Mayor Johnson Scrambling to Keep the Kings in Sacramento

If there is one guy trying his hardest to keep a professional team in his town it's Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento.

In the last year or so, he's been trying to do everything he can to try and keep the Kings in California State capital. The main thing he's been doing is trying to secure a new arena for the team, something that's evaded him so far. Now with the team's 65% majority in the process of being sold to a group from Seattle, Johnson is scrambling to see if he can get an investor to match it. He somehow either found one or one came to him in Mark Mastrov, founder of 24 Hour Fitness. According to Johnson, Mastrov will submit a bid to the NBA on Friday to the buy the team.

On top of that, Johnson has said Ron Burkle, co-owner of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, will lead the effort to fund a new arena in downtown Sacramento. Johnson even has 20 other investors trying to buy 7% of the team that is up in bankruptcy court.

It seems that Kevin Johnson is going all out to keep the team from relocating to Seattle.

"With all due respect to Seattle, I do hope they get a team someday, but let me be perfectly clear it is not going to be this team," Johnson said. "Not our team. No way."

I must commend Johnson on his effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento. It sounds like one of those movies where you only have a certain amount of time to come up with the money or you lose your home/business/muppet theatre.

In that respect, I've actually changed my mood towards this story and wish that the Kings would stay in Sacramento. I'm rooting for Kevin Johnson as it seems like the true underdog story.

P.S. If only politicians were able to show this much zeal for less important matters than sports.