WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert killed the Connecticut Sun and along with it any credibility she had left. Destroying the franchise means erasing its history and the contributions of all who made it. Everyone who ever played in a Sun uniform deserves to have their history preserved. So does the Mohegan Tribe, which twenty-three years ago rescued a WNBA franchise from folding—giving it a new home. On the cusp of its thirtieth season, the league deserves better than the slash-and-burn errors of the past that had the WNBA on the brink of extinction as little as ten years ago. The WNBA Board of Governors should not approve any deal that strips an entire region of a team. Removing a successful team with a strong fan base should be forbidden. So while people in this part of the country reckon with having a good thing destroyed as callously as the White House’s East Wing was torn down, The Hard Screen examined the whole shameful debacle in the four-part series Stripping New England of Its Only WNBA Team Doesn’t Grow the League—from the after hours announcement and burned bridges in Boston to possible motives and the red flags surrounding Tilman Fertitta, the franchise’s new owner. This is the second installment.
By Tamryn Spruill
The Mohegan Tribe saved a WNBA franchise and doesn’t get enough credit for it.
The Tribe—which bought the Orlando Miracle on January 28, 2003, moved it to Uncasville, and rebranded it the Sun—has never received enough respect for what it did for the WNBA at a time of waning support for the league. Had the Tribe not stepped in, the franchise would’ve folded.
The Hard Screen offers this flower of thank-yous:
The Tribe—which bought the Orlando Miracle on January 28, 2003, moved it to Uncasville, Connecticut, and rebranded it the Sun—has never received enough respect for what it did for the WNBA at a time of waning support.
The Miami Sol and Portland Fire folded in 2002, just two years after their rise. Had the …
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NEXT UP: Part III. Engelbert Betrays Boston