David Stern: KeyArena Was "Very Special"
Posted April 21, 2008 at 7:51 am by Mike Seely'Member just over a decade ago, when the Ackerleys transformed the Seattle Center Coliseum into a gorgeous, state-of-the-art basketball facility called KeyArena? David Stern doesn't want to remember, because he insists the Key is crap today, but this video (of an interview with KJR morning man Mitch Levy, then a sideline network TV reporter) will help him recall how he felt at the time. Specifically, he felt the refurbished Key was "very special" with "great sightlines," and that Sonic fans should be "very proud." This all smacks of a rich old guy who's hot to trade in his loyal wife for the cocktail waitress at Peso's. What a schmuck.
Topics: Sonics
Comments
David Stern must have a case of the "Clemens"... where you "mis-remember", what was previously said. What a piece of work that guy is.
Why can't anyone (including Art Thiel this AM)differentiate the Key Arena as a facility from the Key Arena Lease? This is very rarely talked about.
Stern is right, the sight lines and the intimacy of the Key make it one of the best places to watch a game.
Sure it could use an update to the entrance... but beyond that it's great. So what's wrong? It doesn't make money . Well... Lets make some money... do the math:
Bigger Concessions %
+
NonSonic Event Revenue
+
Higher Ticket Prices and revenue %
+
High/Sold Out Attendence
=
Good Sonic Revenue
All of this could be done by keeping the building as is and retooling (the lease contract) and the team with some more interesting free agents to raise the demand for tickets and thus charge a higher price.
Posted April 21, 2008 at 10:10 am by Big TFinancial models aside... I'm really starting to think the economics of the NBA are so upside down for casual fans coupled with an overall dwindling popularity... that thing (the nba) will collapse on it's self in a few years.
Big T hits on a lot of ancillary revenue that Bennett's outfit did their best to sandbag this year. The concessions sucked; most stands were closed even during sold-out games. And the team did very little in the way of marketing, both onsite and in public, that involved the players.
Posted April 21, 2008 at 10:19 am by SeelyI look forward to watching the Sonics lose in OKC just like they lost in Seattle. Then when attendence drops in OKC maybe Bennett will threaten to move the team to Tulsa or Lincoln Nebraska. I hear there might be great fan support in Helena Montana for a team. But they will have to wait for the next expansion franchise.
Posted April 21, 2008 at 11:33 am by RobertStern is complete JOKE...
Posted April 21, 2008 at 5:10 pm by NBAFanMore on the broken business model... which isn't broke for many owners.
It's been a while since I looked at these numbers... I can't wait until we see what they look like after this season.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/32/biz_07nba_NBA-Team-Valuations_Revenue.html
Looking at what the NO/OKC team brought in, $10 mil on $90 mil in revenue, sure makes it easy for clay to settle that key arena lease for $25 mil.
If by chance the sonics stay in seattle... fans need to boycott attending the games. Then maybe, just maybe there would be enough bloodloss to sell the team.
Posted April 21, 2008 at 5:12 pm by Big T