OT: Sun will be setting in a year. Moving to Boston.

[NoSpamHere]

Note the paragraph at the end of the article:

"There's still a path for the tribe to maintain ownership of the team. It could sell a minority stake in the franchise and hold games in both Hartford at PeoplesBank Arena and in Uncasville, or it could stay the course and retain full control. The ownership group could self-fund a practice facility or work with the state to fund one and have the team lease it."

This is where I think things are headed. Given the league is trying to screw with the Tribe, there's also legal recourse, especially as Hartford is in their 75 mile zone.

 

[Dogdude]

Finagling continues…

So there it is, the legal way around this franchise agreement issue that won't upset other owners in virtually every sports league. They can't force a sale to Houston, but they can do this, if the Sun agree to sell to the league. Hmmm. I'd hate to see the Sun sell out, but if you need dough, you need dough. I bet they'd need to increase their offer though.

 

[Dogdude]

Note the paragraph at the end of the article:

"There's still a path for the tribe to maintain ownership of the team. It could sell a minority stake in the franchise and hold games in both Hartford at PeoplesBank Arena and in Uncasville, or it could stay the course and retain full control. The ownership group could self-fund a practice facility or work with the state to fund one and have the team lease it."

This is where I think things are headed. Given the league is trying to screw with the Tribe, there's also legal recourse, especially as Hartford is in their 75 mile zone.

I hope so. The league messed this up for future investment groups looking for clean franchise opportunities. Maybe Lasry will pay for a "partial ownership" stake but really have full control and have the team in Hartford much of the time. Interestingly, Providence is still in the radius area of the casino. It could be a true New England team.

 

[CL82]

Here's, roughly, the Sun's existing franchise territory.

 

[Bigboote]

Here's, roughly, the Sun's existing franchise territory.
View attachment 111164

If that’s based on something in the WNBA franchise agreement/by.aws/whatever, then they shouldn’t be able to force a relocation fee if the Sun relocate to Hartford. Hartford also isn’t (much) closer to Brooklyn.

ETA: Montville is 109 miles, Hartford, 101 miles from Brooklyn. If the standard is 100 miles, then it would depend on just where they’re measuring from, which isn’t available with my rudimentary web-searching abilities.

 

[BobbyJ]

If that’s based on something in the WNBA franchise agreement/by.aws/whatever, then they shouldn’t be able to force a relocation fee if the Sun relocate to Hartford. Hartford also isn’t (much) closer to Brooklyn.

ETA: Montville is 109 miles, Hartford, 101 miles from Brooklyn. If the standard is 100 miles, then it would depend on just where they’re measuring from, which isn’t available with my rudimentary web-searching abilities.

The franchise territory is a 75 mile radius around Montville.

 

[Skeets]

So there it is, the legal way around this franchise agreement issue that won't upset other owners in virtually every sports league. They can't force a sale to Houston, but they can do this, if the Sun agree to sell to the league. Hmmm. I'd hate to see the Sun sell out, but if you need dough, you need dough. I bet they'd need to increase their offer though.

The more dough you got, the more dough you knead (Mr. Bacciagalupe, Abbot and Costello).

 

[CL82]

If that’s based on something in the WNBA franchise agreement/by.aws/whatever, then they shouldn’t be able to force a relocation fee if the Sun relocate to Hartford. Hartford also isn’t (much) closer to Brooklyn.

ETA: Montville is 109 miles, Hartford, 101 miles from Brooklyn. If the standard is 100 miles, then it would depend on just where they’re measuring from, which isn’t available with my rudimentary web-searching abilities.

I believe that the Sun's franchise area is 75 miles.

 

[Bigboote]

The franchise territory is a 75 mile radius around Montville.

Then Hartford is neither outside the Sun’s territory nor within the Liberty’s. I don’t see how it would count as a relocation.