🔒Bordonaro: UConn sports belong in downtown Hartford

Should UConn basketball and hockey games continue to be played in Hartford at the rundown XL Center?

That question has been raised recently in a few articles and columns as well as on social media as UConn’s lease at the XL Center expires after this season. Some are arguing that playing all UConn men’s and women’s basketball games on the school’s Storrs campus at Gampel Pavilion would be better for athletes and students.

Even legendary UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma recently told the New London Day he’d rather play all his team’s games in Storrs, frustrated by the dilapidated nature of the XL Center, which has long been in need of a big-ticket renovation. Auriemma also said he didn’t like having to travel for home games, even if Hartford is just 30 minutes west of Storrs.

Part of the debate, I’m sure, is a negotiating tactic as UConn tries to pressure the state to modernize the XL Center. UConn Athletic Director David Benedict recently pointed out that college basketball teams that use off-campus arenas often play in NBA-quality facilities. Recently, a Hearst Connecticut sports columnist relayed an anecdote of a fan at the XL Center who had to have his seat moved during a recent UConn men’s basketball game because water was dripping on his head.

That’s embarrassing for UConn and Hartford. There are also financial considerations as well. Based on the lease deal UConn currently has in place, it’s potentially losing money, or at least ceding revenue streams, by playing games at the XL Center rather than in Storrs. (UConn is also building a $70-million, 2,600-seat ice-skating rink on its Storrs campus.)

Despite all these issues, UConn sports must stay in the Capital City.

Let’s face it, UConn basketball (men’s and women’s) is one of the best brands the state of Connecticut has to sell, and the Capital City is in desperate need of being associated with it. Hartford has still not recovered from the Whalers’ departure 25 years ago. Losing UConn would be another black eye, at a very vulnerable time for Hartford, particularly downtown.

The pandemic has been more than a gut punch to the city as many large employers have operated remotely for two years. Downtown has an office vacancy rate of 20% and it’s likely going to get worse as more leases expire and companies continue to downsize their footprints.

Even as employers return more workers to the office this month, hybrid models are the way of the future, which means Hartford — a city long dependent on office workers during the work week — will see less foot traffic for the foreseeable future compared to pre-pandemic times.

Often, Hartford boosters point to the significant role UConn games play in helping local restaurants and bars. While it’s true, that’s only a small piece of a much bigger economic picture.

Even though XL Center attendance has dipped in recent years, UConn sports help breathe life into a city that for decades has desperately chased “live, work, play” aspirations.

In many ways, I think the argument of where UConn sports teams should play comes down to what role we think Hartford serves in the regional and state economy.

Does Connecticut need a strong Capital City that acts like a talent magnet, drawing in the best and brightest minds and companies? I’d argue the answer is yes, which means Hartford needs attractions and amenities to pull people in. UConn sports is part of the equation.

Mike Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, is one person who unsurprisingly agrees with this point of view. His quasi-public agency oversees the XL Center and is currently in lease negotiations with UConn.

“The 30 [or so] UConn events play a big role in keeping the XL alive, and there is a role for the state’s flagship university to assist in the economic development/well-being of the state’s Capital City,” Freimuth recently told me. “The XL does drive restaurant, bar, parking and even hotel trade [activity]. A strong XL significantly helps these enterprises that may not be able to sustain themselves on just the normal business day traffic. In fact, one intangible and indirect economic benefit of the XL is just this point, it sustains businesses that are then available for the daytime commercial market thereby actually strengthening the office market, retail and parking facilities.”

Freimuth pointed out other strengths of keeping UConn in Hartford. He said there’s about 80,000 UConn alumni within 30 minutes of the XL. We forget there are also three UConn campuses in Hartford: a satellite campus on Front Street; the School of Business on Constitution Plaza; and the law school on Elizabeth Street. There’s also UConn Health in Farmington.

“As critical, the large corporate sponsors of the UConn programs are in the downtown, and they do enjoy the nearby convenience of the XL,” Freimuth added. “Still the most fundamental reality is that XL, at full capacity gives UConn a bigger bang than Gampel and it can accommodate up to 6,000 additional fans who otherwise would not fit into the campus arena during a big game.”

Of course, decisions around where UConn should play games also come down to dollars-and-cents considerations. UConn’s athletic department has been challenged by considerable deficits, exacerbated, to some degree, by its XL Center lease deal.

And it’s understandable UConn and others are dissatisfied with the state of the XL Center. Freimuth himself has advocated for a larger investment in the facility (as much as $250 million), but he doesn’t control the purse strings; state policymakers do, and by proxy so does the general public.

Gov. Ned Lamont and state lawmakers need to decide whether fully renovating, and therefore saving the XL Center is worth it.

Given the state’s budget constraints in pre-pandemic years it has not been an easy decision. However, XL Center is being run by a new management company — Oak View Group — that has a history of investing in other sports and entertainment venues, and has expressed interest in partnering in an XL Center rehab.

Lamont and other legislative leaders should hash out a deal as soon as possible. Kicking the can down the road much longer won’t suit UConn or Hartford.

In many ways, I think the argument of where UConn sports teams should play comes down to what role we think Hartford serves in the regional and state economy.