State’s Larger Public Universities Have Few Men's Hoop Student-Athletes from Connecticut

When the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils took the court to open the 2017-18 men’s basketball season this past Friday night, playing the University of Hartford Hawks, not a single player on either team’s roster was a Connecticut native. The 14-man roster for CCSU’s Division l men’s basketball team includes student-athletes from Ohio, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Arizona, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, California, and Puerto Rico, as well as three from Pennsylvania and one from the island of St. Maarten.  The team, which plays in the Northeast Conference, is coached by former UConn and NBA star Donyell Marshall.

CCSU is one of four regional state universities, part of the Connecticut State College and University (CSCU) system.  The largest of four comprehensive universities within the system, CCSU serves nearly 11,800 students--9,800 undergraduates, and 2,000 graduate students.  Southern Connecticut has 7,526 undergraduates and 2,193 graduate students.  Eastern and Western each have an undergraduate student population of just over 5,000.

The University of Connecticut, which also plays Division 1 and has won multiple NCAA national championships, is governed separately.  The Huskies 16-man roster for the current academic year includes two student athletes from Connecticut.  UConn has more than 23,000 undergraduate students, including just over 19,000 at the main campus in Storrs.

On the Southern Connecticut State University Owls, a Division ll men’s basketball team, five Connecticut student- athletes have made their way onto the 13 player roster.  Those students hail from New Haven, North Haven, West Haven, Middlebury, and Stratford.  The team plays in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, led by head basketball coach - former UConn and NBA player - Scott Burrell, a Hamden native.

That’s a total of about one-sixth of the roster slots - seven Connecticut student-athletes on the men’s basketball teams out of 43 places on the three rosters.

The state’s two Division III universities reflect a very different story.

Fourteen of the 16 student athletes on the roster of the Western Connecticut State University Colonials are from Connecticut.  The only two attending the Danbury-based school who aren’t from Connecticut hail from Georgia and New York.

At Eastern Connecticut State University, which plays in the Little East Conference, the Warriors men’s basketball roster includes 13 students from Connecticut, two from neighboring Massachusetts, and one from New York City.

Feds Urged to Complete Study Assessing Safety of Crumb Rubber Playing Fields, Playgrounds

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.  That’s not only a well-worn adage from youth, it is apparently the game plan for Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and his multi-year quest for a comprehensive federal study of the health risks of crumb rubber turf, a surface made of recycled tires that is widely used on playgrounds and athletics fields in Connecticut and nationwide. Blumenthal, along with colleagues in the Senate, are this week urging a federal task force to finish a long-overdue study into potential health risks.  The crumb rubber used in artificial turf fields is mainly composed of recycled tires, which contain man-made and natural rubber, according to the state Department of Public Health.  Chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be found in the crumb rubber.  Crumb rubber can also contain heavy metals such as zinc and copper.

After a year and a half, WTNH-TV reported, the Senators are convinced progress on a comprehensive federal study has stalled.

It isn’t the first time that Blumenthal has been a lead voice to prompt action.  In November 2015 Blumenthal and Senate colleague Bill Nelson of Florida urged the Consumer Product Safety Commission to conduct a study.  In March 2016, Blumenthal was among those urging Congress and the President to allocate sufficient funds to conduct the study.  “Parents deserve to know if there is a danger to their children playing on these fields,” he said that month at a news conference held at Yale University.

A synthetic turf study was undertaken in 2016 by four United States agencies  — EPA, Consumer Products Safety Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry — which has yet to be finalized.

With it’s completion in doubt, Blumenthal is highlighting the imperative to get scientific answers to guide communities that are considering how best to replace natural grass or other types of field surfaces.  It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 artificial-turf surfaces in use across the country.

Earlier this year, plans for a crumb rubber synthetic turf field in North Haven brought local opposition. The town decided to go forward with the less controversial encapsulated crumb-rubber infill over the traditional crumb rubber option, according to an article on the controversy published this month in The Atlantic.

Last year, Hamden opted not to go ahead with plans for crumb rubber, switching to a mix of cork shavings and coconut husk, called “GeoFill,” along with a “shock pad” in response to safety concerns. Bloomfield High School installed a synthetic turf field, South Windsor decided to use acrylic-coated sand instead of crumb rubber.  Madison and Guilford are also among the communities with crumb rubber surfaces for fields or playgrounds, according to published reports.

