The Anaheim Kings

What is the importance of sports in creating happiness in society? How much do sports cost and what is the return? When these topics were presented I immediately thought about the Sacramento Kings and the imminent possibility of the team leaving Sacramento. If you haven't heard, or read the paper that's been delivered to your doorstep every morning, the Kings are looking for a new castle. As it seems Arco Arena or should I say Power Balance Pavilion is obsolete. Obsolete in size, amenities, location and so on. The owners of the Kings want a new Arena for the team or they plan to move to a city with better accommodations. Time is an issue here as the March 1 deadline for the team to file for relocation is a short eight days away. The issue of the Kings leaving is not new. Voters rejected a ballot as far back as 2006 on a tax increase to help raise an estimated $600 million to pay for a new state of the art facility. Investors, developers, consultants, lawyers, city councils, and our Mayor Kevin Johnson (a former NBA player) have spent millions in attempts to get a new Arena and keep our beloved King in Sacramento. It all comes down to the bottom-line, MONEY. Who is going to pay $600 million to get this done? King owners and the NBA won't do it without public funds and the public doesn't want the tax increase to cover that difference, especially with our current economic troubles. After all these years and all those people looking to find a way to make things happen they have not and it looks as though, come March 1, the Kings owners will apply for relocation. Many cities have been rumored candidates; Las Vegas, Seattle, San Jose, Louisville and Anaheim. Most likely Anaheim.

Relocating a major sports team sounds complicated and it is. Legal issues, naming rights, land leases, contracts, all sorts of stuff that makes guys like Professor Ellerman mega-bucks. Despite all that, moves happen. The Kings themselves started in Rochester, N.Y. then to Cincinnati, and Kansas City before landing in Sac in 1985. More famous moves include the MLB's NY Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers to San Fran and L.A. I have to represent the Raiders who have moved from Oakland to L.A. then back to Oakland. In the NBA the most recent team to move was the team formally known as the Seattle Super Sonics, now called the Oklahoma City Thunder. This brings me back to the topic at hand. As humans we sometimes take things for granted. We don't realize how great something is until it's gone. What would Sacramento be like without a major sports team? Would you miss the Kings? Now think about the years they were good and answer that. I asked myself and wondered what others felt like when their team left. I looked into the Super Sonics and discovered many similarities between our two teams, like the need for a modern stadium, losing record and poor attendance, and the city's struggle to keep their team. Then i came across this film and was even more convinced. I've concluded the Kings are dethroned, assassinated, and will no longer be in Sacramento.
The film is two hours long and I'm sorry, but it was perfect for the class and I hope some of you would actually take the time to watch it. So for those of you short on time or out of Ritalin here is the recap. I've also included some time markers so you can skip ahead to the cool stuff.

'Sonicgate: requiem for a Team' starts with a brief history of the team; How they came to be in Seattle in 1976, Key Arena in which they played and some of the great players who made their history. Won a championship in their early years. The team had great success in the early to mid nineties with several playoff appearances but no championships. Sound familiar? The team was up for sale and bought by Starbuck's mogul Howard Shultz who turned out to be more of a business-man than a basketball-man. After he took ownership, the team started it's downward spiral into losing seasons and losing money. With plenty of young talent (because of low draft picks accuired by horrible record) but no star talent to assemble a winning team and an obsolete arena to attract that talent, the Sonics were suffering. Sound familiar? Shultz was losing money and in a desperate move sold the team to an Oklahoma City business man, Clayton Bennet of Professional Basketball Company (PBC llc.). He promises to keep the team in Seattle if a new arena is built. PBC and the NBA tell Seattle they have to pay for that arena. After years of collaboration and a failed tax initative, Seattle fails to come up with the funding. Sound familiar? So long Super Sonics. The film has interviews with people involved and affected by the move. There is an epic court battle involving the PBC and the Mayor of Seattle. It is an eye opener on how the NBA works and what is happening with the Kings. You should really watch it, seriously!

Just fast-forward to these parts that I found intriguing and relevant to our assignment, but you should really watch the film, seriously!

0:11:00- Remember when the kings were good and the excitement it caused with a glimpse of how Seattle fans felt in there glory days. And check out the Shaun Kemp dunk over Dennis Rodman.

0:22:50- Sacramento great, Seattle native, Doug Cristie cameo. NBA players from Washington discuss what the Sonics meant for them and the teams contribution to society.

0:42:30- Learn of the struggles to pay for a new arena

0:49:07- Hear what NBA wants in in a facility. $$$

0:53:30- It hits close to home when the film talks about how a poor team can't create enough revenue, and how the ownership really isn't making any moves to get better players. Just like the Kings the sonics have good young talent because of early draft picks but inactive in completing a competitive team.

1:09:32- The film hits the heart-strings as we see the final game for the Sonics.

1:11:50- The NBA taking advantage of cities by asking for public funds for teams to play when they are making billions.

1:30:13- Sherman Alexie (author,poet, filmmaker) gives a court testimony to the 'value' of a pro team in your city.

1:50:11- More thought by Sherman on the importance of sports. HERCULES!

Sports teams give us as a society something to marvel over and inspire us. Creates camaraderie as we wear the same colors of our team and join together against our rivals. Win or lose its the only place thousands of people can be together and feel the same single emotion. Competition drives us. Anything you can do i can do better. As for the cost. Money has corrupted sports as well as most everything n our lives today but that is the world in which we live. The return for the millions spent is the sense of history and fullfill a basic human need to belong.

The Sonics played in Seattle for 41 years, won a championship, and were located in the 13th largest media market in the U.S. The Kings have been in Sac for only 25 years, never won a championship, and are currently in the 20th largest media market. How will you feel when they are gone?

I wrote this Mondy night. Read the front page of the SacBee Wednesday. SacBee.com

Learn more about the Sonics at sonicgate.org