As we heard last week, the Virginia Beach city council will hear a proposal today for a new, 18,000-seat arena that could be used to deliver a professional sports team to the city. The NBA's Sacramento Kings are rumored to be the franchise targeted by potential investors to lure to Virginia Beach. With the pitch scheduled for this afternoon, news is trickling in about the proposed arena, and we've got a round-up right here:
- Virginia governor Bob McDonnell supports the city's plan to bring a sports franchise to the city, but local officials are already expressing caution, writes Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. "If they're coming to tell us they're using their own money, I'm ecstatic," said Virginia Beach councilman John Moss. "But if they want free land or any other money, I'm not the least bit interested."
- Also within Lillis' piece, Virginia Beach councilman James Wood acknowledged that professional sports are probably something the local market is missing, but qualified that statement: "I think (the region) could support a pro sports team; I just don't know if it would make sense for us. These projects require a pretty healthy public subsidy, and I just don't know that Virginia Beach is ready to step up and do that."
- Even if city council gets behind the proposal, that hardly makes it a lock that the Kings would relocate to Virginia Beach, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. According to Kyler, the Kings have made no commitments or promises to any city, and are "actively listening" to several scenarios — this one just happens to be the latest.
- The Maloofs aren't helping their cause by refusing comment on the Virginia Beach rumors, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
- Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty recaps all the known info about the potential threat of Virginia Beach to Sacramento.