Documents Inside Investigator obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) shed light on talking points state officials have been using as they work to convince the public and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) to accept a bid that would see the state use pension funds to become a minority owner in the Connecticut Sun basketball team.

Documents Inside Investigator obtained through a FOIA request to lieutenant governor Susan Bysiewicz’s office include talking points distributed to her and Rep. Corey Paris, D-Stamford, in early September. Those emphasize marketing Connecticut as the “basketball capital of the world.”

Talking points prepared for Bysiewicz for an interview with ESPN in September state that keeping the CT Sun in Connecticut is “critical to offering an entertaining attraction, boosting our economy, and empowering our youngest residents.”

“And frankly – where else would they play, if not in the “Basketball Capitol of the World?” the talking points continue. The prep sheet touts the success of the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team as playing a large role in the state’s claim to the self-appointed title, but also adds that the CT Sun are “just as much a part of that legacy.”

A sign on Connecticut’s border near Springfield, Massachusetts, which is home to the Basketball Hall of Fame, boasts that Connecticut is the basketball capitol of the world. It’s part of a larger provocative marketing campaign the state launched in September 2024 that saw signs on the state’s border lay claim to supremacy in various areas for which other states are also known. For example, two signs on the New York border proclaim Connecticut the pizza capitol of the world. The signs drew plenty of media buzz, particularly from politicians in states targeted by the signs, and drew over 15.4 billion media impressions according to the Office of Marketing and Tourism.

Those talking points were given not only to Bysiewicz for a media appearance, but days earlier to Paris for a media appearance on Dan Newmyer’s CT Politics TV show, according to emails the lieutenant governor’s office provided.

Other talking points frame keeping the CT Sun in the state as important to empowering girls in sports.

“But the Connecticut Sun isn’t just a source of entertainment; the program is a source of empowerment for your young girls.” the talking points state. They go on to cite statistics from the Women’s Sports Foundation, which found that 69.1 percent of women who play sports report having a leadership role outside their family at some point in time.

“I’ve seen players, coaches, and staff from the Sun visiting communities across our state to talk to the next generation.” the talking points continue. “Not only are they encouraging young girls to consider careers as athletes, coaches, or managers – they are serving as mentors and showing girls how to build confidence in whatever they do.”

The Mohegan tribe, current owners of the team, announced their intention to sell at the beginning of the 2025 season. State officials submitted a bid to buy a minority stake in the team, with the goal of keeping it located out of Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, in early September. The bid, financed with money from the state’s pension fund, reportedly includes a 10-year guarantee that the team would stay in Connecticut and a provision that would prioritize the state collecting returns on its investment, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.

The amount of money the state offered is not known, but is reportedly higher than the $250 million the WNBA has offered to buy the team and allow it to move out of state, likely to an area where the league is looking to expand its presence.

The deal also reportedly would see the CT Sun play games not just at Mohegan Sun, but also at the revamped PeoplesBank Arena and have the state finance the construction of a practice facility that ESPN reported would be located in Hartford.

The move drew backlash from Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a union that represents the bulk of the state’s employees.

“State employees spend every day committed to the public, often at the cost of their health and safety, and their selfless service is what keeps Connecticut running. They deserve the certainty of a dignified retirement, not the uncertainty of high-stakes investments in political pet projects. Their pension contributions are the foundation of a secure retirement that workers have already earned. To use that money on a sports franchise is to gamble with the futures of those who have already sacrificed so much.” the union wrote in a Facebook post in September.

However, recent reporting from CT Insider suggests the bid may be all but dead because of opposition from the WNBA. According to Dan Haar, as part of the latest talks, the state and private investors would buy up to 30 percent of the team, likely valued at around $100 million.

Inside Investigator has an outstanding FOIA request with the attorney general’s office for information about their involvement in the CT Sun bid.

Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to the WNBA in September seeking documents related to the league’s reported blocking of bids that would keep the CT Sun in New England or that the team be sold to the league at a below market value price. Tong said he was “troubled” by reports that the WNBA was interfering with the sale. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal also wrote to the WNBA, accusing the league of interfering in the sale and potentially violating federal antitrust law.

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