Sonics Rising: All Posts by Paul Rogers

Seattle Sin Bin: With guest Chris Daniels

2017-06-15T20:30:01-07:00

Our old friend and KING5 reporter Chris Daniels steps into the Sin Bin to discuss the chaos that is the Seattle arena issue.

In an abbreviated episode, KING5 reporter Chris Daniels joins us to discuss the latest developments in our arena situation. Issues covered will include the following.

Thoughts on the announced NHL ownership group.
Impact of the Hansen financial letter.
Does Hansen need to land a major NHL investor?

David Bonderman in hot water

2017-06-13T22:43:21-07:00

David Bonderman, who was named last week as a major investor in the effort to bring an NHL franchise to Seattle, was forced to resign from the board of Uber on Tuesday in the aftermath of an “inappropriate” comment made to fellow board member Arianna Huffington during a company wide meeting. The gathering was to discuss the problem of harassment toward women.

The Washington Post reports the following exchange between Bonderman and Huffington.

“There’s a lot of data that shows when there’s one woman on the board, it’s much more likely that there will be a second woman on the board,” said Huffington, according to several people who heard the remarks.

“Actually,” Bonderman interjected, “what it shows is, it’s much likely there'll be more talking.”

“Oh, come on, David,” Huffington said, in between awkward laughs. Addressing the crowd, she added, “Don't worry, David will have a lot of talking to do, as well.”

Bonderman later apologized for the remark both to Huffington personally and to Uber employees in a company-wide email. According to the Washington Post article, Huffington acknowledged the apology.

“David has apologized to all Uber employees for a remark that was totally inappropriate and against the new culture we are building at Uber,” Huffington said in a statement.

Later in the day, Bonderman resigned with the following statement.

Uber is examining the issues with its culture, and making significant changes and working to right what has been done wrong, which is extremely important for the future of the company. I do not want my comments to create distraction as Uber works to build a culture of which we can be proud. I need to hold myself to the same standards that we’re asking Uber to adopt.

Huffington released this statement in response.

I appreciate David doing the right thing for Uber at this time of critical cultural changes at the company.

While it’s good that Bonderman rightfully apologized and took tangible responsibility for the remark, it’s also unfortunate that the remark was made in the first place. Hopefully, he will prove this to be an anomoly.

Seattle arena: Fusion of sports and music entertainment?

2017-06-13T06:00:02-07:00

A Seattle NHL team should look to Nashville as an example of how to build a city-flavored game experience for fans

While we were waiting for some major NHL news to break last week in Seattle, Sportsnet reporter Elliott Friedman was laying down some great advice for whoever might eventually bring professional hockey to the Pacific Northwest.

Pay attention to what the Nashville Predators have done.

He wasn’t talking about what they’ve done on the ice, which has been impressive enough to reach the Stanley Cup Final this year before being eliminated in six games. He was talking about what they’ve done around the ice, about an atmosphere that Nashville is uniquely positioned to provide.

Prior to last Wednesday’s press conference, in which Oak View Group was officially selected to move forward with an NBA/NHL arena renovation at KeyArena, and at which Jerry Bruckheimer and Dave Bonderman were announced as OVG’s major NHL investors, Friedman said the following to KJR’s Ian Furness.

Every team in the NHL should take their game ops people to a game in Nashville and say “what do they do?” What they do is turn it into a party that fits their city. If you’ve ever been to a game here you know that the arena is right downtown, right next to a street called Broadway, which is all their famous country music saloons and stuff. it’s a party atmosphere.

I think when Vegas comes in next year, they’ve gotta follow it. If Seattle gets a team, the one thing I think you need to do is say to people “You’re coming here. You’re not just getting a hockey game. You’re getting an event that fits the city of Seattle.” That’s what they do here in Nashville, and I think that’s what you’ve got to do in sports nowadays. If you’re asking for people to take three hours of their time, you can’t always give them a great game. There’s going to be games during the year that are bad, and years where your team isn’t good. What else are you going to give them to entertain them? Nashville has done that very well.

In addition to pre and post-game musical integration with the local bar scene, the Predators make music a huge part of their in-game fan experience. Unlike some franchises that traditionally have the same artist perform the national anthem at every game, Nashville has had a different major musical group sing it at every playoff game. Team president Sean Henry told the Tennessean he likes to keep the artists’ identities secret until the last minute.

