Sacramento Kings 101 at Memphis Grizzlies 108 - February 12, 2013

In 1995, the Vancouver Grizzlies began playing as one of two Canadian expansion teams in the NBA. I saw their first exhibition game and remember the thrill of suddenly being able to see NBA basketball in person. I was so excited that I drove by myself to Portland to watch the Grizzlies first ever regular season game, and was about the only local fan to do so. I was interviewed by the Grizzlies staff and when I attended the home opener two nights later, I saw my face on the big screen. Fame! Well not really, more like infamy as my declaration of the Grizzlies being "Number 1!" was far from correct. Although they won those first two games, they went 13-67 the rest of the way to finish last in the league.

The following autumn I ventured off to Japan for what was to be a one-year contract, but there I stayed. The Grizzlies never recovered from losing their biggest fan and in 2001, they moved to Memphis, becoming the latest in a long line of NBA teams with ill-suited nicknames. This is their 12th season in Tennessee and they have finally improved to where they are competitive, lying fourth in the West this season with a 32-18 record. As part of my Quest for 400, I had no choice but to forgive and forget. So I woke early in Dallas thanks to jet lag and made the 7 hour trek east, arriving at the Fed Ex Forum in downtown Memphis.

FedEx Forum

The Grizzlies first played at the Pyramid Arena when they moved to Memphis, but it was too small to be a long-term NBA venue, so in 2004, the Fed Ex Forum was opened to host the Grizzlies as well as the University of Memphis Tigers.

Located on world-famous Beale Street, the Forum is surrounded by several great sights that can be visited before you go to the game. The Rock 'n' Soul Museum, the Gibson guitar factory tour, and of course Beale Street itself can give you a full day of entertainment.

The single entrance to the Forum faces South 3rd Street and is known as the Plaza Entrance (above). There are three seating levels here with the Club Level sandwiched between the Plaza Level and the Terrace Level. Take the time to walk around the lower concourse as there are a number of interesting tidbits that demonstrate how much thought was put into construction of the building.

The Memphis Music Mural is a collection of art that celebrates the city's history as a musical destination. As you wander the concourse on both levels, look above for paintings and pictures that commemorate all the great artists that called Memphis home.

The FedEx Zone includes a few displays related to the venue's main sponsor, and also has four super high definiton TVs that show other sporting events. Check out the funky mood lighting below.

The most interesting bit here was the photography exhibition that illustrated life in the Delta. Taken by Bill Steber and located in the International Paper Blues Zone, the photos were shot all along Highway 61, considered the center of the Delta Blues culture. Take time to check this out.

The concession stands are given cute music-related names such as the Juke Joint and Spin Pizza but they don't offer much in the way of originality. BBQ pork sandwiches looked to be the best bet. There are a couple of specialty restaurants that are open to the public before the game but I did not venture inside as they were totally empty while I did my rounds.



Concourses here are spacious on both levels, a relatively uncommon sight for downtown facilities. The Forum is constructed over two city blocks though, so they had more space to work with.



The terrace level sections are labelled in the 200s which might make you seem closer than you appear. There is a single row at the front of each section which would be my favourite place to sit. The view from here is quite good as you can see below.



The main scoreboard is high-def while there are stat boards at each corner that give you the details you crave if you are a basketball geek.



Overall, the Forum is one of the better venues I have seen. They really made sure to let you know you were in Memphis, and the location is tough to beat. However, the fans don't seem to care much and that really hurts the ambience. The Grizzlies are one of the better teams in the league, but locals are more enamored with the Tigers. Just like in Vancouver, the team is a second-tier tenant and may again be looking for a new home, which is a shame. New owner Robert Pera has promised to keep them there but after seeing the lame crowd at this game, he may have a struggle on his hands. If you haven't seen the FedEx Forum, get down to Memphis as soon as you can.



The Game

Ironically, the Sacramento Kings were in town. They are to move to Seattle starting next season as the NBA carousel continues to go round and round and this would be their last visit to Memphis. The Kings were 19-33 while the Grizzlies were 32-18 and tops in the league in defense, giving up just 90 points a game. The Kings wore their garish purple checkerboard uniforms that will thankfully be retired when they move.