Testifying at the Connecticut State Capitol earlier this year, medical staff from the Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, urged that “Until the findings of these studies are available and conclusively demonstrate the safety of recycled rubber playground surfaces, we recommend a ban on the use of these materials where children play.”

Legislation that would have prohibited the installation of ground cover that contains shredded or ground rubber recycled from motor vehicle tires in municipal and public school playgrounds in Connecticut was approved by two legislative committees (Committee on Children, Committee on Planning & Development) in March, but the proposal was not considered by the full legislature in the session that concluded in June.

Blumenthal first became concerned about the artificial surface when his children were playing on the crumb-rubber athletic fields.  “I became concerned as a parent, as much as a public official, ten years ago, and at first was somewhat skeptical, but now very firmly believe that we need an authoritative, real study about what’s in these fields,” Blumenthal told ABC News two years ago.

The state Department of Public Health (DPH) website points out that “the advantages of these fields include less maintenance costs, ability to withstand intense use and no need for pesticides.”  To address public safety concerns, four Connecticut state agencies collaborated in 2010 to evaluate the potential exposures and risks from athletic use of artificial turf fields, the DPH website explains.

A two year investigation of releases from five fields during active play was conducted by the Connecticut departments of Public Health, Energy and Environmental Protection, University of Connecticut Health Center, and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The study was peer-reviewed by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

The overall conclusion of the report, according to the DPH website, is that “use of outdoor artificial turf fields does not represent a significant health risk.”  A news release issued by the department did note “higher contaminant levels at one indoor field indicate that ventilation of indoor fields should be considered.  Storm water run off findings indicate that proper management of this run off is prudent to address possible environmental effects.”

Focus on UConn Funding Includes View of Money Paid to Football Coaches

The UConn football season is underway, and UConn is in the news in a big way.  It is, however,  about not only prospects on the gridiron as prospects on the bottom line for the state’s flagship university.  Officials describe the university as being under unfair and counterproductive attack by a budget recently adopted by the state legislature that would require substantial reductions in state funding.  The budget is expected to be vetoed by the Governor, continuing the legislative stalemate that has prevented agreement on a state budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1. Also within the past week, UConn was among a handful universities portrayed as the poster children for the practice of paying multiple head football coaches simultaneously.  UConn’s situation was listed as among the most costly.

The report, by The New York Times, indicated that “when the Huskies hired Randy Edsall last winter after three losing seasons under Bob Diaco, they got their once and future head coast for a reasonable $1 million salary.”  The article went on to point out, however, that “firing Diaco triggered a $3.4 million buyout.”  Thus, the University is paying $4.4 million in head coach salary this season, to two coaches – one employed by the university, the other not.

It could have been more costly.

“Even though the move was announced in December,” it was effective in January; “an effective end date in 2016 would have cost the Huskies $5 million.  The newspaper notes that “if it had not given Diaco a richer buyout as part of a two-year (contract) extension he negotiated only seven months before he was fired,” the buyout would have been significantly smaller – only $800,000.”

Leading the list of colleges cited in the Times article was Texas, “on the hook for the salaries of current and former coaches” this season to the tune of $12.45 million.  Next was Oregon, at $8.5 million; and Florida at $6.4 million.

Some doubted that Diaco would be fired, because of the continuing cost to the university of doing so.  The website theuconnblog.com said when the firing was announced in late December that “The primary driver behind Diaco’s assumed job security was a substantial buyout owed to him had he been fired right after the season. With UConn’s strapped financial situation, it could ill-afford to be paying Diaco millions to not coach the team.”

Diaco, in January, became the highest paid assistant coach in Nebraska history when he was hired by that university to be the team’s defensive coordinator for $825,000 this year and $875,000 next year.

At the time of Diaco’s firing, UConn emphasized that taxpayers would not be responsible for the buyout.

"It's not taxpayer money," Michael Enright, who oversees communications for UConn athletics told the Hartford Courant at the time. "It's from division of athletics revenues. So ticketing, concessions, licensing, conference revenue."

The Courant went on to report that “sports-related income isn't the only source of revenue feeding the department's $72 million budget. For the 2014-15 school year, student fees provided more than $10 million and the university contributed $18 million, according to a survey by USA Today. The school has taken pains to say the university's share comes from segregated accounts that do not include tuition or state funds. But critics see the university's and athletics department's budgets as homogenous taxpayer-supported piles of money.”

