Fumble! The state’s failed bid to bring the Patriots to Hartford, 25 years later

It has been 25 years since the deal between the state of Connecticut and Robert Kraft’s New England Patriots — the deal that would’ve brought the Patriots to a brand new publicly funded stadium in Hartford — fell through.

Over the two-and-a-half decades since, the Patriots hired coach Bill Belichick and drafted quarterback Tom Brady, and they won 17 division titles, nine conference championships, and six Super Bowls.

Hartford, on the other hand, eventually built a 6,000-seat Double A ballpark as part of a much larger development plan that has since mostly been scrapped. And people continue to pine for the return of the Whalers.

This hour, a look back at what might have been, what could have been — what never was.

GUESTS:

• Jeff Benedict: The author of 16 books, including The Dynasty
• Michael Leeds: Professor of economics at Temple University and co-author of The Economics of Sports, now in its seventh edition

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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