Simply put, Henry loves to build the anticipation. And that's exactly what he's done during the Preds' deep postseason run. In what's become a growing (and uniquely Nashville) tradition, a different Music City star or group has sung the "Star-Spangled Banner" before each playoff game. The secret singers have delivered memorable performances, helping to work the home crowd into a frenzy before the puck ever drops.

“The temptation is to announce and get people further hyped up,” he said. “I think it’s so much more special when people get surprised.”

The live music doesn’t stop with the Star Spangled Banner. The Predators have a house band that plays at intermission. During the playoffs, they’ve had some pretty big acts perform with that band. NBC Sports points out the following.

The Nashville Predators have reached their first Western Conference final in franchise history and that has spread hockey fever far beyond their arena and the team’s loyal legion of fans. Stars from Carrie Underwood to Lady Antebellum are lining up to sing the national anthem and the likes of John Hiatt to Lee Greenwood are singing with the house band during intermissions.

The penchant for live in-game music isn’t excluded to the playoffs. Though the acts aren’t always as famous, the Predators have different artists perform the anthem and at intermission throughout the the season, and have a process in place for local musicians to show off their act.

So let’s review. A city with a rich and proud musical tradition infuses that tradition into the in-game experience at NHL games, and it’s a huge success to the point where Predator fans are becoming known as the loudest in the league.

Is there another city with a rich and proud musical tradition that could do something similar if it were awarded an NHL expansion franchise? Seattle may not be as big as Nashville from a music recording perspective, but our city takes a back seat to very few places in the world in regard to music history and passion.

Could Seattle put together some pretty amazing acts to sing the national anthem and to do mini-concerts during intermission? During playoff runs when the weather warms up, could we have pre-game concerts in a neighboring courtyard the arena that often hosts massive music festivals? Could an ownership group that partners with Live Nation have access to artists for these things that most teams can only dream of? The answers seem self-evident.

But Seattle isn’t Nashville, and we’d have to do it with our own flavor.

While Nashville focuses primarily on country acts, a Seattle team would need to seek music that more accurately reflects the variety of our region. From smaller local acts to World touring groups, Blue Scholars, Minus the Bear, Macklemore, Brandi Carlile, Modest Mouse, Robert Delong, and Pearl Jam represent just a sliver of the diversity at our fingertips.

Of course, with Live Nation in the mix, we wouldn’t be restricted to local talent. Bonderman could even snag someone like Paul McCartney, as he did for his 70th birthday party in the video below.

To “turn it into a party that fits” the Seattle culture, it might even need to go beyond music. The beverages served should reflect the proud culture of local breweries in the Emerald City. From a more regional perspective, the wines of Eastern Washington could also be served.

There are a million different things that could be done, and these are the kinds of things local arena and team investors need to be thinking of to capture the hearts of our region.

Hopeful Envy: Following the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft

2017-06-11T14:56:12-07:00

Sonics Rising will live vicariously through fans of the Vegas Golden Knights as they navigate the 2017 expansion draft.

We don’t have an approved arena in Seattle yet, we can’t apply for NHL expansion yet, and we don’t have a guarantee that either will happen.

But we can dream. We can hope. We can wonder what life will be like if OVG’s arena is approved, if construction begins, and if moguls Jerry Bruckheimer and David Bonderman get a green light from the league to pursue a franchise.

So we’re going to give you a chance over the next ten days to live vicariously through fans of the newly minted Vegas Golden Knights as they navigate the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. It’s not as creepy as it sounds, and there is a legit reason - this could be us in a few years.

We will understand if you’re not ready, but the Hopeful Envy train is leaving the station for those who want to hop on board. Today we will cover the key dates and the rules. We will cover more as news happens.

EXPANSION RULES VIA NHL.COM

Protecting Players

The entire idea of an expansion draft is to let an expansion franchise take players from existing teams. In the event that the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t want to let the Golden Knights have Sidney Crosby, however, the league allows every team to submit a list of players that can’t be drafted.

Franchises can choose to protect either nine players or eleven. Why wouldn’t they choose to protect eleven? Because they would lose flexibility in protecting specific positions. Teams that protect eleven players must protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender. Teams that protect only nine can protect eight skaters, distributed between forwards and defensemen however they choose, and one goalie. This flexibility can be important because players with “no movement” clauses are automatically included on the protection list.

First and second year players are automatically excluded from being drafted, and do not count against the list.