The state provides approximately 28 percent of the revenue funding UConn's overall $1.3 billion budget, the Courant noted, adding that Diaco's salary was $1.7 million last year, making him the third-highest-paid state employee, trailing only the UConn head basketball coaches.

In mid-2016, Diaco and his wife have announced "they will contribute $250,000 to the University to help fund the construction of several new UConn athletic facilities,” according to the UConn website. The Diaco gift, it was announced, would be used to help build new facilities for the UConn men’s and women’s soccer, baseball, and softball teams.

No Chocolate Milk? Kids Get Used to Plain Milk, UConn Study Finds

There’s good news and bad news for chocolate milk advocates, depending upon which University of Connecticut research study you come across.  The studies don’t necessarily conflict, but provide differing points of view in the plain milk vs. chocolate milk debate. A new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut has found that most students adjust to drinking plain milk after flavored milk is removed from school lunch menus.

Flavored milk served in the National School Lunch Program contains up to 10 grams of added sugar per serving, which is 40 percent of a child’s daily allowance of added sugar. Given the nation’s key public health target of limiting added sugars in children’s diets, flavored milk has come under scrutiny in the context of school nutrition, UConn Today recently reported.

The study, published in July in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, measured plain milk selection and consumption in the years after flavored milk was removed in two schools. Key findings include:

• The first school year after flavored milk was removed, 51.5 percent of students selected milk and drank 4 ounces per carton, indicating school-wide per-student consumption of 2.1 ounces.
• Two years later, 72 percent of students selected milk and drank 3.4 ounces per carton, significantly increasing the school-wide per-student consumption to 2.5 ounces.
• Older students and boys consumed significantly more milk.
• The availability of 100 percent fruit juice at lunch was associated with a significant decrease in students selecting milk and lower milk consumption per carton throughout the years of the study. Both years, student selection and consumption of plain milk dropped significantly on days when 100 percent fruit juice was also available.

The study could have implications for school nutrition policy and efforts to reduce added sugars in children’s diets. The study was conducted in two elementary (K-8) schools in an urban New England school district during the 2010-2011 and 2012-2013 school years. Researchers assessed the selection and consumption of milk immediately after flavored milk was removed in the 2010-2011 school year, and two years later in the 2012-2013 school year.

“The decision to remove flavored milk has both nutritional benefits and potential costs. It is clearly an effective way to lower student intake of added sugars at lunch, and over time, the majority of students will switch to plain milk,” said Marlene Schwartz, professor of human development and family studies, director of the UConn Rudd Center, and lead author of the study. “However, there will always be some students who don’t like plain milk. The challenge is finding a way to meet their dietary needs by providing other nutrient-rich options at lunch.”

The study was funded by the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs and the Rudd Foundation.  In the conclusion to the study, the researchers note that “A school policy to remove flavored milk has potential public health benefits and costs—it is likely to decrease consumption of added sugars at lunch for all children, but it is also likely to decrease consumption of milk for some children and increase their risk of missing key nutrients.”

Seven years ago, another UConn researcher was touting the virtues of chocolate milk.  That study, centered in Professor Nancy R. Rodriguez’s lab, found that drinking a 16-ounce glass of fat-free chocolate milk after exercise gives the body essential proteins and carbohydrates that help refuel weary muscles better than a beverage containing carbohydrates alone.

Rodriguez, with joint appointments in the departments of kinesiology and allied health – and who serves, then and now, as UConn’s director of sports nutrition – advocated for the benefits of milk in relation to athletic performance since the late 1990’s. But the 2010 study believed to be the first study of its kind showing a direct correlation between consuming chocolate milk and improved muscle recovery after prolonged exercise.

Results showed that chocolate milk was as effective as the carbohydrate drink in replenishing the body’s stores of glycogen, a form of carbohydrate the body uses as fuel during intense or prolonged exercise. Rodriguez said at the time that the sugar from the chocolate syrup in the milk helps athletes replace depleted glycogen in their muscles to prepare them for their next workout.

Rodriguez subsequently served on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN), 2014-2017. She has been a Sports Nutritionist for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and has provided services to the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Bobcats, and the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack.

The 2010 study was funded by the National Dairy Council and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board.

