http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/12626117p-13479991c.html
Sacramento arena quandary: Love the Kings? How much?
By David Holwerk -- Editorial Page Editor
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, March 27, 2005
In the past few weeks, a number of people have asked, "What does The Bee's editorial board think about a new arena for the Kings?"
The honest answer is: We're just like the rest of Sacramento. We don't know.
That's not to say that the board's members are devoid of opinions. As the five articles and cartoon below show, The Bee's editorial board members have plenty of opinions on the topic. But as you can see, there's nothing close to a consensus.
I should make it clear that we don't have to have a consensus to reach a position on an issue. Breaking deadlocks is part of my job as editorial page editor. But in this case, the lack of a consensus seems to me to be symptomatic of a larger problem.
On the topic of a new arena, there's no agreement among Sacramentans on the big question: What value do we place on having a big-league sports team here?
So far, the answer to that isn't clear. Some people think it's important because it dispels the second-class image that has dogged Sacramento ever since the railroad barons took their money to San Francisco. Others think it's not important at all.
The mayor and the City Council could have led a civic discussion on the topic, but they haven't. Our letters columns have been home to some debate, but the discussion has been sporadic and aimed more at specific proposals than at the overall question of the value of having a team in town.
How does a community figure out something like that? For me, figuring out how much the Kings are worth is like trying to figure out whether to buy a $20,000 barbecue grill for my patio. (Note to wife and creditors: Do not be alarmed. This example is used for the purposes of discussion only.)
I love to cook out, so I'd really like to have a $20,000 grill. But if I bought one, I'd be doing it because I wanted a super-grill. It wouldn't necessarily make my chicken any better. It wouldn't add a dime to the value of my home, and I couldn't count on it to help sell my house faster. I mean, what are the chances some other barbecue lunatic would come to a real estate agent's open house?
The new grill would make me happy, I imagine, but not necessarily happier than some other things I could do with $20,000. So before I bought it, I'd have to decide how much it meant to me and what I was willing to give up in order to have the grill. And I'd have to make that decision after talking to the others who have a say in such matters, such as the aforementioned wife and our creditors.
That's pretty much where Sacramento is now. It needs to have a conversation around the community dining room table.
The people who live in the city and the region need to figure out how important the Kings are to life here. If the team is very important to most people, then we can figure out a way to keep them around. If it's not - well ... .
At this point, it's fair to ask, exactly what do I think about a new arena for the Kings? Several things.
First, like it or not (and I don't), some sort of public participation is the price of having an NBA team these days. If Sacramento doesn't figure out how to build an arena for the Kings, somebody else (Kansas City, Las Vegas, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro) will.
Second, all arenas seem to be lousy business deals for those who finance them. If paying for a new arena was a good business deal, you'd better believe the Maloof family would already be building one.
Third, if we do build an arena, I think it should be near the current site of Arco Arena. Building it downtown makes no sense without rebuilding the freeway access there, which would make the project prohibitively expensive.
And finally, any arena deal needs more participation from the Maloofs than they have so far been willing to offer. Maybe I'm willing to do without expanded light rail or more homeless shelters or better parks or some other public services to keep the Kings here, but not if it entails a nearly free ride for billionaire casino owners.
But all that is getting ahead of the game. The first question is what value this community places on having the Kings or some other big-league sports team.
So consider this package an invitation to sit around the community dining room table, the beginning of a conversation about just how much Sacramento values having a team. You can join in by sending us a letter or e-mailing 200-word responses to forum@sacbee.com. We'll share them in a future issue of Forum. One thing's for sure: Whatever your opinion on this issue, somebody on The Bee's editorial board agrees with you.
Sacramento arena quandary: Love the Kings? How much?
By David Holwerk -- Editorial Page Editor
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, March 27, 2005
In the past few weeks, a number of people have asked, "What does The Bee's editorial board think about a new arena for the Kings?"
The honest answer is: We're just like the rest of Sacramento. We don't know.
That's not to say that the board's members are devoid of opinions. As the five articles and cartoon below show, The Bee's editorial board members have plenty of opinions on the topic. But as you can see, there's nothing close to a consensus.
I should make it clear that we don't have to have a consensus to reach a position on an issue. Breaking deadlocks is part of my job as editorial page editor. But in this case, the lack of a consensus seems to me to be symptomatic of a larger problem.
On the topic of a new arena, there's no agreement among Sacramentans on the big question: What value do we place on having a big-league sports team here?
So far, the answer to that isn't clear. Some people think it's important because it dispels the second-class image that has dogged Sacramento ever since the railroad barons took their money to San Francisco. Others think it's not important at all.
The mayor and the City Council could have led a civic discussion on the topic, but they haven't. Our letters columns have been home to some debate, but the discussion has been sporadic and aimed more at specific proposals than at the overall question of the value of having a team in town.
How does a community figure out something like that? For me, figuring out how much the Kings are worth is like trying to figure out whether to buy a $20,000 barbecue grill for my patio. (Note to wife and creditors: Do not be alarmed. This example is used for the purposes of discussion only.)
I love to cook out, so I'd really like to have a $20,000 grill. But if I bought one, I'd be doing it because I wanted a super-grill. It wouldn't necessarily make my chicken any better. It wouldn't add a dime to the value of my home, and I couldn't count on it to help sell my house faster. I mean, what are the chances some other barbecue lunatic would come to a real estate agent's open house?
The new grill would make me happy, I imagine, but not necessarily happier than some other things I could do with $20,000. So before I bought it, I'd have to decide how much it meant to me and what I was willing to give up in order to have the grill. And I'd have to make that decision after talking to the others who have a say in such matters, such as the aforementioned wife and our creditors.
That's pretty much where Sacramento is now. It needs to have a conversation around the community dining room table.
The people who live in the city and the region need to figure out how important the Kings are to life here. If the team is very important to most people, then we can figure out a way to keep them around. If it's not - well ... .
At this point, it's fair to ask, exactly what do I think about a new arena for the Kings? Several things.
First, like it or not (and I don't), some sort of public participation is the price of having an NBA team these days. If Sacramento doesn't figure out how to build an arena for the Kings, somebody else (Kansas City, Las Vegas, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro) will.
Second, all arenas seem to be lousy business deals for those who finance them. If paying for a new arena was a good business deal, you'd better believe the Maloof family would already be building one.
Third, if we do build an arena, I think it should be near the current site of Arco Arena. Building it downtown makes no sense without rebuilding the freeway access there, which would make the project prohibitively expensive.
And finally, any arena deal needs more participation from the Maloofs than they have so far been willing to offer. Maybe I'm willing to do without expanded light rail or more homeless shelters or better parks or some other public services to keep the Kings here, but not if it entails a nearly free ride for billionaire casino owners.
But all that is getting ahead of the game. The first question is what value this community places on having the Kings or some other big-league sports team.
So consider this package an invitation to sit around the community dining room table, the beginning of a conversation about just how much Sacramento values having a team. You can join in by sending us a letter or e-mailing 200-word responses to forum@sacbee.com. We'll share them in a future issue of Forum. One thing's for sure: Whatever your opinion on this issue, somebody on The Bee's editorial board agrees with you.