The match itself was played with little intensity, matching that of the crowd. The first half saw both teams scoring nearly at will, with 9 lead changes. Memphis shot at a 55.3% clip including 5/7 from downtown to take a 58-55 lead at the break.


Pick and roll defended by Mike Conley

In the 3rd, Sacramento got within 1 at 68-67 midway through but the Grizzlies used an 7-0 run as part of a 16-6 finish to enter the final period up 84-73.



The Kings could not make up the deficit though, getting as close as 6 points but Marc Gasol (33, above) was too strong down the stretch, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds as Memphis won 108-101. Note the mistake below; the next home game is definitely not starting 3 hours in the past.

Notes

The Grizzlies' slogan this year is "Made in Memphis". Not to be a stickler, but the team was made in Vancouver. How soon they forget.

I was again here on a Stadium Journey assignment and received a media credential which allowed me into the Don Poier Media Center. Poier was the voice of the Grizzlies from their inception and I recall watching him describe those early days when his enthusiasm made up for the team's lack of talent. Sadly, he passed away in 2005 and the team dedicated the media area in his honour.

I see so many games that I have become rather bored with the same old promotions, but there was an interesting one after the first quarter. Called Two on 'Cue, it featured a couple of fans playing a game of 2-on-2, although their opponents were three BBQ ribs. There were no rules so the ribs just kept trying to knock the guys down. It was more intense than the game even!



Next Up

I finally get a day to relax as I'm staying in Memphis to watch some NCAA basketball tonight. The hometown Tigers host the University of Central Florida and the atmosphere here promises to be much better. Check back tomorrow for an update.

Best,

Sean
 

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Los Angeles Lakers 116 at Sacramento Kings 108 (OT) - April 13, 2011

The Sacramento Kings are probably moving to Anaheim in time for next season. It's an unfortunate consequence of the recession and an outdated arena which has left the team unable to generate enough revenue to compete. It is even more depressing because Sacramento was once considered to have the best fans in the league. I can't disagree after paying a visit last night for what might have been the last game in the team's history.

Tickets

When I planned this trip, I wasn't aware that the Kings' move was nearly a done deal, so I hadn't realized that ticket prices were through the roof. I was worried that I would be priced out but as game time approached, I noticed people lowering prices on the secondary market. With this information, I headed out to Power Balance Pavilion, paid the $10 parking fee, and went to the box office to see if anything was available.

I was surprised at how few people were in line to buy tickets just over an hour before the game. People in front of me were buying standing room tickets for $52 but these were to watch the game on TV inside a room, without a direct view of the floor. No thanks. So I asked if there were any singles. According to the ticket lady, there were six seats left, ranging in price from $150 to $330. I took the cheapest option, buying a ticket in the 3rd row of the upper deck at center court. It turned out those were the ticket lady's own seats but she couldn't sell them in time. That was good news for me as I was in the arena! It ruined the budget for a couple of days, but this was perhaps my only chance to see an NBA game in the arena so it was a no-brainer. It turned out to me more than worth it as I saw a city's love for its team and a pretty exciting NBA game to boot.

Power Balance Pavilion

Power Balance Pavilion (formerly ARCO Arena; it was renamed in January of this year) is just a few miles north of downtown in an area called Natomas. Parking is $10 and is plentiful, and easy to enter and exit.

Entering the arena is like stepping back in time. It was opened in 1988 and seems to be completely unchanged during the intervening years. There are just two levels, a single concourse, and few luxury suites. I loved it. Of course, the lack of revenue is why the Kings are leaving, but for me, it was a look back at sports before they became the cynical money-grab that they are today.

The arena was designed for basketball, which means there are no bad seats. When basketball courts are laid out in hockey arenas, many of the sideline seats are behind the baselines and don't even face the court. But here, there were almost none of those seats, and those that were faced the court directly as you can see below.

With just one level of luxury suites and no club section, the upper level is quite close to the action too. I just toured the concourse once and didn't see anything of note. It was a place to watch a basketball game, not an entertainment experience.