Hartford Region Ranks 13th in National Fitness Ratings

The Hartford region ranks as the 13^th “fittest” metropolitan area in the nation, according to a nationwide fitness index developed by the American College of Sports Medicine.  Hartford ranked 9^th a year ago and 11^th in 2015 in the ACSM American Fitness Index, now in its tenth year. The top 10 “fittest” metropolitan areas are Minneapolis, Washington DC, San Francisco, Seattle, San Jose, Boston, Denver, Portland, Salt Lake City and San Diego. The top seven cities in the 2017 AFI are between 4-13 percentage points ahead of the rest of the pack, principally related to lower rates of smoking and cardiovascular disease deaths and higher reported physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and per capita park expenditures in their communities.

The index publication is supported by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation.  It is a scientific snapshot of the health and fitness status at a metropolitan level using data made up of personal health, community and environmental factors.

The United States Census Bureau defines the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as containing 54 towns of Hartford County, Tolland County, and Middlesex County. The 2015 population estimate for the MSA is 1,211,324 and is ranked as the 47th largest metropolitan area by population in the United States

Fifty regions were rated, with the Hartford MSA the only region in Connecticut.  Boston-Cambridge-Newton ranked 6^th and Providence-Warwick ranked 31^st, among the New England states.

The Hartford region’s total score has ranked among the top 12 metropolitan areas since 2009, until this year. Strengths include a high number of farmers’ markets per resident, a high percent of parkland as city land area, as well as a high number of recreational facilities per resident, including ball diamonds, golf courses, park units and recreation centers.

The region’s personal health rank was 13; its community/environmental indicators rank was 25, leading to an overall ranking of 13th.  The analysis points to “Areas of Excellence,” in the region, including:

• Lower death rate for diabetes
• Higher percentage of parkland as city land area
• More farmers’ markets per capita
• Higher Walk Score® (75% report engaging in physical activity or exercise in the last 30 days)
• More ball diamonds and basketball hoops per capita
• More recreation centers per capita
• More swimming pools per capita

Nationally, there were numerous positive shifts during the last year:

• 0% increase in the percent who met the recommendations for aerobic and strength in the last 30 days
• 5% drop in the percent with diagnosed angina or coronary heart disease
• 9% increase in walkability scores
• 9% increase in the percent who live within a 10-minute walk to a park
• 7% increase in the total park expenditures per capita
• 0% increase in the number of recreation centers per 20,000 residents

“Our ultimate goal is to offer individuals, families and communities trusted resources that can help them assess, plan and implement policies that promote positive health outcomes,” said Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FASCM, who chairs the AFI Advisory Board and is president-elect of ACSM.

The 2017 AFI report also revealed some shortcomings over the past year:

• 7% increase in the rate of diabetes deaths
• 3% reduction in the percent of residents biking or walking to work
• 2% decrease in the percent of individuals eating the recommended number of servings of fruit
• 6% reduction in the number of tennis courts per 10,000 residents

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the inherent commitment of Anthem, Inc. to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve, including Connecticut.

Financial Woes Aside, Dunkin' Donuts Park is Nation's Best Double-A Ballpark

With almost 49,000 voters weighing in on the top Double-A facilities, Dunkin’ Donuts Park, home of the Hartford Yard Goats, was the winner in the third-annual Best of the Ballparks fan vote from Ballpark Digest. It is the first time a new facility has won a Best of the Ballparks vote. Fans selected Dunkin’ Donuts Park over Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, in a bracketed online competition at ballparkdigest.com that saw over 178,000 fans vote on their favorite minor league ballparks.

“We are extremely proud to hear that fans voted Dunkin’ Donuts Park as the best Double-A ballpark in the country,” Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said. “We want to thank all the fans for taking time to vote over the past few weeks and for Ballpark Digest for having this contest to help showcase Dunkin’ Donuts Park on a national level. This is such a wonderful honor and we have been completely overjoyed by the outstanding fan support at our games in Hartford this season.”

The Yard Goats have played in front of capacity crowds 15 times. This past weekend, 19,956 fans watched the Yard Goats in Hartford. Dunkin’ Donuts Park has been sold out completely in each of the last three weekends (Friday through Sunday) and filled to capacity in 11 of the past 17 home games.

Voters were asked to choose among Eastern, Southern and Texas League ballparks in five rounds of voting. Last year’s top vote-getter among Double A stadiums was Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, home of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.  In this year’s voting, Dunkin’ Donuts Park was seeded sixth when the voting began.

