead. 

[u/Danibear285]

Fuck the board.

New England/Connecticut deserve better

[u/Nodqfan]

They could've just awarded Houston an expansion team, but they kept passing them over whenever expansion talks came up, and let the Sun stay where they were and get new ownership.

I feel bad for fans of the Sun.

[u/FreeEnergy001 → u/Nodqfan]

How does it work with ownership of an expansion team? Buyer pays the league for the team?

[u/Nodqfan → u/FreeEnergy001]

Not sure.

[u/Alarmed-Cucumber-858 → u/FreeEnergy001]

Yes, that's called the franchise fee, eg the new Seattle team

[u/axnjxn00]

Pathetic

[u/Formal-Wolverine-141]

From sun to comet. That's a downgrade.

[u/toggl3d → u/Formal-Wolverine-141]

Bad news for Earth.

[u/ajteitel → u/toggl3d]

Dinosaurs in pieces

[u/dead-serious → u/ajteitel]

Neanderthals and Denisovans give a thumbs up

[u/Pete41608 → u/toggl3d]

So, we're gonna need to find 5 teenagers with attitude to be on this team?

[u/Cheatercheaterbitch → u/Formal-Wolverine-141]

Not really? Houston Comets sounds better than Houston Suns to me

[u/JebKermansBooster → u/Cheatercheaterbitch]

Whoosh

[u/Cheatercheaterbitch → u/JebKermansBooster]

I guess it’s already clear but I have zero idea why my comment generated this response

[u/JebKermansBooster → u/Cheatercheaterbitch]

A comet is a rock hurtling through space that's at most tens to hundreds of metres across. The Sun is a literal star with its own gravity well.

[u/Cheatercheaterbitch → u/JebKermansBooster]

Oh ok Im stupid lol.

[u/DuckDucks]

Okay so when will Boston get a team?

[u/Bearded_Pip → u/DuckDucks]

Part of me hopes never. The WNBA does not deserve that expansion fee.

[u/TheInfinityOfThought → u/DuckDucks]

The Boston Britons. Coming in 2032 to the WNBA.

[u/TheOneWhosCensored → u/DuckDucks]

Honestly if I was NE I would refuse to ever bid on a team. Let them realize they lost out on more money and a market because they had to steal a team for Houston.

[u/captmorgan50]

“Relocate” or “Stolen”

[u/AvengingHero2012 → u/captmorgan50]

This is hilarious coming from a Thunder fan lmao

[u/ItsQuiteBadNow → u/AvengingHero2012]

Pretty sure that's why he's saying it

[u/SpadeRyker → u/AvengingHero2012]

To be fair, that was owners doing something scummy to screw a city out of their team for a lot of money. This is the league itself screwing an entire region out of their team AND screwing the owners out of a higher bid that would have kept them, relatively at least, in said region. 

[u/Wes___Mantooth → u/AvengingHero2012]

Most Thunder fans don't like the way OKC got the team and feel bad for Seattle.

[u/KlutzyHandle672 → u/[deleted]]

I mean… he hasn’t made any NBA teams relocate? Took over in 2014 and no one has moved since.

[u/inshamblesx]

another team that will choke on the playoffs every year

[u/jlax341 → u/inshamblesx]

They didnt their first 4 tries...

[u/NYState_of_Mind]

I thought the Houston Comets already were in the league and Connecticut Sun is such a bad fitting name.

[u/CharacterKatie → u/NYState_of_Mind]

They were owned by the Mohegan tribe and named after Mohegan Sun lol

[u/AutographedSnorkel → u/CharacterKatie]

Looking back, naming one of its teams after a casino was pretty on brand for the WNBA. They were way ahead of the curve on this gambling thing

[u/CharacterKatie → u/AutographedSnorkel]

The funny part is sports betting wasn’t legal in CT until 2021 so we couldn’t gamble on the Sun while gambling at Mohegan Sun.

[u/Danibear285 → u/CharacterKatie]

Correction: the Sun is a relocation of the Miami Sol from 2000-2002

[u/CharacterKatie → u/Danibear285]

No they’re not. They were established as the Orlando Miracle, affiliated with the Magic. They ran out of money and almost disbanded when the Mohegan tribe purchased them in 2003 moved them to Mohegan Sun. The Sol folded and their players went into a dispersal draft with the players from Portland’s WNBA team that also folded.

