The Connecticut Sun and WNBA experienced exponential growth this season. Mohegan Sun CEO Ray Pineault believes the paths the league takes moving forward will be crucial to the league’s success.
Star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese brought in new audiences while A’ja Wilson and the New York Liberty continued to build the WNBA’s established star power. The Sun, meanwhile, played in front of a sold-out TD Garden crowd in August. It begged the question of whether the WNBA had a future in Boston.
Pineault would like to see Connecticut play more games at TD Garden. However, he wasn’t a big fan of an expansion franchise in the Bay State.
“I don’t want another WNBA franchise in Boston,” Pineault told Bill Speros of Bookies.com on Thursday. “As the league grows, we’re going to continue to see growth. We get Massachusetts and Rhode Island fans who come to our games now. I wouldn’t be a big fan of having a Boston team. I do think we’re going to continue to work in Boston. We want to bring our product to Boston. We want more Massachusetts fans to see the product that we’re putting on the floor. I’m a Celtics fan and I drive up to Massachusetts from Connecticut to go see the Celtics. I want people from Massachusetts to feel the same way about coming to see the Connecticut Sun.”
The drive from Boston to Mohegan Sun Arena is approximately two and a half hours. That’s a lengthy commute for New England fans to drive into Uncasville, Conn.
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The Golden State Valkyries will debut next season, and Toronto and Portland were announced as other expansion franchises. Still, Pineault believed the Golden State and Portland franchises benefit the league’s growth on the West Coast and felt the East was locked in with Connecticut and New York.
Sun head coach Stephanie White called it a “no-brainer” for the WNBA to expand in Boston, but that decision will depend on whether or not there’s interest and investment in the idea.
Featured image via Matt Krohn/Imagn Images