Dunkin’ Donuts Park is the first brand new venue to open in the Eastern League since Northeast Delta Dental Stadium—home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats—opened its doors in 2005, and it is seen as the biggest change to the league’s facility landscape since the extensive multi-phase renovation to the Harrisburg Senators’ FNB Field was completed prior to the 2010 season.

“Dunkin’ Donuts Park is one of the great stories in Minor League Baseball in 2017,” said Ballpark Digest publisher Kevin Reichard. “The Yard Goats front office persevered during a rough 2016 season and never wavered from a commitment to creating the best possible fan experience. That commitment to fans helped Dunkin’ Donuts Park snare a great honor in a highly competitive field.”

The stadium includes 18 luxury suites and two other suites adjacent to the dugouts, a kids “fun zone” just beyond the center field fence with an inflatable slide and bounce house and a glassed-in batting cage, which will allow fans with premium tickets to watch the players practice.

The Yard Goats are in their second year after moving 15 miles north from New Britain, where the team played through the 2015 season as the Rock Cats.  The club was forced to play its games on the road last year when construction delays caused the opening of Dunkin’ Donuts Park to be pushed back numerous times, ultimately to this season.

The team, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, is the first professional baseball club to call Hartford home since the Hartford Chiefs in 1952.  The team’s home opener earlier this year was played on the 20th anniversary of the home finale for the NHL’s Hartford Whalers.

Hartford Whalers (Logo) Headed to Connecticut (Vehicles)

Connecticut drivers may soon see another vanity license plate option if a bill approved by the state legislature is signed into law by Governor Malloy.  A license plate commemorating the Hartford Whalers hockey franchise, which departed the Capital city 20 years ago, gained legislative approval in the final days of the General Assembly session. It is the latest of an ever-growing list of license plates supporting a variety of charitable causes and local organizations that are authorized by the state and raise money for various causes.  The Whalers license plate is to be a fundraising vehicle for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Stafford Springs State Rep. Kurt Vail, who introduced the bill, said in public hearing testimony earlier this year that “the popularity of the franchise has not gone away.”  He predicted that the license plate would be “a huge hit amongst our citizens.”  House Majority Leader Matt Ritter of Hartford said that “with memories of attending games with my grandfather still fresh…the Whalers continue to have a large and growing following in the city.”

Although the Whalers license plate was created by an act of the legislature, state law allows the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue special background plates on behalf of non-profit organizations. The organization must be non-profit, must submit a copy of the organization’s charter or by-laws, provide a letter of good standing from the State of Connecticut Secretary of State’s Office (if required) and supply any Internal Revenue Service ruling on their non-profit tax exemption status.

The logo production and cost incurred will be the responsibility of the organization. The logo prototype design, preferred in PDF format, must be submitted to the DMV. The logo can be no larger than 2 inches wide and 3.5 inches high. DMV has final approval on all the plate and logo designs.

A liaison for the organization must be appointed. This individual will be responsible for all communications with the DMV as well as certifying and authenticating (by signature) each member’s application, submitting the logo design to DMV for approval, submitting 400 applications with the required fee prior to the manufacturing of the special background plates, and submitting a Special Interest Plate disclaimer.

Many organizations in Connecticut offer license plates to their members and the general public.  General categories include animals, colleges, environment, organizations, police and fire, cities and towns, and recreation.

Organization vanity plates include Amistad, Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks, IUOE Local 478, Grand Lodge of Connecticut, Knights of Columbus, Olympic Spirit, P.T. Barnum Foundation Inc., Preserving Our Past CT Trust for Historic Preservation, Red Sox Foundation, Lions Eye Research Foundation, Special Olympics, Federated Garden Clubs, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Keep Kids Safe, New England Air Museum and the U.S.S. Connecticut Commissioning Committee.

When individuals purchase a Keep Kids Safe plate, a portion of the fee goes to the Keep Kids Safe Fund, which “makes many worthy projects happen for youngsters.”  The fund awards grants to schools, hospitals, municipalities and other non-profit organizations working to make all Connecticut children safer from severe and preventable injuries, according to the DMV website.

In most cases, remake of a current plate is $70; a new vanity plate is $139, a new series plate is $50.  For others, including the UConn Huskies plate, the price tag is somewhat different.  Off-the-shelf license plates cost $55, remake of a current plate is $75, a new vanity plate costs $144, according to the DMV website.

