In Hartford, Gregory Seay noted the Sun have "carved out a loyal fan base" as it enters its 15th season in Connecticut, though game attendance "has slipped in recent years amid the team's on-court struggles." The Sun this season are using "new promotions to widen its fan base and stir renewed excitement among its supporters." The team last season averaged 5,837 fans at Mohegan Sun Arena, "well below" peak attendance in '07 at 7,970. The average has "fallen below 6,000 in each of the last three seasons." The Sun have had 13 former UConn players on its roster over the years, but team CEO Mitchell Etess insists the Sun "never intentionally stocked their roster with ex-UConn talent" (HARTFORDBUSINESS.com, 5/8).
GIVE IT AWAY NOW: In St. Paul, Frederick Melo noted the city is partnering with the Lynx and Visit St. Paul, the city’s tourism bureau, to "give away 500 tickets to each home game played this year" at Xcel Energy Center. The partnership "includes free tickets, meal vouchers and transportation from multiple rec centers for St. Paul youth and their families" and is called the “Tickets for Kids” program (TWINCITIES.com, 5/10). The team is playing one season in St. Paul while renovations are being made to Target Center in Minneapolis (THE DAILY).
LATE TO THE PARTY: The AP's Doug Feinberg noted the Sparks "postponed their ring ceremony a week," as F Candace Parker, C Jantel Lavender and G Essence Carson are "still playing overseas in the Turkish League finals." The Sparks were "originally going to have the ceremony" during Saturday's home opener against the Seattle Storm, which is a nationally-televised game. Now the team will hold the ceremony May 19 before the game against the Mystics. Parker, Lavender and Carson "should be back for that game" (AP, 5/11).
