Cox lifts Sun’s, WNBA’s popularity

Amber Cox is back in the basketball game she loves, overseeing business operations for the WNBA's Connecticut Sun and building a new sports passion in the same role with the New England Black Wolves of the National Lacrosse League. “This was all foreign to me coming in,” said Cox, 43, who became vice president of sports for Mohegan Sun, which owns the two pro sports franchises, in October. “WNBA was my background, I didn't know anything about lacrosse, certainly not box (indoor) lacrosse, but I tell you what, my first game, I was absolutely hooked.” Played on a smaller field in close quarters, it's action-packed and “whether you are a lacrosse player or fan or not, it's just a great sports event,” she said. Fans apparently agree. The team, in its third season this year, filled an average 2,000 more seats per game, 5,402, at Mohegan Sun Arena, helping earn Cox NLL Executive of the Year honors her rookie season. She deflects full credit, but did sharpen the team's social media and digital presence and connected fans to players by telling their stories, something translatable to the Sun in further growing its established fan base. “I think the WNBA and the NLL to a certain degree are really built on grass-roots, getting these players out in the marketplace and creating a connection,” she said. Sun attendance also is up, 10 percent year to date, at 6,522. Winning helps, the Sun are playoff-bound, along with the social media and theme nights, including honoring UConn women's basketball associate head coach Chris Dailey on Aug. 8 with the Margo Dydek Award as its 2017 Woman of Inspiration. Many UConn fans who might not be Sun regulars came and were hopefully hooked, Cox said of special events that can attract new fans for both teams. For the Sun, she'd like to see more business owners have courtside seats to entertain clients and staff. Especially among women business owners, she plans to share a message of backing the team. “It's important for our girls to have these role models to look to in our community,” Cox said. She'd like both teams to sell out all home games (about 9,200 for the Sun and 7,000-plus for the Black Wolves) within five years. Cox returned to the WNBA after two years as chief marketing officer with Houston's professional men's and women's soccer teams, the Dynamo and Dash. Before that, she spent 18 months as associate commissioner of women's basketball in the Big East Conference after nine seasons with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, first as marketing director and eventually president. She helped the Mercury become the first WNBA team to put a sponsor on its jersey in 2009. “That was a huge opportunity for us to make a statement as a league and also help us financially and now you see it's a staple across the league,” Cox said. Cox met her wife, Kyle Hudson, in Phoenix and the two married last year. Hudson works for the WNBA, consulting for four league teams, excluding the Sun, on marketing and business operations. When Mohegan Sun CEO Mitchell G. Etess approached Cox about returning to the WNBA, it was a slam dunk. She grew up playing hoops, watching and idolizing Larry Bird on TV with her dad — a signed photo from Bird in her office reads, “Thanks for all you have done for the game of BB” — and played college ball at William Woods University in Missouri. “I always knew I wanted to come back, this is where my heart is and so I came out here and visited and just fell in love with the people and the Mohegan Sun way,” Cox said. “I think it's a really wonderful culture, just a great fit.” Jay Parry, now WNBA chief operating officer, hired Cox in Phoenix when she saw her competitive spirit and desire to make a difference, and is thrilled to have her back in the league as one of its key leaders, and champion for the WNBA and all women in sports. “She's really good at connecting the dots and so she plays what I call heads-up ball,” Parry said. “Whatever scenario she's in … she can create a winning strategy, but then roll up her sleeves and also get into the details and figure out how to make it happen.” DOWNLOAD PDFs Executive Profile: Amber Cox