Mike0476
Starter
THIS WAS PREVIOUSLY POSTED BUT ONLY WITH A LINK TO OUR WEB SITE. I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO READ WHAT I POSTED BECAUSE I AM REACHING OUT TO EVERYONE IN HOPES THAT YOU WILL JOIN US AND WHY. THANK YOU.
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
My name is Mike Tavares. I’m a die-hard Sacramento Kings fan since day one. I also enjoy concerts, WWE, UFC and so much more. But most of all I am a proud resident and tax payer of Sacramento, CA.
I cannot speak for others but I can speak for myself. As far as I can remember, since late 2009, I have attended city council meetings before it was the cool thing to do when it was just the council, business leaders, developers, Mike Barnbaum and a few others.
There was no Here We Stay. There was no Here We Build. There was no Here We Buy. There was no Think Big Sacramento. There was no #FANS. There was no Crown Downtown.
Why did I attend city council meetings as early as late 2009? No one asked me to attend. No one told me to attend. I did that on my own free will. I volunteered my own time to attend. I felt it was important for me to be there.
The last time there was any kind of presence of Kings fans at Sacramento City Hall was in 1997 when Kings owner Jim Thomas threatened to move the team to Nashville unless he got financial help. Luckily for us we got a 5-3 vote to keep our Kings where they belong in Sacramento. You can thank the late Mayor Joe Serna as he made it happen. Later down the road Serna also told the new Kings owners in the Maloofs, “This team is the heart and soul of this city.” (The Sacramento Bee – Friday, November 12, 1999)
Serna was also a “big believer that pro franchises enhance a region economically, socially and culturally, while also forging a city’s image and identity.” (The Sacramento Bee – Friday, November 12, 1999)
Since those city council meetings in 2009, I watched the documentary Sonicsgate, attended Kings road games (besides Oakland) in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, got a tour inside ARCO Arena, and came up with an idea to film an educational documentary on why we need a new downtown arena and other reasons that are #BiggerThanBasketball because the community needed to be educated, especially those sitting on the fence as Kings fans would be on board no matter what and those who opposed it would continue to keep their eyes and ears closed. Education was always the missing piece of the arena puzzle and we wanted to also assist the city council to help educate them too.
In the summer of 2010, I recruited my brother Jesse as he has a filming and screen writing background (both in education and work experience), and a few folks from KingsFans.com including Ron, Lynne and Jeff to help me with research. Filming equipment was bought, a treatment (synopsis or script) was written and filming had begun as we filmed LA Live and took pictures inside of Staples Center. However, that all stopped in January 2011 once Rob McAllister and Randy Youngman reported that the Maloofs were talking to Henry Samueli in moving the Kings to Anaheim.
I continued to attend city council meetings but now I was wearing my Kings jersey. In the past I wore my civilian clothes. I would also get whatever lower level tickets I could to Kings games and hold up my Here We Stay sign.
By May 2011, the Kings stayed, but we all know the truth behind why they did not relocate to Anaheim.
After a Think Big Sacramento meeting on December 8, 2011, I met up with Justin and Troy about an idea I had. On December 10, 2011, Jeff joined us for a meeting as well as Dave (who drove from his home located in Tracy) to plan what we would do a few days later at Sacramento City Hall.
I started my own grassroots called #FANS (Fund Arena Now Sacramento) as I paid homage to the grassroots from San Jose called FAN (Fund Arena Now), who were successful in raising awareness and support through education to get their arena built and jump start their economic development in their downtown.
The difference with our grassroots is I wanted to include everything that was #BiggerThanBasketball as I wanted to keep our vision alive where it always mattered the most: Sacramento City Hall.
When we were #FANS, we did not have any real presence on social media such as our own Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and web site.
No one could have predicted what we would do at Sacramento City Hall and to this very day it is still my all-time favorite memory. We made a huge impact that continues to this very day. I will always think of this picture as our “Sandlot” picture.
I am sure you will remember when we made our debut on December 13, 2011, as one by one we removed our Kings jerseys with a white T-shirt underneath that had different benefits on what a new downtown arena would bring. If you did not see it, video of it is on our You Tube page but included below.
Here’s what Aaron Bruski of NBC ProBasketballTalk reported: “Meanwhile, Kings fans continue to impress in their role of drumming up public support. During Tuesday’s meeting, a diverse set of seven Kings fans spoke during the time for public comments, but the twist was that they scripted their comments to fit a theme. The theme was that the city’s need for an arena is “bigger than basketball,” so before each of them spoke they removed their Kings jerseys to reveal a white T-shirt with one of the words ‘Concerts, Regional $, Events, Revitalize, Nightlife, Jobs, and Pride.’ – http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....to-go-forward-with-next-step-in-arena-process
Many called it epic. One well known and respected business leader said it was brilliant as he had never seen such creativity and support from the community before in all the years of trying to get an arena deal done.
