November 4, 2014
Sacramento, CA
Chick Inlityl, Sacramento Bee Sports Reporter
Tonight at 7 PM, American River Arena will finally open its doors as the Sacramento Kings play host to the San Jose Hornets in the first major event scheduled on the site of the former Cal Expo. Many Sacramentans, having been patient through over a decade of arena proposals to replace the dilapidated Arco Arena, are breathing sighs of relief tonight that their basketball team (the area's first major professional sports franchise) has a new home and is now safe from the specter of relocation, and look forward to a season where many NBA analysts believe Sacramento can make a deep playoff run for the first time since the days of Chris Webber.
Questions remain, however, about the economic viability of the Kings franchise in Sacramento. Cost overruns and bad weather have resulted in completion of only 85% of the projected first phase of the development plan, which was to be finished by the end of the year. Delays in construction of housing and hotel space will result in delays in return on capital investment, leading some to speculate that the development plan, already in full swing in a rising economy, may need to be scrapped altogether. Fan support for the Kings has been somewhat eroded by the arrival of the Sacramento Athletics in 2011, and American River Arena has so far sold out only 37 of its 42 dates for its inaugural season. While San Jose and Kansas City have already landed NBA franchises, Anaheim and Las Vegas continue to search for teams that are willing to relocate to their large sports-hungry markets. When asked about the possibility that the Kings might yet relocate despite the new arena, Joe Maloof angrily declined to comment, adding fuel to speculation that the Maloofs may still intend to move the Kings southward, and stick Sacramento with the ever-increasing bill for the Cal Expo development project...
