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October 12, 2011
Lockout hurts Kings arena push (or not), hurts Sacramento economy (or not)
Meanwhile, in the never-ending Sacramento Kings arena saga:
- The Sacramento Bee reports that the NBA lockout could cut into public support for a new arena for the Kings, though most of their evidence is a single arena task force member who admitted, "It's not an issue that helps anything" and said the lockout "have some psychological impact." However, the official, Downtown Sacramento Partnership president Michael Ault, also said the arena is "about more than sports" and would likely move forward even if the Kings moved — which is the first time I'm hearing this, and pretty alarming given that the only ones demanding a new arena are the Kings. (Dave Grohl seems happy enough with the old arena.)
- Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson declared that the loss of four Kings home games already to the lockout represents a "big hit" to the local economy. Jeez, doesn't anybody around here read Slate?
Neil, you forgot the fluff piece on AEG from Sunday's paper, in which the Bee once again misrepresents the deal AEG has with Kansas City:
www.sacbee.com/2011/10/09/3970331/aeg-could-help-make-sacramentos.html
(Tell me that headline doesn't remind you of Napoleon Dynamite...)
Posted by MikeM on October 12, 2011 01:06 PM
It's sad to read the comments that follow that Bee article. So many folks still convinced that these kinds of deals are good for them.
There have always been plenty of uninformed, ignorant or just plain dumb people, the interwebz just makes them more visible on a daily basis.
Posted by Keith on October 12, 2011 05:48 PM
You could make the argument that just getting a new arena makes it good for them. Cities need arenas that are modern and competitive to retain events, something Arco Arena won't be much longer.
Posted by Dan on October 13, 2011 12:49 PM
Neil, I don't know if you caught this one or not, but 14 "NBA Mayors" sent a letter to the NBA, urging the NBA to reach a resolution on the lockout to help these towns avoid financial oblivion.
I honestly had no idea that eliminating an entertainment option 41 nights a year would ruin cities. In fact, I'd go so far as to tell the 14 mayors to prove it -- because I don't believe them.
www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/32726089
I just think that's impossibly lame.
Posted by MikeM on October 17, 2011 11:58 AM
Neil, this year, for some reason, I'm seeing more and more articles like this one, saying how the lockout is going to put the squeeze on NBA cities:
www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/10/19/nba-lockout-already-hurts-dc-could.html
What do you have to say about articles like this? It sounds like BS to me. I think almost all of the money will be recovered by the substitution effect.
Posted by MikeM on October 19, 2011 02:23 PM
What part of "Jeez, doesn't anybody around here read Slate?" didn't you understand?
Here's my article link again, for anyone who missed it:
www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2011/10/nba_lockout_why_a_lost_season_wouldn_t_be_a_disaster_for_local_e.single.html#comments
Posted by Neil deMause on October 19, 2011 08:41 PM