Pro soccer in Bridgeport a worthy goal
Bridgeport could build its own Hall of Infamy showcasing architectural drawings that were never realized. Connecticut’s most populated city has been on a losing streak for decades.
Connecticut boasts the gold standard in college sports (University of Connecticut basketball) and fake sports (WWE), so why have professional teams remained so elusive?
Like so many other obstacles in Connecticut, it's all about the competition from New York and Massachusetts. Luring baseball, football or basketball teams has been accepted as folly for generations. Even the recent idea of reviving the Hartford Whalers National Hockey League franchise came with reminders that its original 18-year run was always on thin ice.
Yet the seeds of a plan to bring U.S. professional soccer to Bridgeport is a provocative one on many fronts. Several of the potential obstacles are already checked off. The sport has an active fan base. A potential home field has been identified at the former greyhound racing track. And, perhaps most importantly, the movement to bring a team here is led by a determined visionary with deep pockets.
It's far too soon to start ordering those jerseys, but this pitch already sounds more like a possibility than most fantasy sports projects of the past. Perhaps most intriguing is that it could give a major boost to a city that desperately needs one — Bridgeport.
The multi-millionaire is question, Andre Swanston, has some history in Connecticut as a UConn graduate, Ridgefield resident and entrepreneur who has based businesses in Hartford and Stamford. That alone means this will likely get more traction than it might from someone outside state lines. Swanston, a tech entrepreneur, envisions creating expansion teams in Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League.
Swantson estimates the start-up costs at more than $1 billion. In addition to a new stadium, his broad outline also includes housing, restaurants and a hotel, along with a youth soccer academy.
That all comes at a price, which Swantson says would primarily be paid by private investors. He's already spent seven figures exploring the idea, claiming his research reveals that Connecticut is the “most under-served state for professional sports”
Alabama might have something to say about that. Or Virginia. Or some of the other 20 states that lack a pro team. The other New England states of Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine aren't really complaining. Connecticut has the potential audience; it just has the (in this case) misfortune of being wedged between Boston and New York.
Connecticut has tried to entice teams before, most notably the New England Patriots in the late 1990s. But the real problem isn't the sports fantasy, it's the redevelopment fantasy.
Bridgeport could build its own Hall of Infamy showcasing architectural drawings that were never realized. Connecticut's most populated city has been on a losing streak for decades.
That doesn't mean Bridgeport doesn't deserve this shot. What's good for Bridgeport is good for Connecticut.
But it may not matter what Bridgeport wants, what soccer fans want or what Swanston wants. To get in the game, Major League Soccer, the National Women's Soccer League and Connecticut all need to be willing to play.