Friday, March 30, 2012

On and off the Kings court, questions abound

One by one, opposing teams come into Power Balance Arena (it is still Arco to me) with personnel believing Sacramento's new arena is a done deal.

That's what reports would lead many folks to believe.

I'm not one of those folks - yet.

First, there is no construction underway on this new facility. That dirt turning would go a long way towards passing the eye test.

Now, during this economic state, we've seen many a project start and then stop. So even the dirt flip wouldn't be the final step.

Granted, the planned constuction has come a long way from one year ago when most signs pointed to the Kings moving to Southern California or somewhere else.

So, things remain in a positive condition for a person like myself who believes a new facility will do wonders for downtown economic growth.

There are no guarantees, of course, but virtually all recently built sports facilities have inspired financial growth in the surrounding neighborhood.

Admittedly, I'm a cynic. Thst's fueled by 34 years in the journalism world with people telling untruths as part of their jobs.

Yet, the major reason for my cynicism on this project are the numbers of entities/people with their hands in the facility stew.

Mayor Kevin Johnson, the Sacramento City Council, the Maloof family, the AEG corporation that will operate the arena, NBA commissioner David Stern and perhaps, most importantly, their respective legal representatives.

If it was just one entity putting up the cash and another responsible for construction and arena operation, there would be fewer potential obstacles.

It's not like that here, though, and I still believe there are many egos to subjugate before this facility becomes reality.

It'a clear trust is not running amuck between all parties concerned. It'll be interesting to see if these folk can get their collective heads together.

And it wont be too long before Stern takes a more public, prominent role. Stern usually attempts to avoid embarrassment at all costs, particularly when it is pointed in his direction.

Currently, embarrassment is circling Sacramento, the Maloofs and the NBA like a group of hungry buzzards.

1 comment:

  1. Well Marty, you called it. But the Maloofs are clearly to blame. They want all the benefits of a new arena but won't assume ANY of the risk because they're broke. Sacramento and the NBA are ready to build but we need willing owners and the Maloofs have checked out.

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