Warriors to SF? (San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland: sales, neighborhood, live)

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by jade408

Honestly, this crowd doesn't really care about basketball. This isn't really a "you'll build it and they will come sort of thing.

The NBA is very optimistic, is they think suddenly the tech crowd is going to show up in a new arena. The Warriors will never have "Staples North" because the Bay Area doesn't really care about pro sports. Typical Silicon Valley types are more into playing (something else) than watching.

I wouldn't say the Bay Area doesn't care about pro sports. The Sharks have a rabid fanbase and draw a capacity crowd every home game.

[NorCal Dude]

Worst basketball team ever.

I remember when I first moved to California, my dad took me to see the Bulls play the warriors. The whole arena was rooting for the Bulls. Heh. Real group of die hards there.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

I wouldn't say the Bay Area doesn't care about pro sports. The Sharks have a rabid fanbase and draw a capacity crowd every home game.

Sure, but those Hockey fans would follow the sharks if they played in Redwood City, San Francisco or where ever else. They aren't just going to the games because they live in San Jose, and the team is in San Jose.

I have my doubts that a shiny new arena in SF will suddenly draw a ton of fans because it is in SF, when something shiny and new would draw fans as long as it is in a reasonably convenient location. If the Silicon Valley people really wanted to sponsor an NBA box, they could, but I doubt location has any more than 10 or 20% of a factor in their decision.

I don't think corporate entertaining in a luxury suite is very important to Bay Area business.

Pro sports isn't ingrained in our culture or entertainment here, to make it some mass market draw. Vs let's say the Lakers in LA, where everyone one talks about the last game.

[sav858]

The Warriors already have realy good attendance considering how bad they are. A new arena would attract more fans but it isn't gonna be that much of a difference imo. The big difference will be the TYPES OF FANS it will attract, aka one's with much deeper pockets than currently attend. The revenue per seat would go way up and that is the main reason they would build in SF. Warriors games are pretty damn cheap to go to now and it's easy to get tickets, that wouldn't be the case if they were in SF.

The Warriors do have die hard fans too, they are very loud and loyal for such a crappy team. As much as I hate to say it, they are more passionate than Lakers fans. If you move them to SF they probably wouldn't be as rowdy and die hard though, they'll be more like fans at Giants games, going just because it's something to do and to be seen.

[jsba]

No offence but i own a start up gaming company based in Oakland and deal very heavily with Silicon Valley based companies and i can assure most of the top people of these companies and their clients really don't care about sports AT ALL. if they did their sponsorship numbers would be much higher. Tech companies with the notable exception of EA and 2k don't sponsor or care about sports teams mostly because a majority of their employees have never set foot on any sort of sport field except for maybe a graduation ceremony and could care less about any major team. Go to a tech company anywhere in the country and find 20 employees that can name a player or team name of their local pro sports team.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by jade408

Pro sports isn't ingrained in our culture or entertainment here, to make it some mass market draw. Vs let's say the Lakers in LA, where everyone one talks about the last game.

The numbers at the Giants victory parade alone would put this into dispute, not to mention their attendance.

Lots of people talk about the Niners on Mondays at all kinds of workplaces, especially now that they're winning (yeah, there are a lot of bandwagon fans around the Bay Area as well).

[jade408]

[quote=bigdumbgod;22081770]The numbers at the Giants victory parade alone would put this into dispute, not to mention their attendance. {/quote]
I'd call those people fair weather fans. Everyone joins a winner's party.

Lots of people talk about the Niners on Mondays at all kinds of workplaces, especially now that they're winning (yeah, there are a lot of bandwagon fans around the Bay Area as well).

Its a big a metro area, there are enough people to support a team, but i think on a per capita basis, people in the Bay care less than other metros. Moving the teams around isn't going to suddenly sway people who weren't interested or casual fans to suddenly go on a regular basis because it is closer.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by jade408

on a per capita basis, people in the Bay care less than other metros.

Probably because so many of them are from somewhere else.

[rah]

Originally Posted by sav858

If you move them to SF they probably wouldn't be as rowdy and die hard though, they'll be more like fans at Giants games, going just because it's something to do and to be seen.

And why exactly do you say this? What makes you think there are no rowdy, die hard warriors fans in SF? What makes you think die hard fans from elsewhere would be less rowdy in SF than in Oakland? And what makes you think all people in SF go to sporting events just because it's something "to do" and "to be seen"?

And why do you feel an arena in SF would suddenly attract way more "deep pocket fans"? These deep pocket fans never go to Oakland, or live in Oakland/the east bay themselves, according to you? Is there a sign on the Bay Bridge that says "no rich people allowed"?

Honestly, you sound like you don't really know what you're talking about.

Originally Posted by krudmonk

An arena near AT&T doesn't just sell out, it brings SF/Marin socialites courtside. Wouldn't you rather see basketball with Sean Penn and Phil Bronstein in attendance? We all would, right?

And here's more strange thinking along the same lines.

So you believe that most SF/Marin socialite and celebrity Warriors fans would NEVER go to Oakland? Sean Penn was riding around New Orleans in a boat, armed with a shotgun, after Hurricane Katrina. I think he can handle going to Oakland to watch a Warriors game. Candlestick park is in the middle of the ghetto in SF, and that doesn't stop some very rich people from going there regularly.

I'll admit there is a little truth in what you guys are saying, seeing as Marin is closer to SF than Oakland, and snooty rich people are generally more accepting of SF than Oakland, and an arena in SF would undoubtedly bring in at least a few more fans...but I have a feeling the fan base/attendance would stay mostly the same, seeing as Oakland and SF are right next to each other. It's almost as if some of you think there's an invisible wall between SF and Oakland or something.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by rah

I'll admit there is a little truth in what you guys are saying, seeing as Marin is closer to SF than Oakland, and snooty rich people are generally more accepting of SF than Oakland, and an arena in SF would undoubtedly bring in at least a few more fans...but I have a feeling the fan base/attendance would stay mostly the same, seeing as Oakland and SF are right next to each other. It's almost as if some of you think there's an invisible wall between SF and Oakland or something.

Exactly, there might be a few different fans, but the over all population will be largely the same. If you really wanted to get to the basketball game, you would make an effort to get there. The Coliseum is pretty easy to get to from most of the Bay Area. These so called "deep pockets" are likely to not bother to go en masse, if they aren't already, even if the Arena moves.