Exposing Players

Choosing which players to protect is influenced by the rules the categories of players that must be exposed.

Existing franchises must expose the following:

At least one defenseman who is under contract for the coming season, and either played 40 plus games last season or 70 plus games over the last two seasons.
Two forwards who are under contract for the coming season, and either played 40 plus games last season or 70 plus games over the last two seasons.
One goaltender who is either a restricted free agent or under contract for the coming season. That goaltender who is a restricted free agent must have already received his qualifying offer when the club’s protected list is submitted.

A franchise can’t satisfy player exposure requirements with a player who has a potential career-ending injury and who has missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games. Those players may be deemed exempt from the draft by the league.

Selecting Players

The Vegas Golden Knights must select...

30 players
One player from each existing franchise
14 forwards
Nine defensemen
Three goalies
A minimum of 20 players under contract for the coming season
Players with an aggregate salary value of at least 60% of the prior season’s salary cap

Vegas may not buy out any players selected in this draft until the conclusion of next season.

KEY DATES VIA SBNATION

Pat Iversen, of the SBNation mother ship, reports the following schedule:

Monday, June 12: the last day for teams to ask players with no-movement clauses to waive them.

Friday, June 16: Players have until 5 p.m. to waive their expansion draft protections if they qualify. More on that in a bit.

By 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 17, 2017, all 30 NHL franchises are required to submit their list of protected players. The entire league will be under a roster freeze. No trades. No waivers. No nothing.

Sunday, June 18: Expansion protected lists are sent out to every team, and the Golden Knights get to interview players they might want to select.

By 10 a.m. ET on June 21, the Golden Knights must submit the list of players it has selected.

On June 21, the NHL will announce those selections at the NHL Awards.

NHL ownership unveiled

2017-06-07T13:32:25-07:00

The Oak View Group identifies two committed NHL owners.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has officially announced that he will recommend the Oak View Group’s KeyArena renovation proposal to the City Council. Coming on the heels of Seattle Partner’s withdrawal from the competition, this comes as no surprise.

In more surprising news, OVG has announced the names of two major investors who will attempt to land an NHL franchise to play in the arena.

For the second time in a decade, television and movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer will team up with investment mogul David Bonderman in an effort to acquire an NHL franchise, most likely through expansion. According to Sports Business Daily, the pair first attempted to pursue NHL expansion to Las Vegas in 2007 but were hindered by the lack of an NHL ready arena.

NBA fans should note that Bonderman, a minority owner of the Boston Celtics, has also expressed interest in becoming the majority owner of an NBA franchise, having attempted to acquire the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in 2010.

DAVID BONDERMAN

David Bonderman is a Los Angeles native, born in 1942, who now lives in Fort Worth, Texas. He is married with five children, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1966. He does have a significant tie to the Seattle community that can be summarized in four glorious words: “Bow … down … to Washington.” That’s right, Bonderman is a 1963 graduate of the University of Washington. After Harvard, he chose to look beyond the borders of the United States to continue his education, traveling to Cairo, Egypt to become an expert in Islamic law and becoming fluent in modern Arabic in the process. (SuccessStory.com)

This appreciation of travel has translated to his adult life and he now encourages young people to think internationally, sponsoring the Bonderman Fellowship. This fellowship allows up to 14 University of Washington students funding to support travel abroad for the purpose of learning. It is described in the fellowship application as follows:

David Bonderman – the donor – wishes to give students an opportunity to experience learning and growth in new and unexpected ways. Bonderman Fellows will undertake international travel on their own for eight months, to six or more countries in two or more major regions of the world. Through solo travel the Fellows will focus on exploration and discovery, learning about the world and themselves in it.

Up to seven graduate and seven undergraduate Bonderman Fellowships will be awarded in spring 2017. Each Fellowship carries a $20,000 award to be used only for extended solo international travel. Fellows may not conduct research, pursue an academic project, or participate in a formal program or organization.

Mr. Bonderman is recognized as a rare Texas democrat, having previously contributed to the campaigns of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. His philanthropic efforts include social and human services, Boys and Girls Clubs, Wildlife Conservation Society, African Parks Foundation of America, and Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement (WealthX.com)

Mr. Bonderman worked as a lawyer and a professor in his early career, but made his fortune as a world class investor. In 1992, he co-founded TPG Capital, which currently manages more than $70 billion of investments. According to the most recent Forbes.com report, Bonderman has a net worth of approximately $2.5 billion, but sources indicate that this number may have increased substantially since that report.