There was a bit of history inside the seating bowl. The Kings used to play in Rochester, Cincinnati, and Kansas City and were known as the Royals. As you can see in the photo below, the franchise honours past greats that played in those former cities.

The compact size of the arena makes it a great place to watch a game. The crowd is into it and I think the players feed off their energy. This was certainly the case last night when the Lakers came to visit needing a win to lock down the 2nd seed for the upcoming playoffs.

The Game

It was Fan Appreciation Night and the Kings thanked their devoted followers by having Dontae Green speak before the game (below). A nice touch.

The game unfolded as expected. Sacramento stayed close early but the Lakers used a couple of runs to build a 48-34 advantage midway through the second quarter. The Kings came back to go into the half down by just 8, but a terrible third quarter left the Lakers leading 88-70 with just 12 minutes to go.

This is when things got interesting. After Sacramento started the 4th with a single free throw, Cousins was ejected after receiving his second technical. A sad end to his rookie season. The Lakers scored the ensuing free throw and Lamar Odom added a jumper shortly thereafter to make it 91-71 with just 9:44 to go. The fans didn't give up though, and neither did their team. The Kings suddenly went on a 10-0 run and after exchanging a couple of baskets, completed another 10-0 stretch to tie the game at 95. Amazing! The place was rocking, and the Lakers' fans next to me were suddenly very, very quiet. When Jason Thompson dunked to give the Kings the lead with just 1:22 to go, the PBP went crazy. It was so loud, the improved acoustics being an advantage of a smaller arena. Everybody was on their feet as you can see below.

Unfortunately, the referees decided to get involved at this point, calling a defensive 3 second violation on Sacramento on the next possession. Noted loudmouth Kobe Bryant, fresh off insulting the homosexual population and $100,000 lighter in the wallet because of it, sunk the technical free throw. But he missed his next two jump shots and after Beno Udrih sunk two FTs, the Kings had a 99-96 lead with just 9.6 seconds left.

The Lakers had one shot, and everyone in the arena knew that Bryant would take it. The Kings couldn't foul Pau Gasol off the inbounds play and he dished to Bryant, who juked his defender to get an open look, then sank a miracle three to tie the game (below).

An incredible play and really the game winner. The Kings were deflated and muffed their last chance in regulation, failing to even get a shot. Overtime was merely a formality as the Lakers outscored their hosts 17-9 to win 116-108. Bryant finished with 36 points to lead all scorers.

Wow. This game had it all, but in the end, the Lakers showed their experience and talent. They aren't three-peating though.

The game itself acted as a metaphor for the Kings' move to Anaheim. When all appeared hopeless last week, the Kings have found a bit of hope these past few days. The move is by no means certain, and the NBA will be hearing presentations from the owners and city officials from both communities today. The result should be known early next week. Some have said that there are still obstacles to the move, but I think that, similar to what happened last night, the Kings will not be able to complete the miracle and will be playing in Honda Center next season.

The Fans

Finally, a word about the great Sacramento fans. After the game, a few thousand fans congregated down by the floor and began chanting "Here We Stay!" and "Sac-RA-Men-To". Many were teary-eyed while others were just glum and depressed. Some Kings came out to sign autographs and a few speeches were made that mentioned that the move was not yet official and not to give up hope. It was really an incredible experience as the fans stayed for over an hour chanting and cheering.

I hope the NBA sees this footage and decides to keeps the Kings in Sacramento. These are true fans and don't deserve to have this team taken from them. It's bad enough the NBA stole their 2002 title with shoddy officiating, but to lose the team just 9 years later is simply not fair. But money rules sports these days and so I think next year I'll be in Anaheim watching the Royals. Safe to say that their fans won't be nearly as good as those I saw in Sacramento last night.

Best,

Sean

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The Future of Ticket Prices

One of my biggest expenses as a sports road tripper is game tickets. Next to accommodation, the actual sporting events are where most of my cash goes. Naturally, I try to be as thrifty as possible. I rarely buy tickets in advance because my plans often change and TicketMaster fees are outrageous. I either use the box office on game day or find someone who has an extra. At all times though, I'm aware of the face value of the ticket so I have an idea what I should be paying.

