Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • August 24, 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com H artford deserves a major league sports franchise based on its population and mean household income, a new report says, but the city hasn't been able to land one since the Whalers skated off to Raleigh, N.C., in 1997. Despite data showing Hartford is a pro-worthy market, multiple factors contribute to the city's nearly 20-year lack of a major league sports franchise includ- ing being in the sphere of the Boston and New York media markets and the aging XL Center, experts say. On the bright side, Hartford has recently attracted minor league franchises: The Hartford Yard Goats will play minor league baseball in a new downtown stadi- um in 2016 and Hartford City FC will play indoor minor league soccer at the XL Center beginning this fall. SmartAsset, a financial technology company out of New York City, crunched population and median house- hold income data for the 100 largest U.S. metro areas, creating a list of 10 cities with too many pro teams and 10 with too few among the big four men's leagues of the MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL. Hartford tied with Providence as eighth most deserv- ing of a team. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metro area was third. SmartAsset looked only at numbers, in order to keep sports passions out, said AJ Smith, the company's vice president of content. Based on population and income, Hartford can sup- port a major league sports team, Smith said. SmartAs- set didn't analyze which leagues made sense for cities short on teams. SmartAsset did offer possible scenarios in what it coined a "purely hypothetical exercise, intended only for entertainment purposes." To wit: Return the Whal- ers to Hartford by relieving Tampa Bay of its NHL team, and move the NHL Arizona Coyotes to Bridgeport, "where it actually snows." Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, which operates the XL Center, said the NHL is the most logical choice for a pro franchise among the big four leagues. But Hartford can't start that discussion without an improved XL Center, he said. Transforming the building, rather than building anew, is far more economical and less disruptive, Fre- imuth said, but still comes with a hefty $250 million pricetag. The state still must approve a renovation, without which the building will slowly decline. Improvements also are important to the University of Connecticut's ability to attract and retain basketball talent, he said. "For those reasons, the building is critical to the long-term health of any kind of sports or entertainment venue downtown," Freimuth said. While the demographics may say Hartford is ready for a pro team, getting the team noticed in the national media and in the conversation among the professional leagues is the real challenge, Freimuth said. Hartford and Connecticut have a strong corporate presence and more Fortune 500 companies than some of other the pro-sports markets, Freimuth said. "The trick is to manifest that corporate presence to get it to sell Hartford, basically from New London to Stamford and up," he said. "That's the task that's really before us. In selling a new XL Center, we need to acti- vate that corporate presence and marketplace in the sense of seats and advertising and sponsorships." Overlapping Boston and New York sports allegianc- es also come into play, Freimuth said. "We believe the market's there, but it's a real task to get that market to kind of look into the center of Con- necticut as opposed to on the outer regions of the Bos- ton or New York marketplaces," Freimuth said. Molly Yanity, assistant professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University and former Seattle Post-Intelli- gencer sportswriter, thinks the Boston-New York media influence is too much for Hartford to overcome. "Those are big profitable markets," in terms of TV, she said, citing the New England Sports and YES net- works. "If Hartford had a team, those would take a hit." The NHL's expansion into southern cities probably wasn't that wise, but relocating teams to cities like Win- nipeg, from Atlanta, helps restore some tradition, "and Hartford could do that, but I just think that now that you have regional networks that have eaten up this area, it's not going to happen," Yanity said. Chris Lawrence, general manager of the XL Center, said the market could support an NHL franchise. "With the right group, the right message, the right situation, it certainly can," he said. But myriad factors are at play – from the right own- ers capable of paying the hefty NHL entry fee to an improved XL Center. Recent improvements to the Hartford arena have made it a better facility, but it is not at a level yet for a major league franchise, Lawrence said. If the region is serious about getting such a team, then it has to commit to creating a better venue. Building a major league facility using public money isn't in Hartford's best interest, especially when there isn't a team committed to play there, Yanity said, as sta- diums typically aren't economic booms for their cities. "Owners are expecting more and more, and the citi- zens are really getting less and less," she said. "How many citizens can afford the games?" n A rendering of a renovated XL Center, which could help attract a major league team. The Whalers were the last major league team to play in Connecticut. I M A G E S | C O N T R I B U T E D FOCUS BUSINESS OF SPORTS Hartford a pro sports city? Data says yes; market realities tell different story Q&A CT aims to diversify sports events base Q&A talks about the state's sporting events business with H. Scott Phelps, president of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTCSB). Q: The Connecti- cut Convention & Sports Bureau was formed a few years ago to combine the marketing power of several groups to drive more business to various sport- ing venues across the state. What have been your biggest achievements to date? A: Spending by sports promot- ers, athletes, coaches, officials and event attendees generate millions of dollars in revenue annually for Connecticut's econo- my by booking venues and contractors, stay- ing at hotels, dining in restaurants, visiting leisure attractions, and shopping at retail establishments. The Connecticut Sports Advisory Com- mission, a division of our office, is com- prised of leaders from sports facilities and organizations across the state. It works with our sports marketing team, Bob Murdock and Tangier Pritchett, in partnership with the hospitality community to help sports event planners find venues, hotel accom- modations and services so that they can have a successful experience in Connecticut. Successful bookings include the 2017 U.S. Cyclocross Cham- pionship in Hartford's Riverside Park; 2016 USA Gymnastics Men's Championship and Women's Secret U.S. Classic at the XL Center; Mud- derella New England at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park; Soc- cer Resort New England Beach Blitz in West Haven; New England Region Volleyball Association's Husky Sweet 16 Tournament at Windsor's Husky Den; 2015 Ameri- can Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship at the XL Center and its Women's Bas- ketball Championship at Mohegan Sun; and the international soccer match between ACF Fiorentina vs. SL Benfica at Rentschler Field. This summer, two major fastpitch softball tournaments took place the same week: the U.S. Specialty Sports Association in East Hartford and the Amateur Softball Associa- tion of America in Stratford. Q: What types of sports/ sporting events do you focus on recruiting to the Hartford region? A: We work to bring all types of sports events to Connecticut. These range from those with rich history in our state, including ice hockey, golf, tennis, basketball, figure skating, soccer, gymnastics and softball, to other more niche sports such as ultimate frisbee, curling, badminton and fencing. The surge in popularity of lacrosse and rugby (added for the 2016 Olympics) show significant partici- pation growth and definitely are on our radar. To get the best return on limited resources, we focus on pursuing events that will have a signif- icant impact on the economy by attract- ing a large number of participants and/or spectators, and those that will elevate the brand of Connecti- cut through media exposure. Q: A new study by SmartAsset said the Hartford region's strong demographics indi- cate it should be home to one major league franchise. Do you agree with that, and do you envision Hartford ever getting a pro sports team? Connecticut is home to a variety of professional sports, including the newly named Hart- ford Yard Goats and the recently formed Hartford FC of the Major Arena Soccer League. As a season's ticket holder for the former Hartford Whalers, I would love to see a major league franchise here. The timing is right with exciting new restaurants and entertainment on Front Street and other parts of the city and suburbs. The addition of CTfastrak has expanded transportation options for coming Downtown. A major obstacle may be those who just don't believe it can ever happen and are not open to new opportunities. But look at the growth in the Capital City in the last decade alone that includes the opening of the Connecticut Convention Center, Connecticut Science Center, Hartford Marri- ott Downtown, Front Street and now two new pro teams. Q: Of all the sporting venues in Connecticut, which is the most underutilized? Why? How do we change it? Which sport- ing venue is having the most success? H. SCOTT PHELPS President, Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau Continued

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