Not a suggestion...thought you guys might want to be aware of a newspaper openly suggesting this:
http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/1047130.html
Posted on Sat, Feb. 21, 2009 10:15 PM
COMMENTARY
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
For the past week I’ve mulled a column about the impact of our financial crisis on professional sports.
I spent most of that time thinking about players and contract holdouts and squabbles over millions of dollars. Fans won’t be sympathetic. In fact, they’ll be hostile and impatient. That column sounded too cliché and obvious.
When the Raiders gave the best cornerback I’ve never heard of (Nnamdi Asomugha) a three-year, $45 million contract, I considered writing about the economic insanity of owners. The contract Al Davis gave Asomugha will have ramifications throughout the NFL. Albert Haynesworth and Ray Lewis — well-known, big-ticket defensive free agents — threw celebratory parties after learning of Asomugha’s deal.
But you already knew owners of pro sports teams are no different from fantasy league owners or T. Boone Pickens. And if you’ve been following the news lately, you realize that many of America’s super wealthy haven’t been hurt by the financial collapse. Al Davis probably raked in one of those $50 million bonuses that are being tossed around by Fortune 500 companies bailed out by our government.
The truth is greed isn’t going anywhere, even in these difficult times. Tough times simply create more opportunities to be greedy.
Saturday morning, my favorite sports columnist, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, e-mailed me an idea about how Kansas City could capitalize on America’s financial woes:
“Write a letter to all the floundering NBA teams — top 10 reasons you should move your broke-(butt) team to KC. I want them to get the Kings. That would be cool.”
That note sparked an e-mail exchange about how the Kings’ financial woes might lead them into returning to Kansas City. The franchise is in the dumps. Attendance is lagging at Arco Arena. The squad is devoid of stars. Getting out of Sacramento and moving to a city and arena willing to give the Kings a sweetheart deal makes a lot of sense.
On the surface, it’s a bad time to invest in the NBA. Several NBA teams tried to unload expensive stars in cost-cutting moves before the trade deadline. The league is being hit by the financial crisis as hard as any professional sports league.
I say “buy low.” This is the perfect time for Kansas City to snag an NBA franchise. Obviously we have a new arena looking for a primary tenant.
Plus, we have a struggling entertainment district — Power & Light — looking for an injection of new energy.
Yes, I know it’s fashionable to lambaste Power & Light and rip Kay Barnes for spearheading the one-sided arrangement between the city and the Cordish Co. But we have way too much invested to simply give up. And it’s much too early to judge the entertainment area. No one could’ve envisioned the market collapse and how that has affected all spending.
We need to finish the vision, and the original game plan always called for an NBA or NHL team at the Sprint Center. If we had that, it would likely be easier to smooth out the problems at P&L.
When the economy rebounds, the NBA is going to rebound in a big way.
The product on the court hasn’t been this good in quite some time. There are likable stars across the league. It’s deeper than Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, the signature superstars. The second tier of NBA stars — Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant — is what gives the league such a healthy outlook.
The league has moved past its image problems. It’s no longer defined by Allen Iverson, the brawl at the Palace, NBA All-Star Weekend Las Vegas or off-court run-ins between players and law enforcement.
I think this city would support the NBA. We need to take advantage of Sacramento’s woes. We have no reason to feel sorry for Sacramento basketball fans. The Kings were in Kansas City before Sacramento.
“You should absolutely steal the Kings,” Simmons wrote. “It’s only fair. It’s like Bruce Willis and Demi Moore getting back together.”
Or Carl Peterson and the unemployment line.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com
http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/1047130.html
Posted on Sat, Feb. 21, 2009 10:15 PM
COMMENTARY
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
For the past week I’ve mulled a column about the impact of our financial crisis on professional sports.
I spent most of that time thinking about players and contract holdouts and squabbles over millions of dollars. Fans won’t be sympathetic. In fact, they’ll be hostile and impatient. That column sounded too cliché and obvious.
When the Raiders gave the best cornerback I’ve never heard of (Nnamdi Asomugha) a three-year, $45 million contract, I considered writing about the economic insanity of owners. The contract Al Davis gave Asomugha will have ramifications throughout the NFL. Albert Haynesworth and Ray Lewis — well-known, big-ticket defensive free agents — threw celebratory parties after learning of Asomugha’s deal.
But you already knew owners of pro sports teams are no different from fantasy league owners or T. Boone Pickens. And if you’ve been following the news lately, you realize that many of America’s super wealthy haven’t been hurt by the financial collapse. Al Davis probably raked in one of those $50 million bonuses that are being tossed around by Fortune 500 companies bailed out by our government.
The truth is greed isn’t going anywhere, even in these difficult times. Tough times simply create more opportunities to be greedy.
Saturday morning, my favorite sports columnist, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, e-mailed me an idea about how Kansas City could capitalize on America’s financial woes:
“Write a letter to all the floundering NBA teams — top 10 reasons you should move your broke-(butt) team to KC. I want them to get the Kings. That would be cool.”
That note sparked an e-mail exchange about how the Kings’ financial woes might lead them into returning to Kansas City. The franchise is in the dumps. Attendance is lagging at Arco Arena. The squad is devoid of stars. Getting out of Sacramento and moving to a city and arena willing to give the Kings a sweetheart deal makes a lot of sense.
On the surface, it’s a bad time to invest in the NBA. Several NBA teams tried to unload expensive stars in cost-cutting moves before the trade deadline. The league is being hit by the financial crisis as hard as any professional sports league.
I say “buy low.” This is the perfect time for Kansas City to snag an NBA franchise. Obviously we have a new arena looking for a primary tenant.
Plus, we have a struggling entertainment district — Power & Light — looking for an injection of new energy.
Yes, I know it’s fashionable to lambaste Power & Light and rip Kay Barnes for spearheading the one-sided arrangement between the city and the Cordish Co. But we have way too much invested to simply give up. And it’s much too early to judge the entertainment area. No one could’ve envisioned the market collapse and how that has affected all spending.
We need to finish the vision, and the original game plan always called for an NBA or NHL team at the Sprint Center. If we had that, it would likely be easier to smooth out the problems at P&L.
When the economy rebounds, the NBA is going to rebound in a big way.
The product on the court hasn’t been this good in quite some time. There are likable stars across the league. It’s deeper than Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, the signature superstars. The second tier of NBA stars — Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant — is what gives the league such a healthy outlook.
The league has moved past its image problems. It’s no longer defined by Allen Iverson, the brawl at the Palace, NBA All-Star Weekend Las Vegas or off-court run-ins between players and law enforcement.
I think this city would support the NBA. We need to take advantage of Sacramento’s woes. We have no reason to feel sorry for Sacramento basketball fans. The Kings were in Kansas City before Sacramento.
“You should absolutely steal the Kings,” Simmons wrote. “It’s only fair. It’s like Bruce Willis and Demi Moore getting back together.”
Or Carl Peterson and the unemployment line.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com
