Adam Silver and your greedy minions, take your WNBA. We have the UConn Huskies
Tanking is all I need to know about what your product represents
Good morning all and happy Saturday!
The Connecticut Sun are gone. Out of the Nutmeg State. We told you last week, once labor peace arrived between the WNBA and the WNBPA, the fate of the Connecticut Sun would be announced and that the team would be moving to Houston.
The story broke late yesterday that the sale of the Sun to the Fertitta family, owners of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, was moving forward. Owned by the Mohegan Tribe, the Sun sold for $300M. It did not matter if there were groups willing to pay more and keep the franchise in Connecticut. The WNBA wanted out of the Nutmeg state. Period! It does not fit their template. After this season, when the Sun will be a lame duck franchise, they will be gonzo.
The fix was in from the get-go, once the league decided the Connecticut market was too small for their big, greedy plans. The reality is the league’s deal with the players association calls for revenues that a small market such as Connecticut cannot provide. It did not matter if the Sun moved to Hartford and sold out the 15,000-seat PeoplesBank Arena for every game. They were gone to Houston. The fix was in.
Adam Silver, NBA commissioner - and make no mistake about it, the NBA runs the WNBA - wanted out of Connecticut. The state was not major league enough for his grubby paws. The state just could not provide enough revenue for his cash register. So ever since the owners of the Sun announced the team was for sale, his first goal was to move it out of Connecticut, my home state.
Well, I’ve got news for you Mr. Commissioner. You can take your WNBA and shove it. We have the best women’s basketball product in the world. It’s called the UConn Huskies. It is better than anything you have to offer. Case closed! End of discussion! I would travel two hours through rain and snow to watch the Huskies. I wouldn’t go across the street to watch your product, let alone pay to stream your offering, which is what this move out of Connecticut is really all about.
So never mind that you have used Connecticut and broken the hearts of many fans. You got what you wanted, you and your greedy minions. Good riddance and don’t let the basketball hit you on the way out.
Some other thoughts on this last Saturday in March:
Two straight shutouts for the Yankees. All I can say is that is some pitching. In their illustrious history, the Yankees have never started a season with b
By the way, all this B.S. about Aaron Judge striking out four times on Opening Day. Please! Cut the nonsense about drawing conclusions after one game. Baseball is not that kind of a sport, as Judge proved with his two-run home run yesterday to lead the Yankees to victory.
By the way, commissioner Silver, just the fact you and your NBA continually talk about anti-tanking measures, tells me all I need to know about the entity you represent.
And yes, the undefeated UConn WBB team is going to the Elite Eight after dismantling North Carolina, 63-42, yesterday.
Love the fact that Jack Nicklaus has taken back ownership of his company, once it was dragged through the mud by the company he sold it to.
Speaking of golf, I am holding off before drawing any conclusions about the latest Tiger Woods saga. Let’s just be glad no one was hurt, because what might have happened with that rollover in Jupiter, FL yesterday could have been catastrophic.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you for subscribing and have a splendid Saturday!
DAN