Last Updated 12:56 am PDT Saturday, September 16, 2006
Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/24402.html
After eight seasons of Maloof watching and listening, of probing and pestering, this is the deal: Those Maloof-to-Las-Vegas rumors that have tormented Kings fans since the brothers landed at Sac International are nothing more than a reflection of the community's acute and chronic insecurity woes.
Local conspiracy theorists need to find another cause. It's really that simple. It should have been that simple all along.
There is no devious plan to relocate.
There is no diabolical plot to trash Arco Arena.
Never was. Admittedly, there was that two-year period when Joe and Gavin Maloof, frustrated by disjointed attempts to secure financing for a new arena, abandoned their adopted city and engaged in the Big Sulk, leaving their franchise -- and the quest for a modern sports/entertainment venue -- without competent, proactive leadership.
While the latest hitch in negotiations for a downtown arena surely damages prospects for passage of the financing-related measures in the upcoming election -- and let's talk about lousy timing -- something beneficial might have been plucked out of the dirt over there at the railyard anyway, namely, that the Maloofs are digging their Guccis into the local soil. They're hanging around long enough to share their inner thoughts. They're finally saying what most of those close to the family have insisted all along, in essence, that they have every intention of remaining in Northern California, or at least sticking around until someone (State Assemblyman Dave Jones perhaps?) convinces them of the following:
(1) That Sacramento will forever remain the only major city and top-20 TV market in America without a modern sports facility.
(2) That members of the next generation will continue driving to HP Pavilion in San Jose to hear great tunes without having to endure the background noise at Echo, uh, Arco Arena.
(3) That area residents would be content adopting Bay Area teams as their own, among them the lowly Warriors.
(4) And that the voting public will forever fail to grasp a most rudimentary understanding of how professional sports franchises operate these days, specifically, the reasons so many owners sip and run (Seattle's Howard Schultz), and why revenue generated from parking, concessions and naming rights is essential, particularly in small markets that lack a large corporate base.
Salt Lake City. Memphis. Indianapolis.
Sacramento.
Here they are, and here they want to stay.
And we know this about the Maloofs because? Because we have studied potential competing markets, because we asked again and again, and because Joe Maloof is finally talking about the topic that has followed him around these past eight years like his lap dog Buster.
And just a hunch here -- gleaned from asides and close sources -- the Maloofs are just stubborn enough to try again should the ballot measure fail in November.
"Nobody is running us out of town," an emotional Joe Maloof said Friday, his voice rising by the word, the conspiracy chatter prodding him into near-screech. "We're going to be here for the next 30 years. We have already invested eight years of our lives in the Kings and Sacramento. We've given $11 million in charity. We put a great product on the floor. We take care of the Monarchs. Why would we want to leave? ... We are not politicians, but we are businessmen. This is what we do. I think the way we've run our franchise, we have earned the right to be heard on this."
Oh, right, that arena matter. That same old deal. The Kings need a new home because their current residence is obsolete both financially and physically. According to the owners' figures, they have lost money in four of their eight years. They have squeezed every cent out of season-ticket holders. They only catch a whiff of the huge TV dollars available in major markets such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. They can't remain competitive with other NBA franchises and cover operating costs (about $140 million annually) without securing the revenue generated from parking, concessions and naming rights.
Basically, the Maloofs are businessmen seeking a private/public financing agreement similar to those in other small markets, as well as attempting to secure the same revenue streams as 25 of the league's 30 franchises.
Cooler heads have to prevail, and quickly. The alternative reeks of inflated construction costs for any future arena endeavor, would inflict a blow to the city image and would result in other cities tempting the Maloofs with flowers, fine wines and renderings of stunning, state-of-the-art facilities. Even the most resilient have a breaking point.
Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/24402.html
After eight seasons of Maloof watching and listening, of probing and pestering, this is the deal: Those Maloof-to-Las-Vegas rumors that have tormented Kings fans since the brothers landed at Sac International are nothing more than a reflection of the community's acute and chronic insecurity woes.
Local conspiracy theorists need to find another cause. It's really that simple. It should have been that simple all along.
There is no devious plan to relocate.
There is no diabolical plot to trash Arco Arena.
Never was. Admittedly, there was that two-year period when Joe and Gavin Maloof, frustrated by disjointed attempts to secure financing for a new arena, abandoned their adopted city and engaged in the Big Sulk, leaving their franchise -- and the quest for a modern sports/entertainment venue -- without competent, proactive leadership.
While the latest hitch in negotiations for a downtown arena surely damages prospects for passage of the financing-related measures in the upcoming election -- and let's talk about lousy timing -- something beneficial might have been plucked out of the dirt over there at the railyard anyway, namely, that the Maloofs are digging their Guccis into the local soil. They're hanging around long enough to share their inner thoughts. They're finally saying what most of those close to the family have insisted all along, in essence, that they have every intention of remaining in Northern California, or at least sticking around until someone (State Assemblyman Dave Jones perhaps?) convinces them of the following:
(1) That Sacramento will forever remain the only major city and top-20 TV market in America without a modern sports facility.
(2) That members of the next generation will continue driving to HP Pavilion in San Jose to hear great tunes without having to endure the background noise at Echo, uh, Arco Arena.
(3) That area residents would be content adopting Bay Area teams as their own, among them the lowly Warriors.
(4) And that the voting public will forever fail to grasp a most rudimentary understanding of how professional sports franchises operate these days, specifically, the reasons so many owners sip and run (Seattle's Howard Schultz), and why revenue generated from parking, concessions and naming rights is essential, particularly in small markets that lack a large corporate base.
Salt Lake City. Memphis. Indianapolis.
Sacramento.
Here they are, and here they want to stay.
And we know this about the Maloofs because? Because we have studied potential competing markets, because we asked again and again, and because Joe Maloof is finally talking about the topic that has followed him around these past eight years like his lap dog Buster.
And just a hunch here -- gleaned from asides and close sources -- the Maloofs are just stubborn enough to try again should the ballot measure fail in November.
"Nobody is running us out of town," an emotional Joe Maloof said Friday, his voice rising by the word, the conspiracy chatter prodding him into near-screech. "We're going to be here for the next 30 years. We have already invested eight years of our lives in the Kings and Sacramento. We've given $11 million in charity. We put a great product on the floor. We take care of the Monarchs. Why would we want to leave? ... We are not politicians, but we are businessmen. This is what we do. I think the way we've run our franchise, we have earned the right to be heard on this."
Oh, right, that arena matter. That same old deal. The Kings need a new home because their current residence is obsolete both financially and physically. According to the owners' figures, they have lost money in four of their eight years. They have squeezed every cent out of season-ticket holders. They only catch a whiff of the huge TV dollars available in major markets such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. They can't remain competitive with other NBA franchises and cover operating costs (about $140 million annually) without securing the revenue generated from parking, concessions and naming rights.
Basically, the Maloofs are businessmen seeking a private/public financing agreement similar to those in other small markets, as well as attempting to secure the same revenue streams as 25 of the league's 30 franchises.
Cooler heads have to prevail, and quickly. The alternative reeks of inflated construction costs for any future arena endeavor, would inflict a blow to the city image and would result in other cities tempting the Maloofs with flowers, fine wines and renderings of stunning, state-of-the-art facilities. Even the most resilient have a breaking point.