How did I get people to Sacramento City Hall? Easy. Well, maybe not easy. It took a lot of work but I did it the old fashioned way by making phone calls. Yes, social media like Facebook, Twitter and web sites helped connect me to many of you but the phone calls made a big difference. I did not mind giving out my phone number and it has been a real pleasure to get to know so many of you that I never knew before this Kings/arena saga began.
Lots of phone calls were made and they were not quick one minute conversations. I felt like a politician on a campaign trail to get your vote or in this case to show your support by attending a city council meeting. You know what? It worked. We went from 20 people on that faithful December 13th evening to 80 people in our white #FANS T-shirts on February 14, 2012, which was no easy task to 120 people in our white #FANS T-shirts on March 6, 2012, for the big vote.
It was great to see Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson celebrate the historic March 6th vote with us.
Those shirts were paid for by our group with most of it paid for by one person (for the record it was not me).
Just when I had hoped it was all over, I had a bad feeling it was not and I was right. The Maloofs backed out of the deal and began their push for a renovation of the Natomas arena. We continued to attend city council meetings (in April 2012 and May 2012) and earned the respect of the council because of how we spoke, used facts, educated the public, stood our ground for a new downtown arena, etc.
Summer had approached and it was time to reinvent ourselves so we could remain relevant and a part of the conversation so we became known as Crown Downtown.
Thousands of dollars were put into starting Crown Downtown for more filming equipment, T-shirts, filing fees, etc. We even got a law firm to represent us pro bono as we formed two LLCs.
I could go on and on about the inner workings of being a grassroots organization, but the point I wanted to make is despite all the hours and money put into this, we all volunteered for it. No one is being paid to do this. No one is forcing us to do what we do. We do it because we love Sacramento. We don’t want to lose our Kings, concerts, other events, a golden opportunity to revitalize our downtown, etc.
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
‘Cause sometimes you just feel tired,
Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up.
But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength
And just pull that (explicit) out of you and get that motivation to not give up
And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.
[B/W Intro:]
Yo left, yo left, yo left right left
Yo left, yo left, yo left right left
Yo left, yo left, yo left right left
Yo left, yo left, yo left right left
Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up.
But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength
And just pull that (explicit) out of you and get that motivation to not give up
And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.
[B/W Intro:]
Yo left, yo left, yo left right left
Yo left, yo left, yo left right left
Yo left, yo left, yo left right left
Yo left, yo left, yo left right left
My name is Mike Tavares. I’m a die-hard Sacramento Kings fan since day one. I also enjoy concerts, WWE, UFC and so much more. But most of all I am a proud resident and tax payer of Sacramento, CA.
I cannot speak for others but I can speak for myself. As far as I can remember, since late 2009, I have attended city council meetings before it was the cool thing to do when it was just the council, business leaders, developers, Mike Barnbaum and a few others.
There was no Here We Stay. There was no Here We Build. There was no Here We Buy. There was no Think Big Sacramento. There was no #FANS. There was no Crown Downtown.
Why did I attend city council meetings as early as late 2009? No one asked me to attend. No one told me to attend. I did that on my own free will. I volunteered my own time to attend. I felt it was important for me to be there.
The last time there was any kind of presence of Kings fans at Sacramento City Hall was in 1997 when Kings owner Jim Thomas threatened to move the team to Nashville unless he got financial help. Luckily for us we got a 5-3 vote to keep our Kings where they belong in Sacramento. You can thank the late Mayor Joe Serna as he made it happen. Later down the road Serna also told the new Kings owners in the Maloofs, “This team is the heart and soul of this city.” (The Sacramento Bee – Friday, November 12, 1999)
Serna was also a “big believer that pro franchises enhance a region economically, socially and culturally, while also forging a city’s image and identity.” (The Sacramento Bee – Friday, November 12, 1999)
Since those city council meetings in 2009, I watched the documentary Sonicsgate, attended Kings road games (besides Oakland) in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, got a tour inside ARCO Arena, and came up with an idea to film an educational documentary on why we need a new downtown arena and other reasons that are #BiggerThanBasketball because the community needed to be educated, especially those sitting on the fence as Kings fans would be on board no matter what and those who opposed it would continue to keep their eyes and ears closed. Education was always the missing piece of the arena puzzle and we wanted to also assist the city council to help educate them too.
