Connecticut officials at every level of government say they’re fighting to keep the state’s only professional sports team at home.
Talks have stalled between the Mohegan Tribe, the WNBA and two potential buyers in Hartford and Boston. The league has to approve the sale, and it doesn’t seem to want the team to move to either place.
The state has also offered to buy a minority stake in the team and keep them in Uncasville.
Meanwhile, the WNBA has offered to buy the Sun for $75 million less than the two buyers from Boston and Hartford offered. They’re reportedly considering moving the team to Houston, Texas.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said that’s interference. He’s threatening an antitrust lawsuit against the league.
“I'm not challenging the power,” Blumenthal said. “I'm challenging the abuse and misuse of that power to interfere with Connecticut's well-founded attempts to keep the team here. Connecticut has indicated it will buy a minority stake in the team, that it will advance its success by building a practice facility or enabling it to be done, and so the WNBA has no business interfering, blocking or obstructing Connecticut's efforts to keep the team here."
“If it is doing so, it would be a classic violation of the antitrust laws for either the Federal Trade Commission or the Department of Justice to investigate,” Blumenthal continued. “I will demand action from federal authorities to enforce the law against the WNBA if there are continued indications of violations of their powers.”
Blumenthal said as much in a letter to the league sent on Monday.
His Senate colleague, Sen. Chris Murphy, also accused the league of overreach via a post on X.
“The corporate arm of the @WNBA wants to force the Mohegan Tribe (who owns the team) to accept a low-ball offer from a Trump-backed billionaire,” Murphy said.
According to ESPN, the tribe plans to submit four plans to the WNBA: selling the team for $350 million to the league, the Hartford buyers or the Boston buyers, or selling a stake to the state.
The Mohegans have owned the team since 2003, and its value has skyrocketed from $10 million to hundreds of millions.
The Sun will miss the playoffs this year for the first time since 2016. Their final game is on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
