Although it’s probably impossible to avoid, a professional team should never move away from its city. It’s the worst idea. Ever.

It’s bad for fans, bad for the local economy and bad for the team. That is why the relocation of the Sacramento Kings, Oakland A’s and San Francisco 49ers is a bad idea.

It defeats the purpose of having a team loyalty. You fall in love with a team, and then pledge your love and then what? They leave? It’s like a guy telling you he loves you just to get you in the sack, and then leaving the next morning. Wam, bam, thank you ma’am?

Sure, you could still follow that team, despite it leaving your city, but it will most certainly never be the same.

For a while now there has been much speculation that the Sacramento Kings will leave the “city of trees.” For years there has been talk of an Oakland Athletics relocation. And supposedly the San Francisco 49ers are edging away from the City as well.

This all just downright irritates the crap out of me. It sucks for everyone who has ever been a fan of the teams. Yes, some moves are just a little distance away from the team’s original city, but that doesn’t make it suck any less.

I’m sorry, but I will be the first to admit it – I am lazy. I’m sure you are too. Most people are. Some people just don’t want to be in the car for an extra hour, waste our hard-earned cash on gas, and then go watch our teams lose.

I’m a loyal fan, but there’s got to be a line. An hour drive &- that’s the line.

The San Francisco 49ers of Santa Clara? No, doesn’t sound right.

If I was a San Francisco fan I would not want to drive an extra hour out of my way to go to a game. And I don’t care what anyone says, it would be the most ridiculous thing to still call the team “San Francisco” when the team isn’t even within half hour of the city itself.

Yeah, the Niners’ practice facility is in Santa Clara, but the city of Santa Clara in no way compares to the city of San Francisco. Well who wouldn’t want to look at 19.3 miles of glorious tree-lined neighborhoods and see the fascinating things the Intel Museum has to offer? Tempting. Do people flock from all over the world to see these lovely sights of Santa Clara? No, they most definitely do not.

The Oakland A’s of San Jose? Ew. I think I gagged a little thinking about it. I politely decline.

My heart will literally break the day that the A’s move somewhere, especially if they move to San Jose. I am not a fan of San Jose, or the traffic that always exists to and from the “silicon valley.” When I think of San Jose I just associate it with bad smells, even though they may not exist.

Plus San Jose has the Sharks. They don’t need my A’s too.

My favorite thing about summer is being able to hop on the BART and get off right at the most magical place on earth &- the Oakland Coliseum. I don’t care how old, nasty or disgusting that stadium is – it’s my favorite place in the world. And I can say one thing for sure: San Jose will never be my favorite place, nor will it replace my love for Oakland.

The Sacramento Kings, however, have been in talks to move to places like Anaheim, Las Vegas or Kentucky. That’s much too far away, and will leave Sacramento without a pro basketball team, or really a pro team at all.

Yeah, we have the Rivercats, but that’s a summer sport. What is there to do in winter? Nothing.

Sacramento needs a pro team. I know that the Kings really haven’t played well in a long time, but neither have the Oakland the Raiders.

I can guarantee there are still Raider die-hards shanking people with garlic fries and hotdogs, dousing the wounds with Coors Light and just generally beating the living daylights of anyone who is not wearing silver and black at the games every week in the Black Hole.

As long as people still love their team, it should remain where its loyal fans do.

Cassie Kolias can be reached at [email protected]