The Warriors can do no wrong--as a fan of the mighty NBA dubs for forty years--most of those spent in professional basketball purgatory, this recent championship run has been well worth the wait.The only blemish on this fairytale is the Warriors' misguided plan to move across the bay, why? to go from being worth $2.5 billion or so to $3 billion or so? Ridiculous if you ask me and I get the feeling I'm not alone.
Fortunately, courtesy Mission Bay Alliance, that new zip code has been put on hold, and even better news today (Wednesday) the Dub's San Francisco plans are further enmeshed in legal turbulence. Nobody said it was going to be easy building a sports arena in the city, including me and here's hoping it gets even more murkier. Opposition continues to grow.
And grow.
I love the Warriors, from 1975-era Rick Barry to Nate Thurmond to the present-day wonder Splash Brothers. But this SF arena makes zero sense unless you're the Warriors' owners who want to make more millions atop of their billions and billions.
Seriously, now.
Of course, outside of the Chronicle's Matier and Ross, the Bay Area media has largely ignored the trials and tribulations of the proposed move even though at the very least, the idea of an 18,000-seat arena in Mission Bay would probably constitute a traffic, logistical nightmare. Just what the doctor didn't order: building that arena directly across the street from a hospital? You gotta be kidding me.You're not.
Oh well, this is one legal Game 7 in the making.
Big Crooked Medicine, with its big crooked coffers, is proving to be a miserable foe for the Dubs.
ReplyDeleteWho in their right mind would want to stay in Oakland? Kudos to ownership for privately financing their own building. Raiders, A's and Niners went or are hoping to go the taxpayer route.
ReplyDeleteFrank, what's wrong with Oakland? SF is a pain to get in and out of, parking sucks and the techies have ruined a once great city. No real people left, no middle class, less diverse now. The W's should stay right where they are and get with the A's and build a new baseball park and arena. Add some eateries and bars, a movie-plex,a sports museum, a hotel and make it a destination It can work.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with @8:15. I don't live in either SF or Oakland so for me personally it doesn't matter where they play, but I don't feel that the fans who have loyally supported the Warriors through their bad and now good years should have to watch them move to SF. For better or worse (mostly better) Oakland is not the city it once was. Some of what 8:15 is advocating for has already begun, especially some fine restaurants and craft breweries which have become so popular in recent years. As has already been mentioned, the only reason the team owners have for moving is pure greed.
DeleteNot the techies, lefties.
DeleteI agree - In my opinion Oakland is positioned to be the new SF in terms of Art, Food and Culture since SF has torn most of the Art, Food and Culture down for hipster housing.
DeleteSFMTA's misguided (or possibly guided to pal contractors) projects are a detriment to getting to the game for many - they are further from BART than the Giants, etc, etc. With a little luck the wags at SFMTA will have SF totally impossible to drive in soon. They have done this by hiring SFBike wags for their staff so the handwriting is on the wall and The Warriors and others who need vehicle access to games might well do better in Oaktown near the freeway.
I think that's a good point about Oakland. Lacob is a Peninsula guy, lives in Atherton, plays open gym hoops at Stanford, his son went there. That's where his allegiances lie. Gruber doesn't care - He's LA guy and part owner of Dodgers. But I think the fallout of San Francisco's success is Oakland's gain. The renaissance has already started in No. West Oakland and is bound to filter down to the Arena way. For the new arena, there also talking about tearing down 280 to make traffic easier. Taking the train the last year, I've seen the development and the access and egress to the new arena wouldn't be great. That's the one big advantage the O.Co has - freeway and BART access, close to airport - but like the old Candlestick, there's nowhere to go after the game. That's what makes the new area so attractive - AT&T and the Giants helped build up that area and the Warriors get to piggyback off the new retail development.
DeleteTranslation of all of the above posts...SF has priced many out, they are flocking to Oakland which is improving and getting better because the blacks are now being priced out and forced to move. Antioch and Vallejo crime is majorly up because of this.
DeleteBut hey, as long as we get these breweries, restaurants and Starbucks who cares right?
@11:19
DeleteNo, 8:15 is more than correct. It's the techies.
"What's wrong with Oakland".......Go away uninformed jackass
DeleteIf it ain't broke......don't fix it!!! Stay in Oakland where you belong.
ReplyDeleteWhere are all these "restaurants and craft breweries" that I keep hearing about? All I see around the Warriors' current arena is a freeway surrounded by a parking lot.
ReplyDeleteUnless Oakland comes up with a new arena in another location there is nothing to do before and after a game there (tailgating?). Otherwise it is a scary walk to the closest restaurant, a Denny's at the Hagenberger underpass.
The main problem with the new SF location is it'll be a pain to get to. Nobody wants to get off a cramped BART train, only to be forced to cram into a Muni bus or streetcar.
ReplyDeleteIt is only a few blocks from ATT Park. Somehow 41,000 fans manage it perfectly fine 81 times a season.
DeleteManage it, yes. For many, I doubt that they do so in a perfectly fine manner.
DeleteThe Giants are getting rid of a lot of of parking for mixed retail/residential. Let's see how it works in seasons to come. Caltrain is just fine if you plan on standing from Palo Alto, coming and going, and BART is a mile and a half walk, which not everyone wants to do. Less parking is going to affect lots of people in upcoming seasons.
DeleteWhaaa..whaaa..
DeleteSo you won't be able to drive there and park in a huge overpriced parking lot with all the challenges that go with that.
Arenas do fine in busy urban areas, as do many ballparks (ATT, Fenway, Staples Center, Madison Square Garden, Petco Park, Wrigley Field, Bradley Arena, etc.------all great places to watch a game. They are in areas with vibrant restaurants and bars, not a concrete wasteland.
@3:31 PM Will you even live in the Bay Area in five years' time?
DeleteRemember the Golden State Warriors were previously the San Francisco Warriors. The only reason they ended up in Oakland is because there was no arena in the city. That is finely being rectified. Sorry, but although Oakland is improving, it's not San Francisco. People will figure out a way to get to the new arena...it's 20,000 for an arena vs. 40,000 for the ballpark. Net-net, the Oakland/East Bay fan base will likely dwindle, but it will be more than replaced by the SF/Peninsula fan base. If you're the Warriors--do you want your fan base to look like the A's fan base or the Giants fan base? Answer is pretty obvious. The visiting teams even stay in SF for games in Oakland.
ReplyDeleteSo, should the A's move back to Philadelphia, using the logic above? Considering the situation regarding Oakland sports teams, with the Raiders almost sure to go and the A's running a AAA minor league team, the Warriors are really the only regional team in the area, discounting the Sharks and Earthquakes, mainly because hockey and soccer are peripheral sports for most Bay Areans and Americans. The move to SF is just a simple cash grab and potential raised prestige using the San Francisco name for Lacob. I don't think the Warriors would lose any corporate money. Oracle is a Redwood Shores based company sponsoring the arena and the geography doesn't seem to matter. I don't think SF is going to make one bit of difference in corporate dollars unless Lacob figures he can get more luxury booths out of SalesForce, Uber and Twitter. The No. 2 guy from Apple was sitting courtside the other night and he was willing to make the trip over the bridge.
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia already has the Phillies.
DeleteThe new SF arena will increase the value of the team considerably (why? Because it is in SF!) I would rather go to a game in the City with the vibrant surrounding neighborhood than a game where the Warriors play now. Same with Giants vs. A's. The draw isn't necessarily the team, it is the ballpark--------same with the new arena.
@4:54 They sell out every game, sell more merchandise than any other team and are the world champions ... without appealing to your vibrant wants.
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