0820_AUG Comstock's Magazine 0820 August | Page 43

SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Finding Hope
for Sports in the
COVID-19 Crisis
by Matina Kolokotronis
It’s a cliche, but there’s really no other
way to say it: These are unprecedented
times. The COVID-19 pandemic
has had a catastrophic impact, taking
more than 135,000 lives in the United
States while driving up unemployment
and critically affecting numerous
workforce sectors. At the same
time, communities across the nation
are grappling with how they address
systematic racism. Two years after the
killing of Stephon Clark in Sacramento,
it is clear that there is still a great
deal of work to be done.
At times like this, sports and other
forms of entertainment may seem
irrelevant — but sports teams have a
responsibility to their communities and
play an important role in transforming
not just local economies, but hearts and
minds. That has certainly been true in
Matina Kolokotronis, the chief
operating officer for the Sacramento
Kings, has decades of
experience in sports and government
law, community affairs
and contract negotiations. The
Kings organization also manages
Golden 1 Center and developed
Downtown Commons in
partnership with JMA Ventures.
Sacramento, where we are supporting
our neighbors.
Despite the impacts of COVID-19,
we are hopeful. Since late March, we’ve
worked to provide that hope through
In This Together, an effort to engage,
support and connect with our community.
We also developed a Pledge to Our
Black Community, which builds on our
ongoing efforts to address racial and
social injustice.
As this issue of Comstock’s went
to press, the NBA planned to resume
the 2019-20 season on July 30, with all
games at Walt Disney World Resort in
Orlando. The plan called for having 22
of its 30 teams, including the Sacramento
Kings, play eight seeding games, followed
by the usual playoffs, with Game
7 of the NBA Finals, if necessary, taking
place no later than Oct. 13. While Kings
fans won’t be able to cheer in person,
they’ll be able to watch games on TV.
The Kings, like Sacramento, are
resilient, and we will continue to serve as
a pillar for our city as we all work together
to recover and take the steps necessary
for our team, organization and Golden 1
Center to have a bright future. Here are
three steps toward recovery.
Ensuring health and safety
Customers are the lifeblood of our
organization, and it’s hard to imagine
basketball games, concerts and other entertainment
without them. We still don’t
know when we will be able to welcome
fans and music lovers back into Golden
1 Center, but one thing is certain: Health
and safety will be our top priority. We’re
working to put technology and procedures
in place that will make us all safer
with minimal impact for fans.
The “new normal” is forcing us to rethink
basic parts of our industry: How do
we get people into arenas safely? How do
we effectively use technology to do this?
Golden 1 Center already has technology
that will help. Contactless payment
is available throughout the arena, and
advanced turnstiles eliminate the handto-hand
contact in traditional ticket processing.
In October 2019, we introduced
the world’s first in-arena checkout-free
convenience store in partnership with
Zippin, where fans can enter, grab items
and exit in under 30 seconds while also
reducing person-to-person contact.
As we continue developing solutions,
we will collaborate with the NBA and
public health experts to do everything we
can to protect our guests and community.
The Kings and Golden 1 Center have always
used the latest innovations to create
a safe, world-class experience, and venue
technology will take on new meaning in a
post-COVID world.
Supporting our community
At the Kings, we believe in using basketball
as a platform for good. When
COVID-19 struck, we connected with
local nonprofits and coalitions to identify
organizations working to address
basic needs, including housing and
food security. In addition to distributing
$200,000 to those organizations, we
donated 100,000 masks to the real heroes
of this crisis — local frontline workers. In
April, we established a partnership with
the State of California for the use of our
former Natomas arena as an alternate
care facility to ensure additional medical
surge capacity was available if needed.
And we will continue to address racial
and social injustice in our community
by investing in violence prevention,
intervention and interruption strategies;
highlighting and partnering with local
Black-owned businesses; and promoting
civic engagement by spearheading voter
registration efforts in the region.
Remaining patient and hopeful
This will be difficult for a long time. Our
industry has changed and will continue
to evolve due to the unexpected nature
of this pandemic; what matters is our
response. We firmly believe brighter
days are ahead and that we will emerge
from this stronger than ever. Already,
the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel has reopened,
and we are witnessing the reemergence
of businesses across the central grid,
including restaurants and shops.
But continued progress will require
patience, and it will take everyone working
together. No matter when we can return
to hosting games and concerts with
fans at Golden 1 Center, the Kings will
continue to stand with the community as
we always have.
August 2020 | comstocksmag.com 43