The Support Our Troops plate sends a portion of the fee to provide funding for programs to assist Connecticut troops, their families and veterans. When you buy a Red Sox plate, a portion of the fees support and help fund academic scholarship programs in Connecticut.

Also included are 17 varieties of military specialty plates, including Disabled American Veteran, Gold Star Family, Iwo Jima Survivor, Korean War Veterans Association, Marine Corps League, Laos Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Pearl Harbor 1941, U.S. Submarine Veteran, National Guard Association of Connecticut, First Company Governor’s Foot Guard, First Company Governor’s Horse Guard,

Colleges with designated plates include Central Connecticut State University, Penn State Alumni, University of Hartford, University of Connecticut, and University of New Haven.  Cities with available plates include Meriden, Norwich, and Stafford.

Organizations interested in launching a new special plate, should contact the DMV Special Plate Unit at (860) 263-5154 for further information.

Start-up Entrepreneurial Activity Boosts CT's Ranking from 22 to 18 Among Nation's 25 Smaller States

In a state-by-state analysis of start-up business activities, Connecticut moved from ranking 22^nd among the smallest 25 states a year ago to 18^th this year – the largest forward progress of any of the nation’s 25 smallest states.  Vermont also moved up four positions, from 13^th to 9^th.  And Kansas advanced three positions, from 18^th to 15^th. This year among the 25 smaller states, Nevada was top in startup activity, followed by Oklahoma, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Among smaller states, eleven ranked higher than they did last year, five experienced no changes in rankings, and another nine ranked lower.

The analysis was included in the 2017 Kauffman Index Startup Activity State Report, issued this month by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, based in Kansas City.

Among the twenty-five largest states, the five states with the highest startup activity in the 2017 Index were California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Colorado. Seventeen out of the twenty-five largest states had higher levels of startup activity in 2017 compared to last year.  Among the twenty-five largest states, the four that experienced the biggest increase in ranks in 2017 were Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, and Minnesota. The three that experienced the biggest negative shifts in rank in 2017 compared to 2016 were Louisiana, Maryland, and Virginia.

After two years of large increases, startup activity rose slightly in 2016, continuing an upward trend started in 2014, the report indicated. Only three years ago, the Startup Activity Index was at its lowest point in the last twenty years. Today it has gone up three years in a row, reaching close to the peak before the Great Recession drop, the report pointed out.

Among the twenty-five smallest states, the three that experienced the biggest increase in ranks in 2017 were Connecticut, Vermont, and Kansas. The three that experienced the biggest negative shifts in rank in 2017 compared to 2016 were Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Delaware.  In the twenty-five smallest states, the five states with the highest startup activity in the 2017 Index were Nevada, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Eleven smaller states had higher Startup Activity Index measures this year.

The Startup Activity Index is an index measure of a broad range of startup activity in the United States across national, state, and metropolitan-area levels. The Startup Activity Index captures startup activity along three dimensions:

• The Rate of New Entrepreneurs in the economy— the percentage of adults becoming entrepreneurs in a given month.
• The Opportunity Share of New Entrepreneurs—the percentage of new entrepreneurs driven primarily by “opportunity” as opposed to “necessity.”
• Startup Density—the rate at which businesses with employees are created in the economy.

Carolina Attendance Plummets; Proposal for Hartford Region to Buy Back Whalers, Bring 'Em Home

In a press conference on May 6, 1997, team owner Peter Karmanos Jr. said he was moving his hockey team, the Hartford Whalers, to Raleigh and renaming it the Carolina Hurricanes. It has been 20 years, and now there is an effort – voiced by Hartford City Councilman John Gale – to go back to the future, and bring the franchise to Hartford's XL Center.  It is a long-shot, wistful effort that has yet to capture the public imagination in Connecticut, or any apparent interest from Karmanos, despite near constant rumors, and some intimation, that the franchise could be bought, for the right price.  There has been consistent resistance from the NHL to moving the franchise from Raleigh, but no new comment since the latest idea became public.

“This is a market where the people have a good feeling about themselves, have a good feeling about the future,” Karmanos said two decades ago of the Carolina market to which he was redirecting the soon-to-be former Whalers. “I think they want a sports team here as a quality-of-life issue, something they can identify with.”

