AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group), the owner and operator of our own Sprint Center, is for sale. It's not exactly known what will come from this, or if our good friend Tim Leiweke will be kicked to the curb and forced to be an organ grinder just to make a living, but it will mean a change in the management if all of AEG's properties.
The AP article goes on to say that everything is just fine for LA's futile prospects of courting an NFL franchise, what will this mean for Kansas City. Will we continue to see an exhibition game each year, or even have tournaments like Ice Breaker or any other hockey events? Coupled with the NHL lockout, and the real possibility that the Rangers-Avs game will be cancelled, has the Sprint Center peaked too soon, and sealed its fate as a decent concert venue for the next thirty years? The pessimist in us all wants to say 'yes,' and we wouldn't be wrong. But – and bear with me here – what if this new company, whoever it is, demands more out of a world class venue like the Sprint Center despite owning and operation showpieces around the globe? What if Kansas City becomes a testing ground, or the crown jewel of the Midwest? Maybe they won't lure an NHL or NBA franchise (if anything, the NHL is headed for contraction...hopefully not of all thirty teams...), but bring in more sporting events. Not even just hockey. A Frozen Four, a March Madness regional, the Big XII, the SEC, youth events, exhibition games, etc. They can make it happen. Please do, whoever you are, for the sake of our city's sports sanity.
I only got to listen to some of All the Kings Men podcast this morning, but from what I heard, they don't think anything is going to come of this for at least a year and a half.
ReplyDeleteThe buying group will be getting all of AEG, which means they will more than likely be looking at the Sprint Center as an unfortunate addition to their properties. I can't see them really giving much more of a crap about the arena or Kansas City than AEG currently does. More concerts and less hockey to come...