Category: Mohegan

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The WNBA pushed back on a proposed sale of the Connecticut Sun to a group led by Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, but team ownership continues to work toward a deal. ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and Romona Shelburne report that the Mohegan Tribe, which owns the franchise, will present multiple options to the league to potentially salvage the sale.

The Mohegan Tribe has four likely proposals to the WNBA. The first is a full sale to the Pagliuca-led ownership group. The second is a sale to former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry and his group with the intention of keeping the team in Connecticut but moving to Hartford. The tribe will also consider selling a minority stake in the franchise or allowing the league to purchase it at full price and relocate from the Mohegan Reservation.

With the initial sale proposal came the intention for Pagliuca to relocate the Sun to Boston. That stipulation in particular led the WNBA to speak out, clarifying that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams” and that the league already has its own agenda for expansion cities, which does not include Boston.

The Mohegan Tribe is reportedly frustrated with the WNBA’s stance and feels that the league wants a single solution. That is, the Sun’s relocation to a market of the WNBA’s choosing and at a value of its choosing. ESPN also reports that the WNBA offered — ahead of Pagliuca’s bid — to purchase the team…

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The Mohegan Sun is scheduled to host Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, and Adam Sandler in the next few weeks.

Patrons also will visit the casino resort in Uncasville, Connecticut, to play the Mohegan Sun Golf Course, pamper themselves at the Mandara Spa, or dine at one of more than 30 eateries, including the upscale Michael Jordan’s Steak House and a Chick-fil-A.

And, of course, there’s gaming, with nearly 4,000 slots, more than 300 table games and a poker room.

Then there’s Back of House, Mohegan’s self-produced reality series on YouTube that focuses on behind-the-scenes team members. The series is now a portal into the lives of team members at the Connecticut casino and resort.

“There are people on the property who are recognized,” says Mohegan Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications George Galinsky. “They’re like mini celebrities, because the show is shown 24/7 in hotel room. Jeff Hamilton, who’s our General Manager and President, always gets approached.”

Because of its location between Boston and New York, Mohegan Sun was frequently contacted by film production companies for use as backdrop for projects. There were so many requests that Mohegan thought a reality show might work. But Hollywood and Mohegan didn’t have the same vision for a series, and the casino company hired production studio Primal NY to create it independently.

Galinsky said there were numerous questions from upper management about Back of House before he received a green light to go forward.

“I’ve been trying to market this place for 30 years,” Galinsky says. “With this format, this is a way we can really show off the waterfall and the mountain made of marble and all these different epic pieces of architecture and also show off our guest-service-oriented and team member culture. It was…

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The Mohegan tribe “is seeking clarity” on the WNBA’s “desired path forward” for the Sun. Getty Images

Sun ownership intends to “present multiple options to the WNBA” as it looks to “salvage what would have been a record-breaking” $325M franchise sale, according to sources. Sources said that the Mohegan tribe “is seeking clarity on the league’s desired path forward” for the team. Sources noted that among the Mohegan tribe’s “likely proposals” to the league are: a full franchise sale to Pagliuca’s group; a sale to a group headlined by Avenue Capital Group co-founder and CEO Marc Lasry, who would move the team to Hartford; selling a minority stake in the organization; and allowing the league to purchase the franchise for $325M and relocate it from the WNBA’s smallest market. A source close to the ownership group said that the tribe “is frustrated” and “feels the league is presenting a one-path option: relocation of the team to a market of its choosing at a value of its choosing.” Sources said that the league would “consider a potential Boston team in a later round of expansion,” and that new Celtics owner Bill Chisholm would “be the league’s preferred owner for a WNBA franchise” (ESPN.com, 8/19).

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The ongoing saga of the Mohegan Tribe’s attempt to sell the Connecticut Sun took another turn on Tuesday when ESPN reported that the WNBA is attempting to counter the two offers currently on the table from prospective ownership groups in Boston and Hartford.

According to the ESPN report, the WNBA opposes a move to either city and made its own offer to purchase the team for $250 million without charging a relocation fee. Such a move would allow the league to then facilitate the sale to a preferred candidate.

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The league put out a statement after news of the Boston agreement leaked, that said the nine cities who submitted bids during the league’s latest round of expansion “currently have priority over Boston” to receive a WNBA team. A WNBA spokesperson reiterated that sentiment in a statement to The Courant regarding Hartford’s attempt to purchase the Sun.

The Boston Globe first reported that the tribe was set to sell the franchise to a group led by former Boston Celtics minority governor Steve Pagliuca for $325 million, with an addition $100 million commitment to build the team a dedicated practice facility.

The tribe reportedly reached an agreement with the Boston group in July, and though the deal was presented to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, it was never brought before the Board of Governors, which must approve any deal.

After the period of exclusivity with Boston ran out, an investment group led by former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry made its own $325 million bid to keep the team in Connecticut and move its home to PeoplesBank Arena in downtown Hartford. A source familiar with negotiations told the Courant in early August that they were not aware of any serious offers being considered outside of those…

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This is confusing because why would Pagliuca apply for an expansion team when he has a deal to purchase an existing team? And the Mohegan Tribe, owners of the Sun, want to sell to Pagliuca and prefer the team move to Boston, where the facilities and support would be exponentially better.

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Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey has fully supported and endorsed Boston getting a WNBA team for years and told the Globe the quickest way to make that happen would be relocation. Boston does not want to wait until another round of expansion in 2033, if that were to happen.

The league is expanding to 18 teams by 2030 and there is no guarantee that adding so many teams will be successful or financially viable to add perhaps two more by 2033. There’s a reason Boston did not apply for an expansion team. Pagliuca was working on a deal to buy the Sun and the other publicized Boston group, led by actor/director Donnie Wahlberg, lost one of its primary investors and was seeking more support for a potential bid.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has yet to comment on the situation, besides the league statement, but there obviously have been conversations between the league and other prospective buyers, such as Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who could move the club to Houston and bring back the Comets, the league’s first dynasty.

There are many questions from that WNBA statement, including what does the league have against Boston? And if the Sun were to be purchased by, let’s say former Bucks owner Marc Lasry and moved to Hartford, would the league want another team so close in Boston?

Front Office Sports reported that Engelbert basically sat on the Pagliuca offer without presenting it to…

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