Now, Gale suggests in an op-ed published by the Hartford Courant, the team ought to return for much the same reason. “What if we could provide the region with an identity, a rallying point; what if there were a way to bring back the Whale and give it a built-in metro area base of support; and we did it all by regionally cooperating,” Gale wrote.

It has been two decades of highs and lows as the Carolina Hurricanes – two Stanley Cup appearances, and one win of the Cup in the early years, and the worst attendance in the National Hockey League, or near the bottom, more recently.  In Hartford, the Whalers remain very much a part of the city's consciousness.

The Hurricanes have had the NHL’s worst home attendance in each of the past two years, and attendance at home games has dropped for five consecutive years, averaging 11,776 this season for 41 home games.

In January, NBC Sports reported that team President Don Waddell said Karmanos was not actively looking to sell the team, but that “If someone came along and wanted to buy it, I’m sure we’d talk about it but we’re not actively out there trying to find investors. If someone calls and says, ‘Hey, I want to buy the team,’ we’re taking that call.”  A year ago, there were rumors of a sale and move to Quebec City.

Today, the Hurricanes Executive Vice President and General Manager is Hall of Famer Ron Francis.  The former standout – in Hartford and Carolina – was the first player to have his number retired by the Hurricanes, on Jan. 28, 2006. Francis, captain dubbed “Ronnie Franchise,” saw his No. 10 – the jersey number in Connecticut and Carolina – raised high above the arena.

Earlier this year, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was quoted by USA Today as saying "Peter may sell, he may not sell.  He may sell all of it. He may sell some of it. He may sell none of it. There's no formal sale process going on. There's no imperative for the franchise to be sold on any immediate basis, and the franchise is not moving.”

Within weeks of those comments, Gov. Malloy and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin made a play for the Brooklyn-based New York Islanders, rumored to be seeking a new home due to spotty attendance at the home they share with the Brooklyn Nets.  Those hopes were dashed last month when the team announced they planned to stay in New York, and are considering plans for a new hockey arena on Long Island or in Queens near Shea Stadium.

That effort caught the interest of data-guru Nate Silver, founder and editor of FiveThirtyEight.com, who revived his 2013 study that noted the Hartford-New Haven media market is the largest in the U.S. without a “big four” sports franchise.  He estimated that about 175,000 avid NHL fans live in the Hartford-New Haven metro area. “That sounds bad, though it’s comparable to or slightly better than some of the lower-tier American NHL markets, including Columbus, Raleigh-Durham, Miami and Nashville (and better than Las Vegas, where the NHL is expanding). Furthermore, there’s potentially room for growth. According to our estimates, 7 percent of adults in the Hartford metro area were avid NHL fans in 2013. But the percentage is 13 percent in the New York metro area and 17 percent in the Boston metro area.”  Sliver added that “If the Islanders or another team were to relocate to Hartford, the numbers would probably improve.”

Gale’s proposal: “What if all 38 towns in the Capitol Region Council of Governments banded together to buy the franchise and brought it back to Hartford? Grand lists are representative of the respective wealth of each town. So, the 38 towns would each pay a portion of the purchase price of the Whalers hockey team based on their percentage of the total grand list of all 38 towns. The average per capita cost for all 38 towns is $274 per person.”

In the Whalers’ final season in Hartford, 1996-97, attendance at the Hartford Civic Center had grown to 87 percent of capacity, with an average attendance of 13,680 per game.  Published reports suggest that the average attendance was, in reality, higher than 14,000 per game by 1996-97, but Whalers ownership did not count the skyboxes and coliseum club seating because the revenue streams went to the state, rather than the team.  Attendance increased for four consecutive years before management moved the team from Hartford. (To 10,407 in 1993-94, 11,835 in 1994-95, 11,983 in 1995-96 and 13,680 in 1996-97.)

Carolina’s average home attendance during the just-concluded 2016-17 season was 11,776– the worst in the 30 team league. That was a drop from the 2015-16 average of 12,203, which was lowest in the NHL that year as well.

ESPN reported last year that the Whalers Booster Club remains visible, and Whalers gear continues to sell briskly, in and beyond the Hartford region.

"We always march in Hartford's St. Patrick's Day parade," said Joanne Cortesa, the club's president.  "And every time we hear people chanting, 'Bring 'em back, bring 'em back!' Every place we go, it's 'Bring 'em back!'"

