According to some around here you're only a real fan if you don't care where the team plays.
Anyone that would say that is being ridiculous. You don't sign a contract to be a fan. Anyone, can root for any team, anytime. Its a personal choice. There's no way in hell I could ever root for the Lakers, but one of my closest friends is fanatical Laker fan. I still love the guy, I just won't watch a Laker game with him. Personally, if I can root for the Kings in Sacramento all the way from Ensenada, I have no problem rooting for the Anaheim Royals all the way from Ensenada. My loyality has always been more to the team than the city. That doesn't mean I want the team to move. My daughter and son both live there. And I understand the pain that will be felt by the fans there.
I would hope that some of you will reconsider in time, if the move actually happens. Your not hurting the Maloof's or Anaheim, by turning your back on the team you have so much emotion invested in. Its not the players fault that the team might be moving. Your only depriving yourself. Your choice of course, but I certainly don't think anyone is less of a fan because they choose that path.
I do think that there's a lot of misplaced anger at people that have nothing to do with this situation. They may be taking advantage of the opportunity, in the same sense that Sacramento took advantage of the opportunity in Kansas City. If thats true, then if the good people of Anaheim are whores, then the good people of Sacramento are also whores. While the Maloof's have made mistakes along the way, they have invested 30 million dollars to charities in the sacramento area, while the city of sacramento has done little but discourage any and all things that are Kings related. Nothing turns me off quicker than a class envy arguement. The bottom line is that the NBA is a business. An entertainment business, but a business none the less. It has a product, and in our capitalistic society, the person that pays the most, gets the product.
The city of sacramento has sat around with its thumb where the sun doesn't shine for the last 12 years, almost daring the Maloof's to move. Well, someone else showed up thats willing to pay more for the product. Its really that simple folks. If I can make more money selling to buyer B than I can selling to buyer A, why wouldn't I do that?
There is a large group that lives in the city of sacramento that believes, that if the Maloof's want a new arena, then they should build it themselves. Now they're entitled to their opinion. But that was never going to happen. For one thing, the Maloof's don't have enough money to build an arena if they wanted to. And why should they, when someone in another city is willing to offer them an arena? The Maloof's aren't running a charity organization. I know we live in a world of handouts and freebies. But they live in the harsh world of profit margins. There's won't be a goverment bailout if they can't make the grade. I owned my own business, and it can be tough at times. Its all about survival at times. And you know what! No one gives a tinkers damm when you go down the drain.
If the Maloof's were to sell the team to a billionaire, and then go broke themselves a few years later, would any of you really care? If not, then why should they.