I don't think that's really true though. Or at least it's not fair to equate it to the year-to-year changes in players, coaches, jersey styles, etc. that you're equating it to. I've been a basketball fan for 20 or so years. During that time there has always been a Sacramento Kings team. If we were talking about a nomadic team which is in a new location every 5 years, that's one thing. What we're actually talking about here is a regional institution. It's reasonable, I think, to react to a regional mainstay differently than a strictly corporate entity. I have no loyalty to McDonald's or Jack in the Box or 7-11 even though I've known them just as long as I've known the Kings. If those franchises close up and move somewhere else, whatever. They were never really a part of Sacramento anyway. If the Sunflower Drive-In in Fair Oaks closes, to pick just one example, I'll be very sad. Because it's not just a logo and a billboard, it's something that is unique to that place. Something that is irreplaceable.
It's not necessarily about the city itself. I haven't lived in Sacramento for 10 years. I've lived in the LA area now longer than I ever lived in Sacramento. I don't continue to support the Kings because it's regionally convenient and I don't do it just because my family still lives there. None of them watch basketball nearly as much as I do anyway. I think I continue to support the Sacramento Kings because they're a part of me, a part of my childhood, pleasant memories with my family, shared experiences with like-minded fans. I invest my time and money in the team not because I think the Maloofs are good people, not because I feel like I owe Kings basketball something, but because I appreciate the experiences I've had through watching the team. That's what has value to me. And I want those experiences to continue.
If we were all just rooting for a logo this whole time, the Kings brand, I don't think people would be nearly as upset about this. And that's basically what you're suggesting isn't it? But what if NBA teams rotated cities every 5 years. The LA Lakers become the Minnesota Lakers then the Detroit Lakers then the Kansas City Lakers. Would people follow the same team? Would you root for whichever team happened to be passing through your town at that time? Would you just root for whichever team had the best players? Or would that completely change your attitude about what it meant to even be a sports fan? If sports leagues actually worked that way I don't think I would actively root for anyone. What's the point? That's all this comes down to. What's the point? This has happened before and it will happen again, but it hasn't happened to me before. And yes, it does rather dramatically effect my relationship to sports fandom.
And I also think there's a bigger issue here which speaks to regional pride. David Stern never talks about moving the Lakers or the Knicks. The Bulls seem pretty set. These teams are protected by their big city locations and NBA history. By some accident of happenstance, Miami is now suddenly a powerhouse but different circumstances might have seen that team facing contraction or relocation right now. Indiana most likely wouldn't have a team anymore except it would be incredibly embarrassing for the birthplace of the game to fold up their franchise. And yet our team is fair game. I'm sure I'm not the only one pissed off about this. Why do I matter less than all of these other fans?
I get the same thing in baseball. Nobody thinks the A's are going to stay in Oakland much longer. Aside from lifelong A's fans like myself, no one cares. They've won 4 World Series titles in Oakland. No one cares. Would anyone dare mention moving the Yankees? God no. The Red Sox? How am I not supposed to take that personally? No it has nothing to do with me, to any of them. I'm just a statistic. I'm one potential fan out of billions. The bottom line is going to determine their decisions, not my sense of personal identity. In some sense I've always known this, but it was convenient to pretend otherwise. But when someone essentially tells you that you're worthless to them, would you keep coming back or would you move on? Not everyone reacts in the same way. I move on and I don't look back. It's not a choice to me, it's the only choice. I'm just stubborn that way.
