There’s no doubt that one of the biggest questions in terms of the Connecticut Sun franchise is where they are going to be playing next season.
There have been several bids from across the country, including Houston, Boston, and Hartford. While that question remains unanswered, the team’s latest schedule release may hint at potential locations.
A UConn Reunion
The Sun is heading to where the UConn Huskies have brought in thousands of fans at a time across the state: Hartford, Connecticut. Despite Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, being the Sun’s current home, this move can give the team the crowd they deserve.
In reality, Uncansville, being neither a city nor particularly accessible, drives away potential fans. Simply moving a couple of games 30 minutes to Hartford, the state capital, and a more accessible city, would fill more seats.
Connecticut’s Governor Ned Lamont mentioned that the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena, formerly known as the XL Center, could host “a couple” games this season. This is due to the changes made to the arena itself.
One of the two games scheduled in Hartford is likely to draw a large audience. On Thursday, July 2nd, the Sun is set to host Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings in the same arena that Bueckers is no stranger to.
Beloved by Connecticut fans and playing in an arena that is almost double the size of Mohegan Sun, this will surely bring out an audience. With there being some suspicion of the Wings taking UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd as the number one pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, there could be several Huskies being celebrated that night.
Just a couple of games could be what the Sun needs to stay in Connecticut.
Back to TD Garden
For the third year in a row, the Sun will play in Boston. Specifically, they will be playing at the Celtics’ home arena, TD Garden. The game will be held on August 18th against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Los Angeles Sparks, along with the Wings, will be the other team playing the Sun in Hartford.
Over the past two years, playing in Boston has enabled the Sun to draw sold-out crowds.
Playing in TD Garden proves what the Sun has known all along. It’s not the fans that are the issue. When playing in Boston, a major city known as “Title Town”, there is much larger accessibility for fans to watch women’s basketball.
Giving the Sun the chance to play in front of much larger audiences furthers the argument that they need to find a new location as soon as possible. The sold-out nights in these bigger arenas are what drive people to say that everyone watches women’s sports, not in an arena with fewer than 10,000 seats.
Playing in these arenas is a key strategy for relocation. It is an amazing opportunity to drive a bigger audience to women’s basketball and women’s sports altogether.
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