In the olden days (about 10 years ago), teams generally had the same pricing structure for each game during the season. A ticket would cost the same regardless of the occasion or the opponent. It was easy to study the seating chart and figure out the best place to sit as well as what would be a reasonable amount to pay to a scalper. Well, those simple days are fast disappearing. First there was variable pricing, where teams would set three or four pricing structures depending on the opponent. Rivalry games, opening day, and big stars generate more demand from fans, and therefore prices are higher. Similarly, a weak visiting team would see prices drop. For teams, it made good business sense to maximize revenue by charging more for popular events. For fans buying on the secondary market, it wasn't much of a problem as the prices in each category didn't fluctuate during the season, so you still knew what the face value was.

Now, however, comes a whole new structure: dynamic pricing. Check out the San Francisco Giants' ticket page. As I write this, there are 20 seating options for the next 6 home games listed. But each seating option has a different price for each game, and these prices can change as the game gets closer. They use the term market pricing, which I guess means that the price goes up as more people buy tickets and game day approaches. Yikes! This is bad news for me, as I like to buy my tickets on game day, again to avoid the extra charges and to have maximum flexibility. Now I have to worry about the price being substantially higher on game day, much like airlines raising flight prices as the flight date nears. It's a no-win situation for me.

The Giants are not the only team doing this. The Sacramento Kings have also been using a similar system recently. The game that I am hoping to see on Wednesday is likely to be their last game in the city. Demand has skyrocketed and the Kings have consequently jacked up ticket prices. Upper level seats are now $154 plus a $16.25 "convenience fee" for my TicketMaster friends. Of course, there are many Sacramento fans that are willing to pay that for what might be the last chance to see a pro basketball game in their hometown. As a visitor with no connection to the team, I'm not so willing. So I'll likely be on the outside unless I get lucky. Ironically the game is being dubbed as Fan Appreciation night, which really means "We appreciate one last chance to gouge you before we head off in search of richer fans".

Another relatively new introduction to ticket structures is known as game-day pricing. Many clubs now add a couple of dollars to the ticket price if you buy on the day of the game. Another way to look at it is advance purchases are discounted, which is fair enough. As a road tripper though, I am usually only in town for a day and don't want to risk a rainout or cancellation which would leave me stuck with the ticket. Not to mention that buying in advance incurs the ridiculous fees charged by TicketMaster. Either way, it makes the game just that much more expensive.

I expect to see more of this dynamic pricing on my future travels. I'm not sure how it will affect me, but it will be something worth tracking. I'm interested to see how things play out in San Francisco next week. Perhaps, like airlines, they'll have cheaper standby seats that only open up a few minutes before the game starts. But I doubt it. I think the only thing that I can rely on is that these extended trips are going to get more and more expensive as time goes on.

Best,

Sean

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Sacramento Kings to move?

Over the past two decades, the big 4 sports leagues have seen 11 franchise relocations. Four of these 11 have been from Canada to the US, with the moves of the Vancouver Grizzlies and Montreal Expos being the most painful for me. I always feel empathy for the fans who have invested their time and money in following their hometown franchise, only to have it ripped out from under their feet by an owner who has found a better deal elsewhere. The most recent example took place in 2008, when the Seattle SuperSonics move to Oklahoma City, where they have become one of the league's most exciting teams.

Now comes word that the fans in Sacramento are going to lose their beloved Kings. There have been rumours of a move for several months and things are now reaching a head. The owners are the Maloof brothers, who have been great for the city and the team, but the recession and an obsolete arena have made it difficult for them to compete. Without a deal to replace Power Balance Pavilion (formerly Arco Arena), the Kings cannot generate the additional revenue streams required to keep pace with other teams in the league. In 2006, there were talks to use a sales tax increase to fund a new arena, but the voters of Sacramento rightly voted that down, and last year a plan to swap land with the Cal Expo was rejected. With no local options remaining and suffering in other business ventures, the Maloofs are considering moving the team to Anaheim, which has the Honda Center and a local government that is willing to help.

Who Pays and Who Benefits?

