April 14, 2012
The future of Sacramento Kings attendance: empty seats.
With the announcement that the Maloof brothers have rejected the previously agreed upon new arena deal on Friday April 13th, loyal fans have expressed anger and shock at the Sacramento Kings ownership.
With my shock wearing off, I am just amazed at the public relations blunder the Maloofs just pulled. This ranks right up there with Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a slut or the Susan G. Komen foundation pulling funding from Planned Parenthood. Have the Maloof brothers no clue or understanding how they just de-valued their franchise as a result of their comments alienating their fans?
Professional sports teams are valued not by “Wins”, but on paid attendance, merchandise sales and media contracts. Because the Maloofs have shown a complete disregard for Sacramento, they have killed their attendance, they won’t be able to give away merchandise and the ratings will drop for the radio and cable broadcasts. Don’t you think a prospective buyer won’t look at that and say, “Where’s the value?”
The roller coaster ride of the Maloof’s relationship with Sacramento is well documented. Their abandonment of the new arena deal combined with irrational reasons and illogical alternatives has completely destroyed their credibility in Sacramento. For the most part, fans can ignore jack ass owners if the team is strong and fun to watch. In this case, the Sacramento Kings have been neglected as a team and the poor behavior of the Maloofs have given the regional fans one more reason not to attend games, buy merchandise or watch them on TV.