Maloofs should payTaylor Collis

I am sick and tired of the Maloof brothers making so much money and barely wanting to put anything down for the new Kings arena. It’s like they want to make more money, but don’t want to put down any of their own money. Now that the plans are leaning toward having the new arena in Cal Expo, the brothers are becoming even less popular in my book.

The Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants stadiums have an advantage when it comes to good transportation that the Maloof brothers should look into. Both stadiums have the Bay Area Regional Transit train that can take fans to and from the stadiums to nearby cities. If the brothers got the light rail to stop at the new arena, then the traffic problem might not be so bad. But, then the question of crime coming into a new neighborhood would be on everyone’s minds. When I drive by most stations, I don’t feel like they are very safe because of the crime rate in that area.

Even without having the light rail come near the arena, crime could still increase around the mall because the games bring more and more people to that area on a weekly basis. The fair brings people in that area, but only for a few weeks and even during those weeks I have seen bad things happen. Every car down one street has had its window smashed last year during the fair and people around the Fountains at Point West apartments, where I used to live, got robbed or even severely beaten. How are the Maloof brothers going to help prevent that from happening every week?

And what if there are some rowdy and frustrated fans who get together and try to do damage around that area to take out the disappointments of a bad game? How are the brothers going to handle that? There are many questions that I have for the rich brothers and I hope to get some answers within the next few years as they start to build the arena.

Kings deserve itZaki Syed

For the last three years the Sacramento Kings have been desperately trying to get an arena built. They have been so desperate that it was even willing to tax local residents to help pay for a new sports arena. In 2006, the Kings started a campaign to get a new facility built in the downtown area. The facility would have cost about $600 million and would have charged a quarter cent sales tax on residents in Sacramento County. This proposal was put on the ballot as Measures Q & R. It was struck down by an overwhelming majority of voters who refused to let their hard earned tax money go towards building an arena for millionaire athletes and their even more wealthy owners.

The Kings needed a miracle and now the team got one: Cal Expo. If an arena is built in Cal Expo, NBA officials have promised that no money from the public will be used. This way, local residents will not have to worry about being taxed in order to build a sports arena. Not only that, but Cal Expo has been a site for the annual state fair, which proves that it is equipped to handle large crowds. Cal Expo is also the perfect location because it is in the center of Sacramento and provides fans quick access through the Capital City Freeway.

Residents should never have to pay taxes in order to support a sports team. However, at the same time, the Kings shouldn’t be forced to play in a small, old arena that is better suited for high school athletes. After all, the Kings “put on” for their city, working day and night to make the City of Sacramento proud. Denying The Kings a new arena would be equivalent to not letting firefighters drive fire trucks. That’s how essential it is. The Kings need a new stadium, and Cal Expo provides that without taxing the residents. So any way you look at it, Cal Expo is definitely the complete package.

Kings don’t deserve itFelipe Molina

It has been rumored that the Maloof brothers may move the Kings out of Sacramento. The Kings do need a new arena – Arco Arena is old and in need of replacing – but with a team that had a 38-44 record and just had traded its last big-name player, the Kings do not deserve a new arena. The Maloofs need to regain some trust from the fans before I will buy into the new arena talk.

But with that said, you do have to give credit where its due. The Maloofs are trying to get a new arena built without using taxpayers’ dollars, something most teams wouldn’t do. Even though Cal Expo is a decent site for a new arena, Cal Expo itself will need a little revamping. The plan takes that into account as developers plan to build commercial spaces and housing along with the new arena.

Of course, a new arena in a new area will generate more money for local business. It will also generate more traffic on Arden Way and Howe Avenue. But the traffic is not my main concern. Before I can get behind this new proposal, the Kings and Maloofs need to prove that the team is once again committed to winning. I don’t buy it when horrible teams, like the Kings, say they need a new arena to be competitive or that once they have a new home, things will be better. It’s not the arena or stadium that loses the game or creates a losing season; its poor decisions by management.

If the Kings stay, and if the new arena at Cal Expo is built, the Kings better start winning.

Taylor Collis, Zaki Syed and Felipe Molina can be reached at [email protected].