In the summer of 2010, I recruited my brother Jesse as he has a filming and screen writing background (both in education and work experience), and a few folks from KingsFans.com including Ron, Lynne and Jeff to help me with research. Filming equipment was bought, a treatment (synopsis or script) was written and filming had begun as we filmed LA Live and took pictures inside of Staples Center. However, that all stopped in January 2011 once Rob McAllister and Randy Youngman reported that the Maloofs were talking to Henry Samueli in moving the Kings to Anaheim.
I continued to attend city council meetings but now I was wearing my Kings jersey. In the past I wore my civilian clothes. I would also get whatever lower level tickets I could to Kings games and hold up my Here We Stay sign.
By May 2011, the Kings stayed, but we all know the truth behind why they did not relocate to Anaheim.
After a Think Big Sacramento meeting on December 8, 2011, I met up with Justin and Troy about an idea I had. On December 10, 2011, Jeff joined us for a meeting as well as Dave (who drove from his home located in Tracy) to plan what we would do a few days later at Sacramento City Hall.
I started my own grassroots called #FANS (Fund Arena Now Sacramento) as I paid homage to the grassroots from San Jose called FAN (Fund Arena Now), who were successful in raising awareness and support through education to get their arena built and jump start their economic development in their downtown.
The difference with our grassroots is I wanted to include everything that was #BiggerThanBasketball as I wanted to keep our vision alive where it always mattered the most: Sacramento City Hall.
When we were #FANS, we did not have any real presence on social media such as our own Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and web site.
No one could have predicted what we would do at Sacramento City Hall and to this very day it is still my all-time favorite memory. We made a huge impact that continues to this very day. I will always think of this picture as our “Sandlot” picture.
I am sure you will remember when we made our debut on December 13, 2011, as one by one we removed our Kings jerseys with a white T-shirt underneath that had different benefits on what a new downtown arena would bring. If you did not see it, video of it is on our You Tube page but included below.
Here’s what Aaron Bruski of NBC ProBasketballTalk reported: “Meanwhile, Kings fans continue to impress in their role of drumming up public support. During Tuesday’s meeting, a diverse set of seven Kings fans spoke during the time for public comments, but the twist was that they scripted their comments to fit a theme. The theme was that the city’s need for an arena is “bigger than basketball,” so before each of them spoke they removed their Kings jerseys to reveal a white T-shirt with one of the words ‘Concerts, Regional $, Events, Revitalize, Nightlife, Jobs, and Pride.’ – http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....to-go-forward-with-next-step-in-arena-process
Many called it epic. One well known and respected business leader said it was brilliant as he had never seen such creativity and support from the community before in all the years of trying to get an arena deal done.
How did I get people to Sacramento City Hall? Easy. Well, maybe not easy. It took a lot of work but I did it the old fashioned way by making phone calls. Yes, social media like Facebook, Twitter and web sites helped connect me to many of you but the phone calls made a big difference. I did not mind giving out my phone number and it has been a real pleasure to get to know so many of you that I never knew before this Kings/arena saga began.
Lots of phone calls were made and they were not quick one minute conversations. I felt like a politician on a campaign trail to get your vote or in this case to show your support by attending a city council meeting. You know what? It worked. We went from 20 people on that faithful December 13th evening to 80 people in our white #FANS T-shirts on February 14, 2012, which was no easy task to 120 people in our white #FANS T-shirts on March 6, 2012, for the big vote.
It was great to see Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson celebrate the historic March 6th vote with us.
Those shirts were paid for by our group with most of it paid for by one person (for the record it was not me).
Just when I had hoped it was all over, I had a bad feeling it was not and I was right. The Maloofs backed out of the deal and began their push for a renovation of the Natomas arena. We continued to attend city council meetings (in April 2012 and May 2012) and earned the respect of the council because of how we spoke, used facts, educated the public, stood our ground for a new downtown arena, etc.
Summer had approached and it was time to reinvent ourselves so we could remain relevant and a part of the conversation so we became known as Crown Downtown.
Thousands of dollars were put into starting Crown Downtown for more filming equipment, T-shirts, filing fees, etc. We even got a law firm to represent us pro bono as we formed two LLCs.
I could go on and on about the inner workings of being a grassroots organization, but the point I wanted to make is despite all the hours and money put into this, we all volunteered for it. No one is being paid to do this. No one is forcing us to do what we do. We do it because we love Sacramento. We don’t want to lose our Kings, concerts, other events, a golden opportunity to revitalize our downtown, etc.
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