The Anaheim city council says that taxpayers will not be affected by this deal, which is good news if it turns out to be true. I mentioned above that Sacramento taxpayers vetoed a quarter-percent sales tax increase which would have funded a new arena. Sacramento is the capital of the state and a very political city from what I've read, so many of the voters are naturally wary of being forced to pay for something which brings them little personal benefit. It didn't help that the Maloofs withdrew their support because they weren't happy with certain provisions limiting the amount the government could spend.

In general, sports franchises help only a few people. When cities use scarce public funds to build state-of-the-art stadiums, the big winners are the owners (already very rich), the players (mostly rich), and businesses who can use luxury suites as tax writeoffs. There are some ancillary jobs as well, but many of those are just part-time and pay barely above minimum wage. Meanwhile, fans suffer in the form of higher ticket prices while the general public, who are often not even serious fans of the team, see their tax dollars go toward subsidizing those who are already very wealthy.

So although I do feel for fans who see their team relocate, I can't defend an ownership that holds the local community hostage. Unfortunately, cities with new arenas are desperate to find tenants to take up 41 or more dates, and there are far more new arenas than pro sports teams to fill them. So when an owner runs into a local community who would prefer to allocate their cash to initiatives that help the entire population, he can just phone up a more agreeable city and then play them against each other. The claims that sports franchises add untold millions in value to a city are false. Only those who are roadtrippers (like me!) are bringing money that might be spent elsewhere; most fans are local and would simply spend their cash on theaters, restaurants or other local businesses. That's the key phrase: local business. Pro sports teams are ultimately a local business, and not one that should be subsidized by the government.

Naming Conventions

With the move to Anaheim, the Kings will have to change their nickname to avoid confusion with the NHL team in Los Angeles. The Maloofs have already trademarked a number of possible names, all with the moniker Royals, which is what the franchise was known as when they played in Rochester from 1945-57 and Cincinnati from 1957-72. Ironically it was moving to Kansas City, home of MLB's Royals, that forced the initial name change. The franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985, so if they pull up stakes again, it will be their fifth city.

Future Expansion?

Sacramento is the 25th largest metro area in North America, and will have no teams in the Big 4, which is rather surprising. Los Angeles already has 6. So the rich get richer yet again.

In the past, some cities that have lost teams have been granted expansion franchises (Houston and Cleveland in the NFL, Charlotte in the NBA) but that is unlikely to happen in Sacramento. The populace has spoken and will be punished for standing up for their beliefs. There are other towns who want pro sports and already have new arenas, so if there are new expansion teams to be granted, those places will be at the front of the line.

That's not to say that all hope is long in California's capital city. The NBA has to approve the move and it is not clear that it been properly considered. Is having 3 LA-area teams in the league's best interests? Can another arena proposal be found? Is the Honda Center, which is only 5-years newer than the Power Balance Pavilion, really that much of an improvement? According to this article, there are 19 reasons to keep the Kings in Sacramento for another season. Let's hope that the Maloofs decide to agree.

There are a number of good articles being written on the situation; this post barely touches on the complexities of the tax proposal, land swap, or the potential deal between the Maloofs and Anaheim Ducks' owner Henry Samueli. I encourage you to do some reading of your own over the next 3 weeks as the situation reaches a climax with the NBA owners voting on April 18th. It really provides a fascinating look at the way pro sports works these days, with the league, the owners, and the government all playing their part. The big losers, as usual, will be the fans.

For Me

I'd like to see the Kings remain in Sacramento, as it adds one more sports road trip destination to the winter schedule. It is the one city in the top 50 metro areas where I've yet to see a sporting event; both the Kings and the AAA River Cats always seemed to be on the road when I was in Northern California. I'm going to rectify this oversight next month, checking out two games at Raley Field (with Toronto's AAA team visiting no less) and one at the PBP. I actually began planning this trip back in January, before I got wind of the move. Unfortunately, it turns out that the Kings' game might be their last one ever and tickets are going to be tough to get, particularly with the Lakers in town. But I hope to get inside, as it might be my last chance to finally see a pro basketball game in Sacramento.

Best,

Sean

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