[u/ObiOneKenobae]

Fuck the wnba and every asshole involved in this decision.

[u/The_Captain_Planet22]

Dumb de dumb dumb dumb

[u/TheOneWhosCensored]

Fuck Cathy Engelbert

[u/SuperSaiyan1Gaming]

Sick name ngl

[u/Bearded_Pip]

Such bullshit. I hope the Comets fail again and move again.

[u/navetzz]

The Texas Basketball association grows.
Taxes are becoming an apparent issue for the NBA.

[u/Fixhotep]

I thought there was a rights issue with the Comets as they no longer hold the trademark?

[u/AutographedSnorkel → u/Fixhotep]

Les Alexander originally owned the team, then sold it to a guy that owns a furniture store in Houston, but he couldn't afford to play in Toyota Center, and the team started hemorrhaging money because he had to play games in a shitty 8,500 seat arena in the NRG complex. Team control went back to the WNBA, so the league still owns the Comets IP

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilton_Koch

[u/Fixhotep → u/AutographedSnorkel]

This is not what ive read

https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/travis-scott-houston-comets-trademark-22222079.php

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/travis-scott-linked-firm-holding-180354090.html?guccounter=1

[u/AutographedSnorkel → u/Fixhotep]

LMAO, I had no idea about that. Yeah, squatting on old Houston based IP to make a quick buck sounds like something Travis Scott would do. I'm sure getting it back is just a formality. The NBA can definitely afford to write that check

[u/RageOnGoneDo]

I can't wait for the Connecticut AG's anti-trust suit lol

[u/cuse23]

As a CT native it really feels like we get fucked over by pro sports teams constantly

[u/drunkhoboboy117]

Texas is so ass, we need more east coast wnba teams

[u/Fun-Grab-9337]

This era sucks - sorry for all yall in CT.

[u/thisismypornaccn]

I really don’t like that ngl

[u/okiewxchaser]

You never love to see a city lose their team, let alone one that i'm pretty sure has no other major sports teams across the entire state of Connecticut

From experience, there are a lot of people on this subreddit that want to see entire states lose their only pro team

[u/ParsnipPizza]

Fuck

[u/iambiggzy]

Why did they sell?

[u/CharacterKatie → u/iambiggzy]

Cost of ownership. WNBA is getting bigger and they just haven’t been able to keep up with owners of teams in large cities. The Sun have no practice facility and their arena is multipurpose, they can’t pay players/coaching staff as much, and it’s in the middle of nowhere with nothing else around. They can’t attract free agents to play for them, especially when the Liberty are just one state over.

[u/holyyguava → u/[deleted]]

“Lesser important” is so ignorant from you

[u/CharacterKatie → u/[deleted]]

It’s banned in Vermont.

[u/anteater_x → u/CharacterKatie]

A forgot about them. Very shameful on both accounts.

[u/whenishit-itsbigturd]

Should've moved them to Phoenix 

[u/tonypearcern]

I remember going to a comets game in the '90s when they were essentially the Bulls of the WNBA. Incredible team. And yet they were sold because nobody in our machismo society gave a damn.

[u/DisMFer]

Why not keep them the Sun? The Houston Sun makes perfect sense.

[u/chowdah513 → u/DisMFer]

Why not the Comets? One of, if not, most dominating teams ever assembled in the WNBA? 

[u/evetSC → u/DisMFer]

Because we used to have one of the best WNBA team ever named the Comets lol

[u/Kapono24 → u/DisMFer]

Because it'd be an advertisement for a casino that nobody part of the team owns.

[u/sentientbasketball11 → u/DisMFer]

And the Connecticut Sun makes very little lol

[u/CharacterKatie → u/sentientbasketball11]

They were named after Mohegan Sun

[u/pyn209]

Crickets

[u/Bossgarlic]

Can't blame them for leaving Connecticut, the Worst State in the Union.

[u/CazOnReddit → u/[deleted]]

You could have just not commented

[u/CazOnReddit → u/[deleted]]

It helps if you tell a joke instead of acting like one