The Sunset Season: A Connecticut Goodbye
Reflections on the final season of the Connecticut Sun, and what it means for the state that has always loved women’s basketball most
I grew up in Connecticut, where women’s basketball isn’t something you have to explain, it’s just part of who we are. Before I understood offensive sets or could break down a box score, I knew what a UConn season felt like. I knew the rhythm of it, the way winters in Connecticut revolve around game days, and how March always meant something more. Around here, it’s never just been about watching basketball, it’s about feeling connected to it. For so many of us, UConn women's basketball was the introduction, but they were never the end of the story. They were the beginning of what came next.
That next chapter was the Connecticut Sun. You would watch players grow up at UConn, hear their names called on draft night, and if you were lucky, you didn’t have to go far to keep following them. You could drive down to Mohegan, sit in those seats, and watch their careers continue. It never felt like two separate things. It felt like one continuous story, Connecticut women’s basketball, just at a different level.
The Sunset Season
That’s why this season feels so different. The “Sunset Season,” as the organization is calling it, should feel like a celebration, and in many ways it is. There’s so much history here that deserves to be recognized. But if you’ve spent years in that building, if you’ve made it part of your life and your routine, there’s also a heaviness to it that’s hard to ignore. It’s not just about a team relocating, it’s about something familiar and meaningful slowly coming to an end.
When I started talking to fans, that feeling came through right away. One told me, as simply as it could be said, “I don’t like it, matter of fact I absolutely hate it.” And honestly, that feels representative of where a lot of Connecticut fans are right now. It’s not polished or measured, it’s not about understanding the business side. It’s emotional, and it’s real. Another fan, who has supported the team for years, described it as a “slap in the face” to a state that has consistently shown up for women’s basketball. That sentiment carries weight, especially here, where the phrase “basketball capital of the world” isn’t just something we say, it’s something we live.
In Connecticut, the support for the game runs deep. It shows up in packed high school gyms, in the way the WNBA Draft feels personal because you’ve watched so many of those players come through Storrs, and in the generations of fans who have grown up with this sport as a constant in their lives. One fan shared something that really stayed with me, especially as a mom: the heartbreak isn’t just about losing a team, it’s about the young girls who won’t have the same opportunity to sit in Mohegan Sun Arena and watch professional women’s basketball up close. That experience, the ability to see it, to feel it, to believe it’s possible, is something that’s hard to put into words, and even harder to replace.
The Other Side of It: Houston
At the same time, if you truly love the WNBA, you can’t ignore the other side of this story. The Houston Comets are returning, and that matters. There’s history there, a fanbase that has been waiting for this moment, and an opportunity for the league to continue growing in the way players have been asking for. The investment in facilities, resources, and overall support is something the athletes in this league deserve, and it’s part of the bigger picture of where the WNBA is headed.
That’s what makes all of this so complicated. You can understand why this move is happening and even appreciate what it means for the future of the league, while still feeling deeply disappointed about what it means for Connecticut. Those two feelings can exist at the same time, and for a lot of fans, they do.
What This Season Becomes
So now this season becomes something a little different. It becomes about showing up, maybe even more intentionally than before. It becomes about filling those seats at Mohegan, wearing the orange, and appreciating the players who are here now for everything they’ve brought to this franchise and this state. It’s about holding onto the moments. The big wins, the tough losses, and the nights when the energy in the building made it feel like something special was happening.
For us at The Open Look, this season is about telling those stories the right way. It’s about being there, talking to the fans who have supported this team from the beginning, connecting with the players and alumni who helped build it, and documenting what this franchise has meant to Connecticut. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about a team leaving. It’s about the impact it had while it was here, and the space it leaves behind.
