Here We Stay

Lately I have been bombarded with questions about the whirlwind "will they? won't they?" questions swirling around my beloved Sacramento Kings.

While I do not have a real answer about anything that is going on, here is a brief glimpse of what I can see happening as of now.

Since Commissioner David Stern so publicly threw the information about the Kings being in talks with Anaheim to the world it has been a media fire storm in Sacramento. I have had friends and family members contacting me from all over the country asking, "Is it true?" My answer is, yes, it is true that the Maloofs have been in talks with Anaheim to possibly move the team to the LA area. However, this was not really new news to Sacramento fans. The Maloofs have said in the past that they were discussing all possible options when the city of Sacramento failed to come up with a viable and realistic plan for a new arena. An arena plan is currently being worked on by the unanimously chosen Taylor/ICON Group, who back in February, were give a 90-day window to come up with a plan that worked. There have been reports that the study has stopped because of lack of cooperation from the Maloofs or because of their apparent lack of interest in remaining in Sacramento.

One thing is clear, fans in Sacramento are not laying down and losing their team without making their voices heard. For the Kings first home game against the Clippers after the All-Star weekend announcement of the possible relocation, local advocate groups SacDeflated and Here We Stay organized the first "Here We Stay" game where the Kings sold out the arena for the first time in awhile. I had the pleasure of attending that game and it was nothing short of amazing! The fans came out in droves with signs scattered around the arena with sayings, "OUR TOWN, OUR TEAM" "HERE WE STAY" "SACRAMENTO" "DON'T TAKE OUR MEMORIES" along with many signs of a slightly old school looking Mickey Mouse with either a red "x" or other just say no insinuations. It was more than a little ironic that the first "Here We Stay" game was against a possible neighboring team should the relocation happen. That being said, one of my favorite signs was "BEAT LA Don't BE LA". More ironic than that, the last game to occur this season is against the other possible neighbor, the Lakers. This Tuesday, the Here We Stay group is organizing a peaceful show of support at the City Hall meeting to show the continued community support for the Kings and a new arena plan. For information on how to get involved head to the Here We Stay Facebook page linked above.

If there is one thing I know it is this. No one knows what is going on. While one day there are reports that this is a done deal that just needs an official vote, the next day there is a report of the opposite. Whether this is all a scare tactic or not, I do not know. All I know is that I've grown up watching the Kings play in Sacramento for years. Taking the team away from a community that loves them so dearly is heartbreaking. Not only does the city lose a team, but 1,200 plus lose their jobs, community groups lose funding from the Kings and the Maloofs along with the opportunities to see the athletes they idolize play in person.

To me, leaving a city that embraces you to go to an area that has 2 NBA teams, one of which is just now emerging from the shadow of another due only to the addition of super star, Blake Griffin. The LA area is flooded with professional sports teams, NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL, one of which would be the roommate to the Kings if the relocation to the Ducks' Honda Center takes place. LA has never been much to embracing the Kings or their fans. A move there makes no sense to me from a fan stand point. Who wants to go from being #1 to #3 in the NBA and possibly lower in terms of sporting events to go. In the LA area alone there are eight professional sports teams. That is excluding the San Diego area. The Kings would likely become at the best the #5 sports team, but more likely the #7 spot only above the Ducks. While Anaheim is a bigger market, why does everything always have to be about money? Yes, the Maloofs are business men, but the Kings franchise is making money again. Sacramento was one of the hardest hit cities when the economy tanked. It makes sense that games became a luxury not all could afford. With new pricing options, sales are up, which means basically there are butts in the seats.

To see how you can get involved head to the links posted above for SacDeflated and Here We Stay. The next Here We Stay game is scheduled for April 11th against the Thunder (former team of Seattle, we don't want to end up like this). There are lots of options available head to Kings.com for tickets!