Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com May 8, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 3 Continued CT Sun center of casino's entertainment universe By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com T he journey to Connecticut for New Eng- land's only Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise began 15 years and four months ago, with a phone call from a Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority executive to the NBA's commissioner. The NBA, which launched its all-female pro league in April 1996, had recently changed its rules, allowing non-NBA organizations to own a WNBA team, said Mitchell G. Etess, the Sun's chief executive officer. At the time, the NBA owned most of the original 12 WNBA franchises, several of which were financially underwater and strug- gling to gain toeholds in their markets, said Etess, recalling recently his conversation at the time with a sportswriter, who told him about the WNBA's ownership rule change. "I said, 'Hmm, why couldn't we own a team?' '' Etess recalled. One of those struggling original WNBA franchises, the former Orlando Miracle, ulti- mately was acquired for a $10 million rights fee, renamed and relocated to the Uncasville sec- tion of Montville, home to Mohegan Sun Casi- no. There, the Connecticut Sun played their first game in 1999, with Bloomfield, Conn., native Nykesha Sales, a former star on the UConn women's team, as their marquee player. On May 13, the Sun will officially launch their 15th WNBA season in New England, play- ing in the casino's 10,000-seat arena. The Sun and the tribe's men's pro indoor lacrosse team, the New England Black Wolves, who wrapped their regular season on April 29 with a "quan- tum leap'' in attendance and landed in the play- offs for a second straight year, are linchpins in positioning the casino as an entertainment des- tination, not just a gambling venue, Etess said. "It was an opportunity to go from a gam- ing-centric company to a true entertainment company,'' he said. Mohegan Sun Arena, too, is a regular venue for concerts and state high- school basketball championship games. From the day it opened its doors Oct. 12, 1996 to gaming enthusiasts, tribal owners and investors in Mohegan Sun's casino sought to position it as a "destination.'' Along with gaming tables, bingo and slots, the casino early on offered multiple restaurants, live free concerts at its Wolf Den, boxing, even a Kids Quest/Cyber Quest playscape/arcade. Most of those are still around, including new draws like the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car auction hosted from time to time at the casino and tele- vised to millions. The next auction is June 21. Mohegan also recently broke ground on an $80 million convention center. "People want things to do,'' said Connecticut hotel-operator/hospitality consultant Len Wol- man, a former investor-partner in Mohegan Sun. "And when you can differentiate and give people different experiences, the more it helps.'' Loyal fan base The Sun and Black Wolves, Etess said, draw fans and ticketbuyers from lower New England, mainly Connecticut and Rhode Island. Some Massachusetts and New York state residents also trek to the arena or watch them on regional TV. In a state where UConn men's and wom- en's basketball dominate, the Sun, too, have carved out a loyal fan base, although game attendance has slipped in recent years amid the team's on-court struggles. Despite playing four games in Hartford's XL Center in the 2003-2004 season, Etess said it's unlikely the Sun will play again in the aging arena that is the focus of a proposed $250 million renovation that state lawmakers must agree to fund. But Hartford area fans uninterested in the one-hour drive to the casino may soon have a new viewing option. The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, the casino's majority own- ers, and team officials are negotiating a fresh TV package with an unidentified broadcaster, Etess said. Sun home games previously aired on Connecticut Public Television. "It's definitely the focus,'' he said of the TV deal. "It's definitely the next frontier.'' As important as TV is to fans, it's also crucial to driving corporate sponsorships and advertis- ing — two key revenue streams. Etess declined to reveal the Sun's revenues or other financials, except to say the team is profitable. UConn connections Aside from Sales, and current players Morgan Tuck and Kelly Faris, the Sun has CT Sun Team Records and Attendance Year Record Attendance 2016 14-20 5,837 2015 15-19 5,557 2014 13-21 5,980 2013 10-24 6,548 2012 25-9 7,266 2011 21-13 7,056 2010 17-17 7,486 2009 16-18 6,794 2008 21-13 7,644 2007 18-16 7.970 2006 26-8 7,380 2005 26-8 7,173 2004 18-16 6,635 2003 18-16 6,025 S O U R C E : C T S U N GREEN SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. 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