"It's probably not going to happen next week or next month," Bronin told ESPN. "But we'd certainly welcome having the NHL return to Hartford."

Whalers Hartford Attendance 20 Years Ago Exceeds Islanders in Brooklyn

For Hartford hockey fans of the Whalers vintage, a peek at this year’s National Hockey League (NHL) attendance figures are either demoralizing or encouraging – or both.  It has been two decades since the Whalers were uprooted by ownership, replanted in North Carolina and renamed the Hurricanes, and two weeks since Gov. Dannel Malloy and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin took their first shot at the now Brooklyn-based New York Islanders. Lowest attendance in the NHL this year belongs to the Carolina Hurricanes, at 12,025 through 24 home games, followed at the bottom of the league by the Islanders, averaging 12,829 through 32 home games, as of this week.

Last year, the 2015-16 season, the Hurricanes averaged 12,203 for their 41 home games, last in the league, while the Islanders were third lowest in the NHL at 13,626.  Both are lower than the Whalers average attendance in their final season in Hartford, nearly two decades ago.

In comparison, the top teams in the league this year for home attendance are the Chicago Black Hawks, averaging 21,669 and Montreal Canadians, seeing 21,288 per game thus far this year.

In their final season on Long Island at the Nassau Coliseum in 2015-16, the Islanders average home attendance was 15,189, an increase from the immediate previous seasons.  The Carolina Hurricanes had the second lowest attendance in the league that year, at 12,594.  During the 2012-13 season, the Islanders attendance was the lowest in the 30-team league, at 13,306.

With more than 1,000 obstructed seats in the Barclay Center arena that the Islanders share with the New York Nets in Brooklyn, rumors have circulated since last year of a possible move to a new arena in Queens built for hockey, unlike the Islanders current home, first and foremost a basketball arena.  There has been local opposition to that possibility.  Recent published reports have also indicated that the Barclay Center and Islanders could part company after the 2018-19 season or a year earlier if the team decides to relocate.

With no official word one way or the other, Connecticut officials are taking their shot, with a possible assist from a $250 million makeover of the XL Center, former home of the Whalers.  That proposal must be approved by the state legislature, a tall order at a time when the state budget deficit is approaching $2 billion.

In the Whalers’ final season in Hartford, 1996-97, attendance at the Hartford Civic Center had grown to 87 percent of capacity, with an average attendance of 13,680 per game.  Published reports suggest that the average attendance was, in reality, higher than 14,000 per game by 1996-97, but Whalers ownership did not count the skyboxes and coliseum club seating because the revenue streams went to the state, rather than the team.  Attendance increased for four consecutive years before management moved the team from Hartford. (To 10,407 in 1993-94, 11,835 in 1994-95, 11,983 in 1995-96 and 13,680 in 1996-97.)

During the team’s tenure in Hartford, average attendance exceeded 14,000 twice – in 1987-88 and 1986-87, when the team ranked 13th in the league in attendance in both seasons.

In recent years, the Islanders have been at or near the bottom of the league in home attendance:

• 2015-16       28^th
• 2014-15      25^th
• 2013-14      26^th
• 2012-13      30^th
• 2011-12      29^th
• 2010-11      30^th
• 2009-10      29^th

Whalers merchandise continues to sell well, despite the team not having played a single game in this century.  Whalers merchandise was Reebok's top selling non-current NHL team, according to published reports in 2015. While the company has expanded its lineup to include Whalers logos from different eras, the Hartford Business Journal reported, gear featuring the team's original logo remained the most popular and continues to be offered on the NHL Official Shop website, on multiple websites and in retail locations in the U.S. and Canada.

The Connecticut officials said “this is a ready market anxious for an NHL team, eager to fill seats, buy merchandise, and support your team,” reminding Islanders officials that ““Your AHL affiliate is in nearby Bridgeport, allowing quick and easy access to your minor-league players, and represents a footing in Connecticut of the Islander franchise.”

The NHL has given no indication that it will approve a move out of the New York market, according to NBC Sports, although Commissioner Gary Bettman has said that the teams owners “are reviewing the situation and looking very seriously at what their options are.”

The only statement released by Islanders ownership after receiving the letter last week from Malloy and Bronin said the team does “look forward to another great year of New York Islanders hockey at Barclays Center next season.”  No word on what might, or might not, occur after that.