No, but if Seattle ever wants an NBA franchise, Chris Hansen probably can't be a part of the ownership group. That will be his punishment.
The Maloof's have a better chance than Hansen. Pretty stupid decision to play dirty and burn bridges like that.
That all depends on whether the NBA decides to use Seattle as a threat as long as the arena deal is still on the table. If they do, and a current franchise owner calls their bluff, the league may not have an option but to take Hansen's millions.
Honestly the whole thing seems ridiculous. Why are taxpayers paying money for the arena that they will pay tickets to go to?
Ummm...I don't disagree with your sentiment, but that is how virtually all stadiums of any kind have been built in the last 20 years. The local government has paid the majority of construction costs through the issuance of bonds. The team pays a smaller percentage of construction costs.
Yes, and that to me is a major problem. Basically, fans have strong feelings for teams and millionaires use their passion to force them to fund their business expenses. Being a team owner must be great.
It amazes me how even in this Recession, pro-sports teams can milk a city government for millions $$ taxpayer money. The paint on the old arena hasn't even dried, and franchise wants it torn down and replaced with a newer one with bigger jumbotron, more box seats, concession booths, wi-fi, etc.
Citizens usually vote to approve these expenses. If anything, it's the people deciding to pay for a form of entertainment. The majority of those that vote at least.
You can say this about any big corporation especially in Texas where cities suck company ****s to get jobs brought here. They give them bigger tax breaks than Area deals. Both create jobs and help the city economy.
The "jobs" argument is specious. Not only are they often minimum-wage, seasonal work, but they don't always come with benefits. In regards to "growth," that argument only works on a case-by-case basis. Recent cases, like Marlins Park which is a financial time bomb in Miami or Ford Field and Comerica Park in Detroit (not to mention the current debate about a Red Wings arena), show how your "help the city economy" point doesn't hold up. If you want to read up on this, Field of Schemes is a great resource.
Chris Hansen, others fined $50,000 over Sacramento arena ballot effort [rQUOTEr]Chris Hansen, the hedge fund manager who attempted to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle, and two members of a political committee have agreed to pay a $50,000 fine for failing to report the source of money for an effort in Sacramento to collect signatures for a ballot measure seeking a vote on the city's arena subsidy. Hansen, along with political consultant Brandon Powers and treasurer Lysa Ray of Citizens for a Voice in Government, agreed to pay the penalty, according to Fair Political Practices Commission records released today.[/rQUOTEr]
If he broke CA law, then he should pay the fine. I do, however, find it odd that the public doesn't get to vote on where to spend a couple hundred millin dollars on an arena.
Was about to post that. Mayn I still remember when he called them the Sacramento Queens. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