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER

Bruckheimer is much more widely known and requires far less introduction.

Jerry Bruckheimer was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1965. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Linda, who is a preservation activist focusing on the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and his step-daughter. He also has two sons.

Mr. Bruckheimer is a legendary producer who has amassed six Oscars, five Grammies, 17 Emmies, and four Golden Globes. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has produced for blockbuster movies including Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, American Gigolo, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Black Hawk Down, and the National Treasure franchise. (Empire Online). His most famous television work is with the numerous “CSI” series.

Mr. Bruckheimer is a die-hard fan of hockey and most specifically the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Various websites list his net worth at approximately $850 million.

Seattle Sin Bin returns: Geoff Baker talks arena

2017-06-06T20:25:34-07:00

The Seattle Times reporter joins us for a special episode.

After a long hiatus, the Seattle Sin Bin podcast returns.

So much has happened since our previous episode last fall. I won’t even attempt to recount it here. Since everything has gotten all kinds of crazy of late, we decided that a special episode is in order. There will likely be more in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

For this episode, Seattle Times reporter Geoff Baker joins us to talk about all the goings on, and all that might unfold in the near future. We recognize that Geoff has had a ... well ... strained relationship at times with our community. But he has always been a friend to this show and we are glad to have him back.

Seattle Arena: OVG arena financials released

2017-06-05T21:01:05-07:00

The Oakview Group seeks $40 million in tax revenue from Seattle Center to reinvest into the project.

KING5 news has reported that the City of Seattle has released more financial details of the Oakview Group’s bid to renovate KeyArena. This comes the day after Seattle Partners withdrew from the competition with a scathing letter decrying the city’s handling of the RFP process - in particular the redacting of OVG’s financial details.

Here are some key points of the release.

The name of the organization that would build the arena would be ArenaCo, in much the same way that the organization that would construct Chris Hansen’s arena would be called ArenaCo.
They would seek $40 million in tax revenue from Seattle Center to reinvest into the project.
They would contribute $25 million to the construction of a parking garage, though it is unclear if that number has changed since the announcement that the garage would be smaller than originally planned.
They would seek a $50 million federal grant for the expected landmark status of KeyArena’s roof line.
They expect to begin construction in December of 2018, though it is unclear how that is possible with the recently scheduled NCAA basketball tournament tournament in March of 2019.
They anticipate naming rights revenue north of $20 million in the first five years.
Goldman Sachs will finance up to $200 million if no teams arise, and an unspecified higher amount if teams are acquired.

MIDNIGHT UPDATE

Geoff Baker reports that MSG is providing up to a $1 billion backstop to OVG’s proposal. It could be used in the event that the $50 million federal grant doesn’t materialize or that the $40 million in tax revenue from Seattle Center is denied.

We will publish more details as they become available.

If I had to choose - OVG vs AEG scoreboards

2017-05-26T09:00:02-07:00

We’re not the mayor, but we have opinions!

When OVG and Seattle Partners submitted proposals to renovate KeyArena, they also submitted renderings of how the interior of the arena would look if they had their druthers. One of the key visual elements of both proposals is the scoreboard design.

OVG: Dual Scoreboards

This design involves coolness and uniqueness factors. Have you ever seen scoreboards that look quite like this? I haven’t.

The Dynamic Duo?

Is this way partially to compensate for the overhanging press box. People in the upper deck beneath the box will have an unobstructed view of the ice, but would they have a perfect view of a center scoreboard? It’s hard to tell from the renderings, but it could be a factor.

Another factor could be the nature of the game of hockey. If your eyes are focused on the goal area, do you really want to have to look left or right to see the scoreboard? No! I say no! It’s much better just to glance upward.

Whatever the reason, I love the design. Really cool.

AEG: Ginormous Center Scoreboard

Not to be insensitive, but size matters. The bigger, the better. You want that supersized? Scoreboard got back.

When they show Coach Popovic on the screen, do you want to see every whisker and divot on his grizzled face? Do you want to be able to watch the latest Star Wars movie after the game on a theater sized screen? Yes! I say yes!

My thoughts

I love the size of AEG’s scoreboard. I love the coolness of OEG’s dual scoreboards. Could OVG simply make their scoreboards much bigger for the best of both worlds? Why not?

I lean toward OVG, but how do you feel?