Bucksgate?!

by BUCKS on Sep 30, 2011 6:46 PM CDT

Since not much is going on in the NBA labor front, I thought I'd pose a few hypothetical questions about the future of the MIlwaukee Bucks. It may be a topic that simply doesn't interest you or one that you'd like to avoid for as long as possible, and that's perfectly fine I was just curious what people thought on the topic.

It's quite obvious that Milwaukee faces an uphill battle in keeping the Bucks here long term. David Stern has set the precedent that cities need to build new state-of-the-art arenas, or they risk relocation. The Bradley Center is outdated and lacks the space or modernity to generate substantial revenue. It's been rumored that Herb Kohl loses millions of dollars each NBA season. Most owners aren't as loyal as Kohl, and when he inevitably passes on the franchise to someone else it could trigger a rapid progression of events that assures the Bucks' departure.

I recently watched the documentary Sonicsgate and if you haven't watched it yet I highly recommend it. It's free and you can watch it in its entirety here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9Dp20ydm1E . It made me think about whether Milwaukee would put any sort of resistance against relocation. Throughout the documentary it shows clips of rallies, legal challenges, and booming chants of "Save Our Sonics" during games. Unfortunately, I can't see many people in Wisconsin rallying around the Bucks. The interest and enthusiasm in the Bucks is largely lacking and miles behind that of the Packers and Brewers. When you read stories from the Journal Sentinel, about half the comments are "no one cares about the Bucks" or "I hope they leave and we get a hockey team instead". I can attest to witnessing this sentiment as I go to Madison and with about 40,000 students on campus, I feel like only a handful of them pay any attention to the Bucks at all (I realize this is a large generalization, but I stand by it nonetheless)-I've seen maybe 2 Bucks related apparel all year.

So, do you think there'd be much resistance if the Bucks were en route to relocation? Are there going to be any owners willing to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee even if it's not overly profitable? Will Milwaukee ever get a publicly financed arena? I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.

FanPosts are user-generated blogs-within-the-blog. We ask that members abide by our community guidelines and keep things respectable. Thanks.

Tweet Comment 7 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Oh, and my idea for a slogan would be "Don't F*** With Our Bucks"

by BUCKS on Sep 30, 2011 6:48 PM CDT reply actions

It's a solid slogan

but it would work better if other teams weren’t able to do so as often as they have already.

http://twitter.com/WhalesLarry ...but only if you want to see someone still trying to figure Twitter out.

by Mitchell Maurer on Oct 1, 2011 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm definitely worried for the long term

Right now it’s impossible to make any headway on this issue since:

a) the team is an afterthought, which is a combination of many things (lack of sustained on-court success, Packer/Brewer interest, Wisconsin’s demographics, etc)
b) the economy stinks and politicians have zero interest in financing an arena
c) the NBA’s economic system is in a state of flux

I think the most realistic scenario for keeping the Bucks is that down the road Kohl leads a consortium of business interests to fund the majority of a new multi-purpose arena to replace the BC, with a minority sharing coming from public funding. It could very well be something of a going-away gift to cement his legacy in Wisconsin, as we all know that a new arena will be a precondition for any new ownership looking to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee. That leaves some big questions:

a) Aside from waiting for the economy to improve, what will it take to get some public money for a a new arena?
b) Is there a local ownership group that can eventually step up to buy the team? If not, is there an Attanasio-like guy willing to invest in the team and keep it here?
c) Is Kohl willing to fork over a huge chunk of his estate (which right now is largely tied up in the Bucks themselves) to get an arena deal? Can he rally business support to help him?

www.BrewHoop.com

by Frank Madden on Oct 1, 2011 12:59 PM CDT up reply actions

I've always been surprised by the lack of Bucks interest in Madison

At first, the logical answer is that Madison is populated by lots of students from places other than Wisconsin, so maybe they’re just fans of other NBA teams. But that doesn’t stop what is an obviously overwhelming Packer and Brewer fan demographic, and the NBA in general just seems far behind the other big sports in Madison.

We talked about it briefly in the podcast covering Jon Leuer, but I’m still hopeful that his presence ignites a bit more interest from the Madison area. It’s unlikely to be a significant boost, but even getting a few hundred people to trek over to Milwaukee from Madison for a few games during the year would be a nice start. It’s not going to save the team by any means, but interest is contagious, and even fairweather fans are probably better than no fans at all.

www.BrewHoop.com

by Dan Sinclair on Oct 1, 2011 2:00 PM CDT reply actions

Can we stop putting "Gate" after everything?

Watergate was called “Watergate” because the name of the hotel was the Watergate. This is why other countries hate us.

Nationwide Writer for SBNation's Nascar Ranting & Raving (www.4ever3blog.com)
"A ringing single for David Eckstein who, in my view, is the perfect size for an American male." -Bob Costas
Now on Twitter: @RockstarTroy

by Troy J. on Oct 30, 2011 4:07 PM CDT reply actions

haha

Is it better or worse than adding -palooza to things?

www.BrewHoop.com

by Frank Madden on Oct 31, 2011 7:20 PM CDT up reply actions

Heh!

I often open my garden wooden, hinged, door-like thingy to walk to the street.

I agree with the whole ‘gate after everything’ sentiments Troy. Just so you know, it is also rife in any other English speaking country you care to name. We only hate Americans as much as we hate ourselves on that topic (‘Gate’) ;)

UK – Baftagate, Flakegate, Picturegate, Portraitgate, Shilpagate, Betsygate, Bigotgate, Camillagate, Rinkagate (and the list goes on!)

Aus – Utegate, Wormgate, Wheatgate

Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!

by Big Crazy Dave on Nov 4, 2011 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions